A Fight with Local Mafia

I was just happily having bath trying to relax after hard work of the last weeks, when local Masurian Mafia arrived wanting money from me. I said “NO!” and they started to yell at me and trying to threaten me. And I returned them the yelling as well and took some photos of them standing in my yard and recorded their threats with my mobile phone. I told them to get lost from my land immediately and if not, I would call the police. We yelled at each other for over a quarter of minutes. I was wet standing in the middle of my yard wrapped only in a towel and with wet hair. When I finished yelling, I was already dry :) So much fun in the sunny Sunday evening ;)
Eventually they left noisily my yard using klaxon at the car they arrived. I told them, that if anything will be missing from my field, they will be suspected first. I have them on the pics! I have evidence of their raid!

A Note of Sadness

I am not sad, but it is sad that we couldn’t create long friendship. The thing is, that he didn’t really mean “a friendship” but “a long term relationship” and this one didn’t work. I feel a kind of note of sadness, but from the other side much relief. The moment he left my farm I got back my good mood. I prefer my freedom much more than being tangled up in a tiring, unhappy relationship. Maybe it means that I will stay single till the last day of my life. Maybe. But I prefer that than being trapped in an unhappy relationship.

I went to the orchard to check if the gate was shut well and coming back I cut down some apple branches intending to make seedlings from them. 

I have returned home and decided to take a long bath. I need relax!

The Winter Supplies

It’s time to start making winter supplies. I have bought 50kg of flour which is not enough for all the winter, but at least something for a start. 50kg flour means 50 loafs of breads. For one person this is enough bread for 100 days, or a bit more. If I continue to feed volunteers, I will need twice as much flour, also twice as much rise, sugar, potatoes and other food. 

The empty beer tins - the souvenirs Jeff has left at my farm :) I hanged them at fence wire and switched on the current. The tins make some noise while moving with wind so are hearable at dark night and are much better visible for horses during the day than the wire. Thanks to the noise, at night the horses know where is the gate and can avoid it. Also the smell of bear helps them to locate the gate.

At noon Jeff said he decided to go to Warsaw. So he decided to leave my farm. Well, he was great helper, very hardworking, good man, clean and honest. But unfortunately too bitter with everyday as he was disappointed I didn’t want him. What can I do? Sometimes I fall in love and sometimes I don’t. This time unfortunately I didn’t fall in love. When I am not in love, I don’t sleep with an accidental man. I am not a hippie woman at all ;) I am rather Puritan lady ;) Very strict about this things. No love – no sex. That’s it :) So he was angry with me with each day more and more and it was tireding to me more and more. He became aggressive and quarrelsome. It was not nice. Although I am very grateful to him for his help, I didn’t feel good having him around. Maybe this is why I felt so drained from energy. The situation was making me more tired. I have got lots of work at my farm and any additional stress is not good for me.

A Foggy Sunday

I woke up before the Sun. Outside dog Satja looking into my window and mass amount of fog around. I woke up already tired. I think I need a proper rest. I am overworked. Yesterday I told Jeff to have his day off today. He needs to rest as well. He is a good man, very hardworking, active all the time. But also very stubborn, arbitrary and quarrelsome so I need to rest from him as well. At least for a while.

I went outside to take a pic of the dense fog. I heard a hen promising an egg. Now the hens have lots of good food and are starting to give eggs. Also shutting them in the chicken coup helps to have more eggs, because they are made to lay the eggs inside the chicken coup, not somewhere in the yard. Anyway, I have just 4 birds able to give eggs and volunteers coming here from time to time, so I need more eggs. I would like to buy a few hens more.

The Saturday Fencing

Gee... How tired I am today! Today morning horses got into neighbour’s meadow and didn’t want come back. I spent an hour chasing them and trying to make them come back. Then I lost my power and went to the home to finish cooking a chicken and onion. Onion was already black, but chicken survived and was “well done”. Well baked. After breakfast I went to the yard to rebuild the fence here in order to teach horses obedience. I sent Jeff to try to make horses come back. The horses luckily came back themselves from the runaway. I gave some apples to the Mother Mare, since thanks to her disobedient daughters came back. She was calling them all the time and waiting patiently in my orchard. 

