I Meet the Boss

 I started work today. It's been weeding. I've been weeding today. First, at the Mulme Healing Farm and then at the tangerine farm of which the name I don't know.

I met the farmer himself. HIs presence was all about the place and before I met him he stopping by to do errands and talk to J my boss.

I met a very fit looking tanned man who is a young looking forty. His English was very good, a sign of intelligence for a region of the country that hasn't had a good English education system in place.

"I am very interested to meet you, because of your interest in herbalism,"
 he said to me before asking me to say more about that.

In between our conversation the phone was ringing and our a neighbor stopped by with chicken porridge for the sick dog Boss has been taking care of.

"We should eat it ourself," he said. As we took turns smelling the porridge. It did smell delicious.

"The dog has cancer of the eye and the doctor wanted to euthenize him." He looked at me uncertain if he used the right word until I nodded and said, "Yes, I understand."

"But this farm is a healing farm and I believe and I can heal the dog."

"Yes, said J. In two months he will be healed. That is my hope."

From what both said, I was touched. To believe in the power of a positive environment with such force of conviction is impressive to me.

We went to the tangerine farm and we weeded the Ivy plants wrapping around the tree. Mosquitos nipped at my exposed legs and arms and plants scratched me.

On a break, he gave us three or four of a species that tasted between a grapefruit and organce. During this time, he took some time to answer my questions about the farm.

"How difficult it is to grow?"

At first he said it was difficult but then I realized he was misunderstood my question as he answered, "Each fruit tree can have sour or sweet fruit but in commercial market it's always sweet. I believe there should be different tastes for different nutrition."

"So is it easier to grow than a conventional farm?"

"At first it was difficult. The trees got sick wtih worms as such then they got better. I am growing 250 weeds around them to provide the vitamins and minerals and the pigs come in and eat the weeds and provide necessary fertilizer," and then he laughed.

The pigs. There are 5 I counted and they were really happy to pull up weeds around us. They oinked and made happy noises as they at and during the conversation.

"I believe the soil is important and now the soil is getting good, so I am growing the weeds. I think now the soil is starting to change."

"This farm over there doesn't have many weeds."

I looked over to see short stubbier trees with very brown soil around, and a few plants. While the neighbors farm looked like desert we must have been in an oasis in comparison as the wild plants were several feet high around us making the farm appear to be a dense grassland.

"Why your trees look so much better."

He took me out to lunch at a restaurant. I rode in the back of a truck to get there holding onto to the top bar the cab to not fall out of the truck. We ate a cold soup of raw fish along with rice and banchan.

The attention on me blurred as he had to return to more important business throughout today as so ended my glimpse of a man doing something he loves. Bless him.