A day in the life...

Happy New Year! 

I'm back in town quickly and, hooray! the internet is working! So, FOR REAL THIS TIME, I present you with "Sarah's Life on Niramayam Farm."

I live here:

Hagrid's hut, anybody?

It's a small circular hut made of stones and clay that reminds me of my ger. Only it's bigger. And taller. And has running water. Like I mentioned before, I start my mornings at 7, when I begin my waking up rituals (drinking coffee) and reading a bit about Masanobu Fukuoka's farming philosophy. I will spare you all the hippie rant about eating locally grown food and blah blah blah, but the ideas are having a huge influence on my way of thinking and where I will choose to go next with my life. I highly suggest you all take a little readsie: The One Straw Revolution.

After I'm sufficiently caffeine-ed, I head out to the fields to do some work!

Suresh plowing fields the old-fashioned way

I have quite a few tasks that I have undertaken here at the farm. Ramesh, the owner of the farm, was interested in testing out a few new ways of farming and set the tasks to his WWOOFers. We built a few gardens using "the double dig" method, where, you guessed it, we turn the soil over twice. We've also built an herb spiral, started a few different types of compost piles, started a Fukuoka-inspired field, and built a pond! Ramesh has also assigned me the task of photographing and identifying the birds on his farm. Easily the most fun and frustrating task I've ever been handed. 

Compostin'. 1 part organic matter (leaves, kitchen scraps, etc...), 1 part cow shit.

After a day's work, we pass the time eating, drinking, and being merry in the good ole outdoors.

 

Silipy! Daughter of Bayla, the unphotographable.

Ze Mountains at Dusk

Desraj and Suresh, two of the farm's awesome workers.

 

Being silly by the fire

 And that's that! Life is good people! I hope you all the best for 2013! Who knows, maybe I'll even see you in person! Hugs, kisses, and champagne!

I leave you all with another installment of "How To..."

How To Make a Clay Pond Using Common House/Farmhold Ingredients

Step 1: Gather the ingredients:

Water

Soil

Hay

A volunteer. The more unwilling, the better.

The most important ingredient of all. Fresh dung.

Step 2: Tell your volunteer to mix the ingredients together. What? I certainly can't stick my hand in cow shit  and take pictures at the same time!

 Step 3: Once thoroughly mixed, wind up and SPLAT.

Step 4: Admire your handiwork and try not to breathe through your nose.