I shut the horses into the yard and when my neighbour arrived to repair the fence I went to him ask if he is going to switch on current in this vulnerable part of our boarder. He said that yes and he was repairing his part of the fence and I was repairing other part of the fence. It took us some time. Then they (he and his son) went home to bring something to the fence and I went to my house to rest a while and take tools for repairing the fence. When I came back they have already finished their part of the fence and were gone. I went to continue repairing my part. I was interrupted by goat’s scream. I left tools in the safe place and went to check what has happened.

Goats got tangled together and needed my help. I spent there an hour trying to untangle them and then installed them in different spots to make sure that they would not get tangled again. 

I came back to the fence to continue the work. I was working until 5 p.m. until the fence was ready. Then I connected it with strong current running in the neighbour fence since his current is much stronger than mine.

Then I left home to rest and eat something. I let horses to go there. Now they will be learning to respect the current and not to break the fence. I need to finish cutting some branches over the electric fence and then it would be enough work for one day.

Jeff went to the village Internet cafe, so probably will be around 9 p.m. at home. I started to bake fresh bread for him. I am so tired today! I was planning to go to the village this morning to buy some more grain and also potatoes, but the horses changed my plans. I hope tomorrow it will be still possible to buy the grain and potatoes... I need rest tomorrow... But cannot... need to milk goats, fry jam and do million other little things...

The Grain Bike Trips

Today we went for two bike trips to Sokółki village to buy 100kg of grain for the hens and some shopping for us. Together we did 20km today including 10km with heavy shopping at bikes :)
It was good experience – the day was warm and sunny and rides were great – among beautiful nature. Yet practical one – we didn’t return with empty hands, but with lots of grain for the hens and some shopping for us. I bought 2,5kg chicken meat and 2 big cabbages, some sausage and onion as well. We also visited village library and got from nice Miss Krysia maps and leaflets concerning the area, so we are prepared for longer trips around the area. Perfect! Jeff also learnt where he can use broadband Internet connection and for free :)

A Sunny Thursday

Today is nice, warm, sunny Thursday. I woke up early, but then fell asleep again feeling weak, tired and sleepy.
Jeff went for a walk and to use fast internet connection in the village library. I wanted to take a bath, but the water wasn’t heat up at night, so it’s so so warm. In this situation I will take only a short shower.

I decided to make chocolate pudding for the breakfast, but it can make me even more sleepy.

I need to cut some more fruit branches and make new seedlings from them. Need to cook food for dogs and to finish frying jam before it will get rotten. New cat is sitting quietly in my bathroom next to the study. She is still overwhelmed by new place.

I took the shower and tried to start the washing machine, but it's not working. It looks like still the program is not working properly. I don't know how Jeff managed to wash anything in it.

I moved the cat from my bathroom to the store room. She is still very frightened. She spent all night on the high shelf in the study bathroom not moving at all. She needs more time to get used to the new place.

After a while I have brought to the store room a bowl of goat milk for the cat. She was in other spot of the room then before when I left her. It looked like she was already hunting. That’s great :) It means, that the cat has just started her job :)

I have washed the pot for making pudding and chopped some dry wood for starting the fire in the Big Big Oven.

In meantime the postman arrived and told me that he may bring me one more cat. I agreed provided, that it would be a female cat. Female cats are cleaner than male cats. I would like Miriam to have company here. She is young cat, just one year old and she needs company to play with. She would feel better here if she has other cat company.

Anyway, Miriam will have lots of fun with mice here... :) It’s killing time ;)

My favourite song recently:
Train – Drive By

I like also:
Maroon 5 Feat Wiz Khalifa - Payphone
Of Monsters And Men – Little Talks

A Cat

Recently, last year particularly since my personal effective cat disappeared last autumn – rodents multiplied excessively becoming a real nuisance. Jeff was having very surrealistic idea how to get rid of rodents from my house – he intended to cut grass around the house thinking it would help ;)

So, I have decided to tackle with the problem my way. I went to the village shop and asked people there who has a spare cat? Instantly I got 3 cat offers and one good tip where I can get the female cat right a way without waiting for catching it. So I went to an old lady living in the village close to the shop. It occurred, that she is having a kind of house for homeless cats and dogs, so I got the cat easily from her. Well, she knows me, this is why she has given me the cat without problem. She said, that she doesn’t give cats to everyone who comes to her. She gives animals only to people whom she trust – to people who have good hands and would care well for the animal. As she knows me and my love to animals since years, so she has given the cat to me instantly. I was so relieved and happy! :) At last a new house defender...  And beautiful one! We put the cat into the bag and I put the bag onto the bike and rode happily home. 

