Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Chapter 60 - The Mowing Machinery

            When Rita was here on Saturday she asked if we could keep the mower in the house for a couple of weeks.  I disagreed with keeping a gasoline engine in the house.  The fumes would be very unliveable.
            We saw Rita’s car coming in with a young man driving this morning.  He brought the weed eater to the veranda and left.  He picked an armful of green mangoes before he left.  Somehow, the Ticos like to eat green mangoes.  I would think the unripe fruit  would give them cramps. That is as far as the mowing went.  There is a long necked padlock on the handle of the gas container.  I suggested she arrange to chain the mower with a padlock attached to the post of the deck.  So far, we have the padlock.  I don’t have any idea who the young man was, but he didn’t accomplish much.  I suppose he has gone back for the mower.  The trashy dry branches that are littered around the grounds should be picked up and taken away before they start mowing. 
            You might get the idea that this orchard is very untidy, and it is.  There are weeds a foot high growing at the base of all the trees.  They don’t understand that all that growth saps the water and starves the trees. The trees themselves aren’t in good condition.  This orchard isn’t managed well at all.  I see mould on the trunks of the fruit trees, and the fruit itself is rumply and bumply, not like the citrus fruit that one sees in the supermarket.  Melaney has found the tree at the back of the yard that produces huge good lemons.  Our tiny man knows the best of the orange trees, and he has been bringing up oranges to our house.  Even the best of the oranges are meant only for juice.  They are full of seeds, and quite sour.  People here seem to like sour better than sweet.  I would like to introduce them to some good California oranges and Texas grapefruit.
            It is still a mystery as to when the yard will be cleaned up.  I hope they aren’t waiting for us to do it.  We didn’t hire on as field hands.

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