Fencing, Hillside, Troll Bridge and Chicken Little...

New barbed wire was required! When we first moved in we couldn't even see the fence or fence line but since it has been the dry season (leaves have dropped off many trees) and our efforts to "clean up" have been effective we could see how crappy and rusted the old wire was. This was not a big deal when horses were ok, but since I have started to plant some native species of trees and some unusual ones I wanted to make sure the horses stayed out! We also let the grass grow (unheard of here where everything is weedwacked to bare dirt) so it could reseed which means our place is the greenest thing around! Combine that with the fact that the horses are used to being on the "inside" and you see why we had to pull some wire. Here's Jeff pulling the final strand. We went with a couple new strands and then the best of the worst was restrung along the bottom.

Horses are trouble (but I really like them). They eat only good things, trample the ground to dust and really smell. Here is one on the inside when we were letting them in. Look at all the vines and tree sticks. Hey - the fence line is up there somewhere?

Look at it now, some green pasture with new mini trees (you can't even see them here). When Jeff weedwacked the cut grass smell brought a little herd of horses whinnying and stomping to the upper fence line. That is when we knew they wanted in and that we had to stop them! They are huge animals and they are used to eating mangoes and lounging around under our 50 foot high tree with millions of mangoes hanging down for them to pluck in between mouthfuls of lush green pasture. You can't see them here, but there are 3 Flamboyant trees, 2 red ones I started from seed - and a blue one I bought as a 4 inch seedling. There is also a pomegranate (they call it grenada), Canisteel (egg fruit - very yummy), Llang llang, Moralon (native to the island), a Bay Rum tree, Plumeria, papayas (started from seed), Parcha (passion fruit), Mirto, Calliandra, bananas and palms we moved around from other places. Then there is the garden area. Here's the view of part of our upper yard from the upper middle left corner of the property. You can see my little troll bridge. The troll bridge connects the area near the big palm to the dirt patch which is a vegetable garden. One of two vegetable gardens. We've got watermelon and tomatoes and peppers so far. The other garden has tomatoes and green beans and aji dulce peppers in it. Oh and I planted calabaza (pumpkin - no not the same as in-the-states-pumpkins). Amparo our neighbor lady brought over some most delightful soft, sweet and puffy pumpkin donuts! I think they were little balls of heaven! You can see the new blue birdbath. While Jeff was on vacation I saw a Puerto Rican Tody bird in the Corazon tree and thought a bird bath might bring him in again. Disappointing so far, no birds in the bird bath.

Here's my little troll bridge up close. I am thinking this gully might be a water feature in the wet season, but for now I go to my bridge at night...hang my feet over the side...watch the fireflies and listen to the coquis and assorted bugs. Everything here sounds amplified. The insects are shaking little maracas. Anyway, my imagination makes me feel like the main character in Pan's Labyrinth (a wonderful movie if you like magical things). The gully is a wild place packed full of all kinds of neat plants and animals.

And after working for hours doing "gardening" or "yard work" I come to the front of the house for a Malta and sandwich and find Chicken Little having a snooze in my chair. Oh, did I say MY chair? I think he is "ours" now and we need to neuter him and work him into the big house despite objections from our monster "little boy." I can't resist the little face peering into the big house when its raining. He has a cat bed in the carport but he really wants a warm human and I think he found one...