Farm Photos, June 2012

These photos I took in my last visit to the farm, June 28, 2012. It was cloudy that day, later heavy rains fell.

The rice plots in front of my treehouse on fallow. This area is surrounded by many trees, and a creek on one side.

These cows are not mine, they are owned by our caretaker Nong Endring. Upper photos are pictures of a one day old (!) baby cow with his mother. I think I took these photos last May. Below photos, one month old baby cow. These cows are Nong Endring's savings. In case of emergencies, he sells one, the mature ones. He used to have 5 or 6 cows, now he says he's old, he can only manage3 or 4 heads.

Among the trees surrounding the rice plots near my treehouse. See more photos of the trees in earlier blog post below. Also photos of my treehouse.

Stone terraces we built in this part were strong enough to withstand strong flash flood.

Nong Endring planted stringbeans or "sitaw", at the other side of the farm. Not wide, just enough for their consumption and some extra to sell, just to keep the area from being invaded by the grass. This area will be planted with rice soon. Stringbeans last only for a few weeks, at most two months I think.

A few banana plants not far from the stringbeans. We also have banana plants in other parts of the farm but our main problem are the bats and birds, they attack and eat the fruits even before the bananas would mature. We harvest very little there.

My Treehouse, May 2012

Some updated photos of my treehouse which we built sometime in late 2004 and finished in early 2005.

Here, 2005 (upper photo) vs. 2012. The structure is generally the same except for two differences, (a) now iron sheet roof, and (b) now bigger trees surrounding the treehouse.

The original, cogon roof vs. iron sheet. What damaged the cogon roof were first, rain water penetrating the lower layer since the trunk of the tree at the top gets bigger, allowing rainwater to seep in. And second, termites who climb up each day and each night. We remove them today, they're back tomorrow if not tonight.

See these fresh sprouting leaves right inside my treehouse. Since the tree is alive, small branches would sprout up especially during the rainy season.

Trusses (?) damaged as the tree's trunk gets bigger and taller.

The lower trunk is not rising much, more of getting bigger or fatter and wider,

Various poses over the past few years :-)

Rice Farms

Among the things that attract me to visit our farm in Pangasinan, which is generally far from Manila, is the sight seeing of many rice farms on the road. The rice plots below are not from our farm, but in the same barrio or village.

Newly uprooted young rice to be planted in well-spaced plots.

Rice field, a backyard piggery surrounded by rice plots, people planting rice.

A farmer showing the newly uprooted, bundled young rice. These will then be replanted in well-spaced plots.  Lower photo, threshing newly-harvested rice.