Looking out my Backdoor: End of Year Farm, Weather, Factory and Livestock Reports

Farm Report: Tomatoes are up and everything else is down. More or less.

I’m not sure what it is about tomatoes here but they insist on growing under extreme conditions, such as winter. Well, our winter, not your winter. Still, they astonish me. Remember, my farm is in five-gallon buckets, baby baths, and other assorted strange containers.

I’m really tired of eating tomatoes. My neighbors are glad to relieve me of the excess.

Herbs are year round. Flowers are forever.

But there is no accounting for the avocado tree. Back in summertime when it was supposed to flower, nothing happened. By the end of what would/should have been fruiting season, the mixed-up tree burst into flower. Now it is dropping olive-sized nuggets which will not, cannot grow to maturity.

Speaking of mixed up, my first year in Etzatlan, I planted what I was told when I bought it from a battered pickup truck alongside the road, a cinnamon bush. It isn’t. I’m sure the vendor, watching me carefully, told me what it was. I misunderstood and asked, “Canela?” “Si, si,” he immediately agreed.

Whatever it is, it is now 6 years old, a tree and not a bush, and for the first time, is bursting into flower. Like I said, flowers are forever.

Weather Report: Cool in the morning. Turn off heater and open door at 11:00 to let the sunshine in to continue warming the house. By noon, go outside to enjoy the afternoon warmth, gentle breeze (some days), and scent of magnolias. (Flowers are forever.) At 4:30 close the door and at 7:00 turn on the heater for an hour.

So far we’ve had two cold weeks, one in November and one this month. Cloudy all day. No sun. No hot water from my solar water tank. Sponge baths. Layer the sweaters. Pray for sun.

Factory Report: The factory consists of my home sewing machine, a conference table, a bin and a basket of scraps of fabric, and myself, boss and employee. Name of company: Save the Planet One Tree at a Time. Factory motivated by replacing throw-away items with re-usable. Output, this far, coffee filters, napkins, handkerchiefs, mug rugs, pot holders, and cleaning cloths.

Also sachets for my dried lavender. Flowers are forever.

I shut down the factory for Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s festivities. Ghosts of future projects are folded and stacked, waiting for the boss to finish a jigsaw puzzle or two. The factory table is the perfect size, and there is an ancient saying about all work, no play and a grumpy boss.

Next week, the factory will magically reappear and production continue.

Livestock report: Iguanas have become rare sightings. Of course, it is winter. But when the sun belts out shine to push eighty, the lizardish critters should be sunbathing atop the brick walls.

My neighbor’s cats and my Lola The Dog might have more to do with disappearing lizards and iguanas than the weather. Some of the iguanas are sizable but then, you haven’t seen Omar from next door. He’s almost as big as Lola. And Lola is keen to chase any movement in the bushes.

Sightings of lizards minus tails are up.

Happy New Year from Sondra and her trusty sidekick, Lola The Dog

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Sondra Ashton grew up in Harlem but spent most of her adult life out of state. She returned to see the Hi-Line with a perspective of delight. After several years back in Harlem, Ashton is seeking new experiences in Etzatlan, Mexico. Once a Montanan, always. Read Ashton’s essays and other work at http://montanatumbleweed.blogspot.com/. Email [email protected].