On Sundays and Gardening

You know you’re “old” when you go to sleep at 9pm on a weekend and get a good night’s rest while your employees show up to work sleep deprived and hung over. And lets not think of the fact that one of them is 20 years older than you...

It’s a quiet Sunday morning and my employees will probably be able to sneak naps here and there. We only have one couple staying at the guesthouse and then, when they check-out, the rest of the day to do as we please.  The Norwegian WWOOFers are also taking a break today and relaxing – it’s currently 9.30am and they are still asleep. I think they plan on hiking to nearby waterfalls today, weather permitting, or biking to Cambuí to see a procession of horse riders celebrating the town's anniversary.

The WWOOFers have done a great job in our veggie garden this week. They planted three types of lettuce, plus parsley, spring onions, mint and flowers. They removed fallen trees, bushes and weeds. They even took pieces of slab that were lying around (leftover from the guesthouse’s construction) and created stone pathways between the beds.  Our compost box has also never looked better.

The gardener told one of the maids he was going to remove everything after the WWOOFers were gone as he didn’t want the extra upkeep work. I told her it would be an on-the-spot dismissal if he did such a thing. They only have another week with us and then they fly back to Norway. I'm hoping to continue their good work and keep the garden going. Before they leave, I'd like them to plant two apple trees.

From where I’m sitting, I can hear our dachshund Tetê snorting and I can see birds eating leftover papaya outside. The sky is grey and we pray, as usual, for some rain.