Another good reason to deliver flowers by bike

Rather than in the truck:
It is easier for the owner of Graze to shout at you from the sidewalk: "HEY! Are you selling those flowers?"

And of course the answer is "Why yes, yes I am."

Time

Time is such an interesting thing. There are so many ways of marking and so many reasons that it is a good idea to pay attention to it.

I don't mean in the way that most people pay attention to time, the minutes and seconds of the day, the day of the week, how many hours until the next event.

I am thinking more of passage of the earth through the cosmos and the rest of the cosmos around each other as well. I can't say that I am very good at paying attention to these things, but the cards imply that I should pay more attention.

As a farmer, I already pay attention to the sun more than most. I know the times that it goes up and down, and how that will change as the seasons do. I know how it passes through the sky during the day, much lower in the winter, barely rising above the large trees in the front of the property. During the hotter months it will stary behid the eastern trees only until 8 AM, and then start to make the spinach wilt.

I wish I knew more of the stars and the moon though. The constellations of the zodiac which I plant by, but rely on a calendar to tell me what they are doing. I can't pick out more than a few, and don't recognize a single planet. I can usually remember if the moon is waxing or waning, but not whether it is falling or rising.

These are the things I need to know if I really want to understand time. Time means nothing without movement, and the movement of the large things is important to understanding that.

I also hope to see the movement of the smaller things as time passes, but that is a series of thoughts for another day.

Green

Recently there has been much talk of targeted sanctions against the Revolutionary Guard in Iran as a way to help bring about positive political change in that country, both to help our own interests of keeping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and also to assist the growing pro-democracy opposition movement in the country. In the interest of helping the opposition movement there in particular, we might look to the factors that helped precipitate the Islamic Revolution that brought the current regime to power.

One large factor in any popular uprising is the support of a majority of the people, and in almost all countries that means the necessary help of those in the working classes. While a regime still has substantial resources it is easy to keep the people content by engaging in pork barrel type spending, that while not addressing the root causes of their unrest (in this case, a lack of democracy in recent elections) takes care of basic employment needs and essential bribes them into supporting leaders who do not have their best interests at heart. The current regime in Iran under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is particularly adept at this, and has plenty of money to do that (and to buy bullets for the Revolutionary Guard to continue to put down those that do dare protest) because of their oil resources.

As long as the world continues to use oil at a stable or increasing rate, Ahmadinejad and the Revolutionary Guard will have an easy time keeping protest at a controllable rate. The Shah was in a similar position in the '70s, with oil prices especially high during the oil embargo (in which Iran did not participate). It was only when oil prices fell after the embargo ended that the Shah's regime started to falter, as the economic fate of the poor urban masses fell apart after having been good for so long. It was this economic crisis, along with a drawdown of western support and the charismatic leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini that finally drew enough protesters to the street to end the tyrannical monarchy in Iran.

A similar drop in oil prices, this time brought about by a “green” environmental movement in the western world that could bring victory to the Iranian “green” democracy movement and an end to the military tyrrany of Ahmadinejad.

"Junk"

I know that it is a little cliche, but I feel as if I am constantly being reminded that one person's trash is another person's treasure.

My friends Dana and Ishai just moved in with me this week to help farm this spring. Being new to town and having moved all their belongings in a total of 8 small to large size suitcases there were of course a few things we had to pick up for them, including bikes. We first hit up the thrift stores, and though we were able to find plenty of things such as pillows and lamps, a good bike still eluded us.

We headed off to the bike shop, to pick up gear and see exactly how expensive a new bike might be, mainly thinking to check Craigslist and/or classified ads later. As Dana and Ishai were finishing looking at bike hemets I was waiting by the door when a guy came in to ask the guy at the front if they were taking bike donations for a local cycling program. When he mentioned that they were just out in the back of the truck I just had to ask "Would you be interested in selling one of those bikes to my friends over there?" So we went out and took a look and one of the bikes was a beautiful (though in poor repair) Schwinn 10 speed from the '70s. In need of new tires and a lot of lube, but otherwise a beautiful machine. Dana and Ishai mulled it over and offered him $50 for that one bike, and he accepted and threw in the mountain bike for free.

Obviously these bikes were worth very little to him at this point, but the Schwinn will get Ishai all over Walla Walla this spring. Just like when I am drowning in Tomatoes in September and do all I can to push some off on friends, or trade laundry services with my neighbors for some Anaheim peppers or applesauce. An item of very small value to one becomes something of great value to another. It is why I love to trade things, every one feels like they have made out better than can be expected, or as if they got the best deal.

Off Ometepe and on the homestretch

Ometepe was a blast. I didn´t want to spend too much time writing earlier, but Zopilote was by far the best place I stayed. Probably what was best about it was the feeling of it being a home away from home, rather than a hotel or lodge at which you were a guest. The communal kitchen that one could cook in was certainly the biggest contributor to this, but the atmosphere in general really added to it as well.

It was also fantastic because of the global crossroads it represented. Owned by Italians, French and French-Algerian staff. Guests from Poland, Argentina, Canada (French and English speaking), USA, Maylasia, France, Germany, England and probably more that I am forgetting. The lingua franca of the place went back and forth from English to Spanish depending on the day, but there were always side conversations going on in all sorts of mixtures. In any event though, a lot of great travel stories to hear, with people staying at Zopilote for 2 days to 4 weeks and on 2 week trips to Central America or indefinitely long trips all over the world.

Let me tell you though: If you are going to Central America please learn at least a little Spanish. Here are 3 examples of siguations that should have NEVER HAPPENED 1) At the tienda after picking out a few snacks to buy and being told how much they cost `What does once mean?´(and if you don´t know, it means 11, please learn how to count) 2) "How do I ask which bus to get on?" 3) "Quiero polo." Confused look "Do you want chicken?" "Yeah. Polo." "Quire pollo (pronounced as poyo)" "The double ls make a y?"

Don´t be that person.

Also, why would you ever offer a joint to someone who is chopping limbs off a bamboo stalk with a machete. That just seems like a bad life choice.

Sweating it out in paradise

I am here on Isla de Ometepe, in the hot hot humid air. it is absolutely gorgeus though. Huge island in the middle of a gigantic freshwater lake. I am staying at Finca Ecologica Zopilote, a big organic farm with tons of backpackers from all over the world staying there in bunks and cabanas and hammocks and tents. There is a lovely communal kitchen where we can make our own meals and shop that sells all sorts of farm products. Also, there is a big wood fired oven where they make bread every few days and pizza three times a week. I haven´t been here for a pizza night yet, but I´ve heard they are amazing and people from all over the island show up.

As part of staying ther I am doing a volunteer stint (20% off the cost of accomadations). So far it has been pretty cool. This morning we helped this older Italian guy make a new bed. It had already been all dug out, but the soil here is so rocky and harsh that they have to sift through it and then add compost and rice hulls and put it back in there to make a bed that grows a lot of things. It was really labor intensive (no wheel barrow, very small sifter), but we got it all done and it was super nice to be dirty and tired and getting calluses on my hand again. Plus a major feeling of accomplishment to have actually done something after so many days of being at farms but not actually part of them.

In any event, I think I will wrap this up because it is ungodly hot in this computer room and there are some Canadians here who offered to buy me a drink. 4 more days on the island and then back to Chontales.