Back at home I asked Jeff to go outside and I have announced discussion panel (I try to implement the ecovillage style since I am having very special guests here who need special treating and Jeff, although hardworking and efficient helper/volunteer – needs a special treating as well). I told him: “Now starts discussion panel. I do the talking and you do the listening.” And I have explained to him how Polish women act with rodent problems – directly, without cutting grass around the house which is useless waste of time. I advised him to keep all the windows and doors in the house shut. It is necessary until the cat gets tamed with new place and host. I poured fresh goat milk into a nice bowl and brought to my study. Here I brought also precious cat and let her out. The cat jump onto the high shelf filled with empty bottles. 

Among empty bottles the cat found one full Champaign. I mean she made the bottle fall down from the shelf and in this way I discovered I have the full bottle. Luckily the bottle didn’t got broken.... :) Then I have discovered one more full bottle. With wine. Hmmm... so we got the cat and good reason for celebration now :) The washing machine is finally working and I got a new wonderful hunter at house – so we should to celebrate this now :)

At the evening I made a special dish. It occurred to be amazingly tasty. It was rice with tomato souse mixed with goat milk and fried baby pumpkins in slices. It was good. It went well with the bottle of Champaign, which happened to be sweet what was pleasant surprise to me.  

Dawn

I waked up at dawn. It was fantastic dawn, so I had to take some photos of it. The view was marvellous. I went outside to meet it fully. It was cool, wet morning. Grass was wet. Wild birds’s voices were coming from different directions cutting total silence of the dawn. My horses seeing me in the yard came to me to say “hello”. I took some pics of the wonderful dawn and went home. I think I should have better camera. This one is too imperfect and I cannot repeat by it the beauty of the wonderful dawn...

Washing machine is working!

Jeff is amazing. Simply said, he is just awesome. I think he is the best helper which I have ever had here. He is here only 5 days, but he managed to repair the bed and now my big washing machine! :) Splendid... So from now on I may host volunteers without sleeping bags...  I may wash blankets everyday if necessary. That’s good. We are also preparing a bedroom for some extra volunteers. It is located upstairs, so it can be used only in warm months, but right now is okay to sleep there. It’s not cold yet. We made big washing yesterday and today. Lots of wet clothes and towels, blankets are hanging now in the attic over the stable. We have lots of work to do today, but I think we can manage. We just have eaten good nutritious breakfast (fresh toasts from milk bread with spinach and fried eggs, some dill on top of it), now are drinking tea and soon heading to replant some fruit trees...

Welcome and Good bye Toru!

Well, today arrived the Japanese. He arrived and left the same day. I was surprised, that he arrived just for a day or two. It was an unpleasant surprise for me. He said, he is on his way to Lithuania and wanted to leave his luggage at my farm and come back here from the meeting to which he was heading in Lithuania and then stay here longer, but didn’t say how much longer. Basically he didn’t bother to inform me about it before he came to my farm. Initially he declared to be here 2 weeks and to come here directly from Kijów. Instead he went to a farm in the south of Poland. He spent there 4 days then came here on his way to Lithuania. He didn’t fill in his application form, so the change of his plans was for me unpleasant surprise. Yet he didn’t want to wash dishes after his meal. He just has refused. He ignored me and read a map. I got irritated. Then he refused to go upstairs to bring there a chair (he said he was afraid of the stairs!). I got irritated again. After bath when I got out wet and wrapped in a towel and I was just heading to my study to get dressed – he exclaimed, that he is hungry and wants to eat NOW. I have stopped and started to cook something for him.


