The chicken or the egg?

Have you ever seen a chicken lay an egg? I have!  I saw it actually LAY the egg.  I was up early one morning to head to the market and went to collect the eggs. One of the hens was sitting in the basket, beside two other eggs.  I noticed that she looked kind of in the middle of something, so I just crouched down and waited…and then I realized she was going to lay an egg!  I wanted to yell for Isaac to come and watch, but I didn’t want to startle her, so I just waited.  Sure enough, within a couple of minutes out plopped an egg!  How cool.

Snake scales

Here are some other happenings:

Cesar

We’ve started a hot compost to make some good soil for our veggie garden.  Isaac’s mom and dad bought 700 sacks of chicken manure last year, so we’re using some of that, with a mixture of dry leaves and grass.  It’s actually been kind of fun to make so far, except for the ant nests that are surrounding it.

Pica Caballo

Isaac and I have been tutoring Adrian in math.  He’s in Grade 6, and most of the math is the same as Grade 7 math in B.C., so I’m familiar with it from last year! It’s pretty funny.  I figure out what we’re going to do, and then make up some little sheets, and flash card games, and then Isaac does most of the talking, while I cheer from the sidelines and add my two bits now and then.  He did really, really well on his last exam! Yeah tag-team tutoring!

We have been working on the side gardens, and came across a Pica Caballo yesterday, a BIG hairy, jumpy spider.

Fer de Lance

Rocio killed a Fer-de-Lance snake beside her house today, so we got to go down and inspect it.  It’s a bit sad it had to die, but kind of helpful because now I know what NOT to step on.   They are a type of pit viper, and if you get bitten they say you have to be within 4 hours of a hospital, or you’ll die.  I hope NEVER to see a live one. 

My Spanish is improving.  I am listening to this CD that we downloaded, and it’s magic!  I came back from milking the cow today with all this exciting news from Rocio (her oldest son got his drivers license, her trip to Golfito was really hot, we can help her make tamales tomorrow afternoon, and I will help her on Saturday with making the green banana salad for the Pancho and Estevan’s Birthday dinner on Sunday).  Isaac couldn’t believe how I “got all that out of her.” 

Naomi in the Garden

Pinapples at the market

Church in San Isidro

Loading Sugercane

Tucan in our backyard

 Also, we have been making the most delicious No-Knead Bread, it’s SO easy, and here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html. Try it out, we have been putting oats or sesame seeds on top – yum!  Next on the list is homemade yogurt!