Day 35: Goat lovin' is kosher, right?

Yesterday I worked on Mark Dam. I've made it all of the way across, but now I have to widen in some places the sides. Plus, I need to dig out a bit more dirt that has been in place since time immemorial. I don't know if you're tired of seeing, but the image on the right was my half-time snack: an apple and almonds off of the tree--"no drum machines this is all organic..."

I was talking to Tamar and Avi yesterday, and I said that when I get home there is no way that I will be able to eat like this, all organic fruits and vegetables and right off of the tree. They said that I should grow my own. They have no idea that Val and I have killed everything that has come to us except one cactus, which we learned to leave alone.

And here is my second snack, because, really, can you get enough homemade cake? The garlic clove is also organic and grown here on the farm. The tea is bought locally in Be'er Sheba--not organic.

I've never read Forsyth before. It took me two days to get through this book because I liked it so much. He is a great writer. Not big on adjectives but lives by the details and research.

Then last night I had to help pack fruit for delivery in Tel Aviv. Avi drives there every monday to deliver fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and cheese. He is so proud to be a dirt farmer, which he really is. But I found out he has a three million shekel home in Jerusalem, which is a rental income for the family. It now makes sense to me how they started the farm because even though they've been here for eleven years they've been selling for only one. But this is their life, and they put all into it; so I don't begrudge them anything, as they work hard for all that they have.

We had to wait for the girls to come up from the garden to finish packing because they were bringing some needed vegetables. So there's been this big-assed rock sitting in the yard that I dug up when we made the place where we now pack. It was going to live in the kid's pen, but I couldn't do it by myself for fear of hitting the gate. So we hit the gate as we moved it together, but no damage was done. The kids loved it, and they immediately began to play queen of the rock.

My favorite got to be queen, and after she won I got a little goat lovin'--but not too much; you know, the legal kind of goat lovin'. Just a smooch or two. I mean look at those lips!