Sicily Flowers are in bloom

It was a wonderful day today. The sun was shining and it seemed so peaceful. For some reason I was humming all day. I was driving Malcolm crazy. We had to pick some oranges in the morning and finish sorting. We had the largest order, since I have been here. Not only do people buy oranges, they also buy wine, lemons, artichokes, and tangerines. Nirav has a relationship with some of the other farms to supply the things we do not grow. Everything is organic.

We finally asked how much someone pays for a carton (which weigh around 30 lbs). They pay 20 euro including shipping. These things are heavy, so I am not sure of the cost of shipping. I still cannot believe someone would pay so much for organic oranges.

I am still trying to figure out how Nirav makes money. It takes a lot of money to keep the farm going. Most of his help is free through WWOOFERS. He does have to pay Phillip and Nela. I have not met him and really have no idea when he returns (neither does Phillip or Nela). I will let you know my thoughts when I meet him.

Liz was educating me on the many flowers that are edible in the yard. Everything is blooming and flowers are everywhere. There are over five varieties of flowers that you can use in cooking or are great in creams for your skin. I took some pictures and hope that you get to see them when I can get them uploaded. I want to try and grow some of them in my yard (either California or Montana).

I spent a couple hours with the donkeys today trying to get all the burrs out of their fur. I ended up using a scissors, but they were not happy. I could not believe how many there were. Bad news on the chicken front! The small chicken was attacked by something (the other chickens, the stray cat, etc.). She has a big gash in her neck and all the feathers are gone. We isolated her for a while but we had to put her back with the other chickens. Nela attempted to make a collar to put around her neck so the other chickens would not go after the wound, but she stepped right out of it.

Everyone is very tired from a hard day’s work. It will be a quiet night; not that every night isn’t quiet.

Ciao for now