Dear Friends,

In May, I told you about new neighbors. Well, while were gone to El Pino, they moved away. We didn't know that and walked over to visit one afternoon. They were gone, but there were some other people there. 

The new folks are making fences for the owner of the property, who hopes to use it for pasture. One is the brother to our friend, Francisco, who lives an hour closer to LaFortuna. The other is the ex-husband of the recent neighbor woman. It is a small world. We, of course, have heard her version of why she left him. An odd way to meet someone.

They were willing to do some work for us. We were thrilled. They have worked with us two long mornings (a day's work is usually five hours for physical work here). We pretty much caught up on our dry season gardening goals. It was hard work. We work with them, of course. When we finished in the garden, they cut firewood while we made lunch for all of us. We are very grateful for the gardening progress.

They built an arbor for the passionfruit vine (that has yet to give a fruit) and two primitive benches, one on each side of our back door. That's sort of our chapel. High priority for benches. Now we don't have to carry our little benches outside every morning and afternoon. We'll get spoiled, of course. They also did some work with the terracing just south of the house. 

Our friend, Daniel, who has some training in sustainable agriculture also has helped us a few days. He gave us some good seeds, too. Some are beach legumes that he says will produce a lot of foliage to use for mulch/fertilizer. The others are a legume whose leaves are eaten in soup around here. 

So, within two weeks we had 14 person days of gardening work done. Very nice. The June rains have finally arrived, about three weeks late.   

We have harvested a couple of pineapples and one dwarf platano has flowered. Pineapples, platanos and bananas share a lovely virtue. They produce even without any fertilizer. They take a lot longer and produce a lot less, but they do produce. Now, they have all received a nice manure meal and most have a nice layer of mulch. We are hoping that they don't need to revert to their slow production consistent with neglect. It is pretty nice to feel caught up on the gardening stuff.

be well,

beth