++++++++++++++++ A Horse In The Garden....Ojo! ++++++++++++

Our computer scientist, inventor and friend Felipe brought his machinery today to the Vivero.

Since we have no electricity on the property the gasoline powered Weed Whacker was perfect.

The kids found this fascinating.

I had been told by our Brigadista Ruth Emily that the town had experienced high winds that week during a storm.  I found most of our equipment and plants had weathered the storm well.

What we had not expected was that a neighbor's black horse would pay a visit to the Vivero and eat and trample our crops.  Unfortunately, the horse especially favored my heirloom maiz/corn plants.

Heirloom Maiz (literally cut down in its youth)

When you grow a plant from seed, when you put it to bed in a blanket of nutrient rich soil and cover it with a warm layer of comfortable compost, when you water it daily until the plant is birthed and grows its first set of leaves, you bond with this new being.

And when someone or something rips the new born out of its environment, or 

chews it unconsciously or cuts the plant haphazardly 

your heart melts at the catastrophe.

As our friend Mino says "Perhaps the horse was just hungry?"

 + Ojos De Dios +

In one of our Victory Gardens in West Los Angeles, CA. Brad and I had created Ojos De Dios

to be used as protective talisman and decorative items for the garden.

So today I had brought Brad's beautiful yarns to teach the kids the craft and ritual.

Little did I know that we did indeed need talismans for our garden.

Santiago and Carlos Alfredo enthusiastically took to the work.

As did the rest of the crew.

One of my favorite things about teaching children is when they take a step, on their own,

and create 'outside the box'.  Karla did just that and when she showed me her creation

I was blown away...it was as original and beautiful as she is.

Jayden wanted to plant his own Ojo in the garden....he choose the exact

spot where the horse had devoured our corn.

This week's harvest

Our Daikon Radish (white) was a hit with the kids....they had not seen one before

and the size of the immature plant was amazing to their eyes.  We all took a bite

and tasted a sweeter flavor than what is usually found with the red radishes 

normally seen in our markets.

As the children finished their first Ojos, the ojos started appearing

throughout the garden...some on poles, some hanging from the 

numerous tree branches.

In the end the universal energies combined to help us 

make our Vivero more beautiful and to make us feel protected.

Now...if only that black horse would stay away from our Vivero
or spooks because of the Ojos, these talisman will have been worth all the effort.

Gracias to the people of San Juan Tecomatlan,

To our constant, wonderful volunteers,

And a special Gracias to Bradley Weaver for his generous

donation of beautiful, natural, hand dyed yarns.

💗