Usual wake-up this morning, as we gathered ourselves in the kitchen area to do yoga. After a swift display of graceful supremacy (paired with meditation of course), we were off to do our chores. Once finished, we again gathered in the kitchen area to get set up for breakfast. Once breakfast was served, we began reading about steps to take toward planetary/agricultural/spiritual/cultural change which was then met by an NVC conversation which was then topped off by a “get our your stress” thirty seconds or so of jumping and yelling. Once breakfast was good and done, we brushed our teeth and got ready to work.

We met outside the “Om” house to see a small model of erosion, than walked off with Angel to a space where we would build steps out of tires. After a minute or two of training we were filling in tires with earth then pounding them down until a condensed, comfortable step was formed. Angel and Don Allen went on their way as the four amigos went up to a campsite (where we will spend the last Thursday night) to talk about our menu and general plan of the night to come. We then returned to home base around 12:30 for an early lunch – making sure we’d have plenty of time to make it to a 2:00 local futbol match. After a wavy lunch, we were off to play some footy.

We got to Anya and Alex’s house and prepared for an uneven ground / four v. four game of soccer. We switched teams just once throughout the two-hour goal fest, but no matter the team, my team would naturally win. With blistered feet, I said my goodbyes to my new friends, as we were all off to see the local town library, garden, chicken coop, and beehives. After the short but filling tour, we were again off to see our sheep herding apprentice buddies, Yolanda and Dani. After herding 28 sheep we were invited to follow the two to Don Goyo’s house where he was bottle-feeding an injured lamb. We shook his hand before observing his unique remedy for treating a bad lamb leg. He whipped up a hot maize tortilla with lime and wrapped it around the leg of the lamb. After some story telling we had a good laugh realizing he had wrapped the wrong leg. Two stories and one tortilla cast later, Don Goya treated us to a couple songs. Observing all that was around me at the time made me realize that I was having a very important, genuine Mexican experience. After saying our goodbyes to Don Goya we invited our apprentice friends to join us for yoga tomorrow at 8:00 where a pro would come and show us all how its done – should make for an interesting morning.

After our goodbye hugs and kisses we made our way back to the big house where we heated up leftovers from lunch, and began eco-washing a load of laundry. It was a very nice night here at the big house. A lot to look forward to here in Las Cañadas. A lot of fun to accept, as well as the inevitability of an unintentional pleasantry or two. It was a hell of a day, which I have now learned means a hell of a sleep.

Good day, Sam