the mundane

For those of you who haven;t made the quick, cheap trip over the south Pacific. Here's some mundane info about our little life in our back yard.

My boys have a fort (looks more like an army bunker on stilts) built in between a Mango tree and a Guava tree. Behind this fort are several banana trees, and a Palm tree with a few green coconuts still. (Green ones are for drinking, brown ones are for cooking so the local saying goes)

I have roses in bloom year-round all around my house and fenceline. I have 2 Gardenia's that have started to bloom again and 2 Frangiapanni trees also. The gardening here is beautiful. You snap a stick/branch/or leaf off of someone and shove it into a hole in the ground. Within a few weeks, it's taking off. A few months, it's blooming!

People who are from here have Kasava plantations everywhere and we have Kasava (manioc) flanking our fenceline all the way around. (I think the fellow sees me watering the grass to mke it thicker and hit the bonus as his plantation ends up with some water too!) There is Dalo (root crops) growing along our ditch/gutter line and all manner of ivy/vines that are considered a nusance here. The end up covering you fence which is nice but also allow people to hide behind whilst they break into your home! I have those weeds growing in pots! Even the weeds here are pleasant. (who uses the word 'pleasant' ?)

Yesterday, my boys climbed to Guava (think George of the Jungle or Tarzan vines) tree and were springing around on the branches until they finally spied the perfect fruit. It's too funny to watch them 'boing' around on the tree. Then they climb the fort and use the corrugated tine on the sides to cut their guavas and sit down and munch. Soon they'll be able to reach out their fort to yank a ripe lady-finger banana to snack on. After Elias zonked out on the couch, but not before he peed his pants at the local beach (he was trying but aimed straight down and peed on himself anyway! a blond!) Alec and I then made some spiderman masks on the verandah. When Daddy came hoem the 3 of us played poker. Well, Alecs version of it anyway.

the mundane continues today....