Potato Patch Princesses

Our fireworks excursion was very fun on Monday. We set out in cars at around 8:30pm and arrived in another town closer to the top of the mountains here. We then hiked over an hour to the summit. We mostly walked along a gravel road, but also squeezed through some brush and climbed rocks to get the best view we could. Along the way, we saw a grave for a French soldier who was "assinated by the Nazis" in 1944. There were beautiful flowers around the engraved rock. There is so much history here. The firework display was fun to wathc, but since we were so high up, it didn't seem very extravagant. They were mostly red and white, too. We could see them from at least four villages, which was neat, but I think fireworks are better from ground view (just a suggestion for the future). We had a great time joking around, nevertheless, and trying to make our way back to the cars by flashlight. We also had a mini-picnic near midnight, eating chocolate cake and drinking hot tea.

The next day, Tuesday, we woke up at our normal time to leave at 9am with another farmer who needed help collecting potatoes from their potato field. The two older daughters, the other two WWOOfer volonteers, and I all went. We spent all morning and some of the afternoon collecting potatoes from a large field. I had fun because it was like hunting for Easter eggs, haha. The soil was also very cool, so I enjoyed running my fingers through the Earth. In the end, we had about 55 crates full of potatoes! We stacked them in a building where it was cooler and they keep their tools. I had dirt all over my legs, arms, and even around my toes through my shoes and socks! They fed us all lunch. I enjoyed eating their beets and red onion salad. It was so sweet, so I mixed it with lettuce. I walked around the farm and saw a lot more raspberry bushes, tomato rows, and rhubarb plants. There were so many tomato varieties! The wife makes her own rhubarb and strawberry jam, which were delicious!

Yesterday, I did a lot more spraying. The rain clouds over the United States must be sending their friends over here because it has also been too wet and humid. I sprayed the zucchini, cucumber and onion plants, as well as the zucchini plants inside the greenhouse. It took two hours! Refilling my tank with the copper-sulfur solution also took some time. I wear a 10-liter tank on my back over a jacket to keep me dry. I was definitely sweating in the sun! I saw mold even growing in between the onions. Not a good sign.

Otherwise, on the farm, I have been weeding more and being Ja-Ja's assistant when she needs an extra hand. We picked potatoes this morning already for Saturday's market. The smallest variety of potato they have is called rat potatoes and are the most expensive. Chérif called them "potates de luxe," hehe. We also collected the rest of the black currants from the grandfather's house. We will sell some of them at the market, but also make jam for the house.

This morning, I saw my second animal killing. Someone ordered meat from half a sheep for this weekend, so Chérif killed on this morning. The family will keep the rest of the meat and parts for themselves. They are giving the skin to the neighbors who have a baby on the way and can use the wool and skin for a blanket or clothes for the baby. Chérif first tied up the legs, killed the sheep by the throat, and started the process to skin the animal. Naoko, Heather, and I all watched. It was a very clean process. Chérif had learned how to do everything from his father and uncle when he was 15-years-old. He didn't start cutting the meat, though. He will wait until tomorrow afternoon when the meat has dried a bit. It is resting in their celler now. I hope to watch again. I did cry a bit so I had to walk away. I don't know why I cried, but it just happened. I think I cried because the proces was so fast and I felt like the animal needed to be respected a bit more before skinning it. I hope to eat more meat now from farms like this where the animal probably enjoyed a normal animal life while it lived and isn't treated like a product to be bought and sold.

I am looking forward to Saturday's market now. I am a creature for the market! I love making interactions and serving the needs of people with pride in what I give them. I only have ONE WEEK LEFT, so this Saturday's market will be my last. I hope everyone is having some summer fun! If you see someone French, say "A mort, le roi" ("death to the king") for their Independence Day!