Updates
Pigs
We're still hearing and seeing plenty of pigs. The other morning
the neighbor's dogs were barking far more than usual. It was just
past dawn and the darned dogs wouldn't shut up. I finally went out
to see what had them all worked up. Not only was it a pig, it was eight
pigs. The pigs had been enjoying a hearty breakfast in our macadamia
nut orchard. As soon as I got close, they darted through the
fence and ran off for better cover. I had my camera with me but
I wasn't fast enough to get any pictures. There were two huge pigs,
two medium sized pigs and four babies. We're planning to harvest our
macadamia nuts soon so fixing the electric fence was bumped to the top
of my to-do list.
Rats
The back field still has some rats but not nearly as many as it
did. The rat poison seemed to be the most effective anti-rat
strategy. Although I think the start of the rainy season had an
even larger effect. During the dry season the rats come to the
coffee orchard for food. When the rains start they can return to
the jungle for their more preferred food.
Trees
The rats weren't all bad. Even though the rats almost completely
defoliated the tops of several rows of coffee trees, this didn't kill the
trees it just made them real light on top. Now those defoliated trees
are recovering nicely and all the other trees are so top heavy with
coffee cherries that they are bending over and sometimes breaking
off. Instead of battling the rats, now I'm battling
gravity. I try to use bamboo poles to prop up the heavy limbs that
are threatening to break. That only works until the wind knocks the
tree over again. Then I try to convince myself that
there will still be plenty of coffee even if we lose a few limbs.
Bunny
Unfortunately Emily's pet bunny dug it's way out of it's outdoor cage
and was discovered by Smokey the dog. We had a little bunny
funeral. Then about a week later, at Emily's insistence, we got a
new bunny. The dogs now get chained up any time the bunny is let
out for a brief romp in it's outdoor cage.
Tooth
Emily lost her front tooth. Not exactly a big deal unless you're
six, then it's a very big deal. After she lost her tooth we
had to go to McDonald's to make sure she could still eat french
fries. You'll be happy to know that she didn't have any problems.
First Harvest
The first harvest won't really start until late August or
September. We have some ripe cherries now and Valerie spent a
couple hours picking them. She picked about 20 pounds. Then
she pulped them and laid them out on a drying rack in the
greenhouse. Now it's Sarah's job to stir them several times a day
and check their moisture content to see when they're ready for
storage. Sarah has been helping with many of the other farm and
house chores too. Sometimes we call her Cinderella. Maybe
going back to school next week won't seem so bad.
Coffee
Thank you everyone who has purchased coffee from us. Your early
orders really helped us work out the packaging and shipping process.
After an initial rush, the orders have slowed down but are still coming
in at a steady rate. We have plenty of coffee so feel free to keep
those orders coming. Step 1 was to grow the coffee. Step 2 was
to sell to friends and family. We're getting much closer to Step 3 which is
marketing our coffee to the rest of the world. That's when all
of you will be receiving some unsolicited email messages describing our
wonderful coffee and asking you tell all your friends. There may
be a special offer or two involved as well. If all goes as
planned, we'll be ready for a busy Christmas season.
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