He has eaten, but when I asked him to wash the dishes, he said, that “it was not good for his stomach to wash dishes after eating”.  He was also fussy about the corn I have given him to eat. We all liked the corn, only he had problem with it. And then this thing with the chair. So for him it was okay to disturb me when I wanted to get dressed after bathing, but washing dishes after he has eaten my food was for him too big effort ??? He was just rude.

I asked him to leave tomorrow morning because for me such behaviour is not acceptable – not respecting your host is not acceptable. I was eager even to feed him tomorrow morning, but after a short conversation I and Toru decided that he leaves today. So he left today early evening. I and Jeff walked him to the fence and I had told him how he should get to Olecko. So, it was really short stay :))) Just a couple of hours. I prefer this way. There is no point to suffer a presence of somebody who is difficult to deal with from the very start. It could be only worse. I need help here, but also a peace of mind. I prefer to deal with normal, helpful people. Not with people who are fussy and have egoistic ego bigger than Moon.

Jeff didn’t say anything about all the situation. He was only smiling :))) In the evening we went to milk the goats. Now it’s time for frying jam, but I am actually tired and sleepy. I need to rest a while.

A Turkish Girl

A Turkish girl wants to come today, so I have decided to clean one room upstairs at the house attic. Jeff is removing all tools from there to make space for a mattress or a bed. Colin is about to cut apples into small pieces. I am wiping shelves in the corridor and rearranging food supplies.

A Busy Saturday

Yesterday Jeff attacked toilet, basin and 3 washing machines in the volunteer’s bathroom.

In the morning I took him with me to milk goats and to teach him about poultry, horses and goats. He is smart and learns fast. He also has initiative. He was able to catch a goat twice when the goat managed to escape.

One horse broke through the fence and we had to make her come back fast, before she ruined my vegetable garden. Colin was weeding the garden later. He did there good, effective job. After desert we went by bikes to pick some more apples and herbs. When we returned – we cooked dinner.

I made boćwinka soup. He made nettle snacks and fried pan cakes. For the first time in my life I have eaten nettle snacks :) They were surprisingly good. Jeff tried them as well. Jeff says, that during last two days he has been eating dishes and drinking teas which he never has eaten or drunk before like: fruit raspberry soup, nettle crisps, home-made budyń, goat cheese, freshly fried apple jam, mint tea. He says, he likes the new dishes.

My dear volunteers... :)

Today in the morning I made breakfast (home made bread with home made cheese and vegetable salad) and Colin washed dishes and cleaned one cupboard, Jeff took care of the double bed, which had been broken recently. He did really nice, solid job with it. Now the bed is perfect.

While Jeff was busy with fixing the bed, I and Colin went to the goat’s meadow to milk goats and to pick up apples. We returned with a half of bucket of milk and full basket of the apples.

We went home and I made fruit soup for us. I used for the soup raspberries and goat milk, some sugar. The boys have never eaten such dish before, but they liked it. After the meal, I and Colin went by bikes for a short trip to collect some more apples and herbs. Yesterday we fried jam, tomorrow I am going to fry next portion of delicious jam with herbs. Colin installed comfortable baskets on my bikes, so we may take much of nature treasury. 

Soon the Japanese is coming. I am glad, since he knows how to cut wood with chainsaw... :)

Jeff has arrived!

Jeff – very positive,  talkative and jolly person... We have eaten awesome dinner and now are drinking delicious wonderful liqueur, wine and beer and talking and laughing a lot :) In meantime we managed to put freshly fried jam into jars! :)

The Cleaning Day

Jeff is coming, so after consultation with Colin I have decided to organise total cleaning day. We are making an order in the guest bedroom and in the kitchen. Colin started some cleaning yesterday, but quickly got bored with it, so we are working together on it today :) He had preferred to focus on cutting apples for jam and breaking some wood for the oven. 

Yesterday I went to Olecko to get a rural paper which I need to my goat register and came back with some food. Travel by bike took me all day. On the way to Olecko I visited a farmer from whom I was buying hay before and from whom I got some nets for the chicken collar. We talked for a while and made appointment for other day to see what hay he has this year.

First he had showed me the hay which he has stored in a barn. He claimed that the hay is from this year, but I could see it was old. So I made appointment with him to see the other hay which he still has in a field rolled in big rolls. Since the rolls are far away, and I was in a hurry to get to Olecko – we made appointment to go to the field the other day.

