There is a man who sells lottery tickets on the streets of San Vito, Costa Rica. At first sight there is nothing remarkable about this man. Although not a man of wealth or education, and although this profession is a simple and common one, he is indeed a very remarkable human being. He never tires of learning. He seeks out new people at every opportunity and engages them in conversation. He's not after their money as so many "friendly" types are. He's after their learning, their experiences, their thoughts. He has a marvelous imagination and a nimble wit. He can create a fascinating children's tale from the smallest of things. He is a natural story teller and keeps his audiences, both children and adults, spellbound.
Today he rather shyly gave me a copy of a poem (one of many he's written and has kept hidden) and asked me my opinion. Frankly, I was blown away. I am reproducing it here for others to enjoy. It is in Spanish. For those who do not speak or read Spanish, perhaps you can find a Spanish speaking friend to translate for you. I dare not translate for fear of losing something of the beauty.
En el principio eterno el todo estaba en la conciencia universal, y su belleza era la luz que solo podía reflejarse en la oscuridad, entonces la creación brotó du su labios como un canto agradable al oído y diseminado en todo lo que vibra y respira a través de esa inteligencia insuperable.
Lo que siempre ha sido se pluralizó en billones y trillones d partículas y criaturas que están continuamente integrando y renovando lo que en apariencia desaparece ¿puede acaso la luz desintegrarse a sí misma, solo por estar en frente de la oscuridad, y por obedecer a su ley refractaria que está constituida en su propia naturaleza?
Yo el eterno, soy lo que continuamente muere, y en lo que continuamente muere, la vida se recrea a sí misma en el interminable proceso del caos y la armonía, de la luz y la oscuridad.
Federico Rojas Marín
Octubre de 2009
Copyright Mary B. Thorman
All rights reserved
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Leaf Cutter Ants and Biological Controls
On my farm here in the highlands of southern Costa Rica, we have a nice area on which we have planted citrus and avocado trees - a "frutal". But a plague of native leaf-cutter ants is devastating our new babies. My peon wants to use a powdered insecticide made especially for these ants because he has grown up using chemical as controls. We have an on-going battle about how best to protect the plants and encourage growth without using artificial and potentially dangerous herbicides and insecticides. He even dragged my to the local "cooperativa" to show me which insecticide he wanted to use. Sigh! I pointed to the words "peligro" and "venon" all over the package. Well, they've always done it that way and never bother to read the fine print (which, I must admit, is extremely small and difficult to read.
So I've been investigating biological control of native leaf-cutter ants and finding some creative possible solutions. The next big job will be to find the plants which are biological control agents and then convince Nogui to use them instead of the insecticide. IF he hasn't already purchased the insecticide and applied it without my knowledge to protect his precious frutales.
Although Nogui and I have an employee/employer relationship we have also developed rather close ties as a family unit and we share the bounty of any crops we produce. I know I can't pay Nogui what he is worth and his family is my "adopted" family. I can't let them go hungry. In this respect I am not a great business person. People are more important to me than money.
In any case I would be miserable without the loving support of my neighbors and friends here and I'm willing to yield (I'm a perfectionist by nature) to enjoy it. People are not perfect. But on the position of totally organic and natural, I am stubbornly fixed.
Anyone with a good solution to the problem of leaf-cutter ants biological controls PLEASE comment and send me links. And hurry! Nogui is getting very edgy!
Copyright Mary B. Thorman
All rights reserved
So I've been investigating biological control of native leaf-cutter ants and finding some creative possible solutions. The next big job will be to find the plants which are biological control agents and then convince Nogui to use them instead of the insecticide. IF he hasn't already purchased the insecticide and applied it without my knowledge to protect his precious frutales.
Although Nogui and I have an employee/employer relationship we have also developed rather close ties as a family unit and we share the bounty of any crops we produce. I know I can't pay Nogui what he is worth and his family is my "adopted" family. I can't let them go hungry. In this respect I am not a great business person. People are more important to me than money.
In any case I would be miserable without the loving support of my neighbors and friends here and I'm willing to yield (I'm a perfectionist by nature) to enjoy it. People are not perfect. But on the position of totally organic and natural, I am stubbornly fixed.
Anyone with a good solution to the problem of leaf-cutter ants biological controls PLEASE comment and send me links. And hurry! Nogui is getting very edgy!
Copyright Mary B. Thorman
All rights reserved
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