Going home I have collected some herbs which I am going to use to my jam which we are frying on the Big Big Oven.

We are cooking delicious dinner... :) Jeff is coming with sweet sweet wine :))) so we need something good to it :)

I have cooked awesome food for lunch. Colin is happy ;) He was helping me during cooking as well.

Jeff is comming to the town right now. Soon will be at my farm... :)

An Irish arrived

Colin arrived today. By bike from Olecko. He is very nice, talkative person. An artist. A vegan. He is delicate. He decided to take care of the house and cooking :) So I will have more time for outside farmworks and for my rural papers and registers... 
But what about the fruit trees??? :))) hmmm...

Planting

Yesterday I planted 10 apple trees, today 15 apple trees so altogether – 25 trees is planted. With these hardworking hands! Besides I have made lots of  apple tree seedlings and planted them into pots. I wonder if they start develop roots. There is a chance. I will see. I cannot find my ukorzeniacz, so I planted them without using ukorzeniacz. But I have chosen the best soil which I have for the seedlings, so I hope that it will cause seedlings to grow. 

Apart from this I have fed dogs and poultry, I have watered dogs and poultry. I have milked goats and changed their positions. I have cooked a dinner.

And the day is over.

Tomorrow an English is coming. He speaks fluent Polish. He may take with him his bike. Soon the Japanese should arrive as well and on the Thursday – the Englishman going from Greece. I need to provide food for all of us and plan the work front. Roughly I am prepared for this invasion of foreigners. Jeff is great with electricity and plumbing which is very needed here, Japanese is good with chainsaw so we will be able to prepare wood for winter and for fence. I don’t know in what is Colin good, but I will find out tomorrow. Or better I will look into his application form. Anyway – I think I would like Colin to help with planting trees. 

An Audiobook

I have created an online audiobook with usage of two different useful websites. It is a modern American novel. Romance. I was listening to it for a half of the day making dinner, making dessert, eating dinner, washing dishes. After dinner I lied down to rest a while and to enjoy listening to the novel. After some time I fell asleep. I slept like a stone until late. Now I woke up and started to bake bread.

Earlier during the sunny Sunday I took bath and wash my hair. I splashed them with herbal water made from camilla flowers. After the herbal splashing my hair are soft and lighter. I need to collect more camilla flowers for the winter.

I wonder if the Japanese man is coming to my farm tomorrow. He should start his journey towards my farm on the 20th of August. He knows how to use chainsaw so he would be very useful here.

Despite of troubles caused by the two lesbians from Kraków, some more people from Poland want to come to my farm. Even two gays! I don't know what to think about it. I am afraid of another problems. I need to be careful. I need here real friends and real help. I don't need her selfish tourists and unfriendly inspectors . 

One normal pair (a boy and a girl) was here before on their bikes and want to return and spend some time under their tent, so it's okay with me. They want to send me screen as a payment for free holiday stay at my farm :) I think it's great exchange. I will get the screen and they will get free stay at my farm. I need one more screen. One more screen would be useful here.

And the gays want to help me at home - do some renovation and help in housekeeping. So it looks like they have rather good intentions. Maybe I should take a risk? Maybe a bit later. I am afraid of strangers for a while. Specially homosexualists.

A Sunny Sunday

Last night I went to bed late, because I was burning wood in my Big-Big Oven and cooking food for dogs. Lots of food. I slept well, thanks to window wide open all night. No mosquito dared to bite me :) House was full of smoke from the oven. Insects hate smoke. Today water in the huge pots standing on the oven is still warm enough to wash dishes and some clothes. So I am having benefit from it. I stood up in the morning and first washed my teeth, then dishes and one blouse. I also fed dogs. Then I have eaten breakfast. All night was playing radio online – the chill out station. I think I like the music. Is really relaxing.

http://www.polskastacja.pl/webplayer/?channel=22

I have planted 10 apple trees and got sweat. I think I will take a bath.
An awesome English traveller left Greece to start his long journey to my farm. He promised to fix pipes in my house. And be my true friend :)))