next up fertisa

tomorrow is our first "real" day in fertisa. the last time we met with the local community and introduced ourselves but that was about it. this time we actually have a plan and will be leading two hours of educational material concerning the environment.

or at least that's the way things are set up.

we would love to take the people who show up on a tour of the community and see just what opportunities await us. for example, there are a lot of dry, empty spaces which could be spruced up with a tree or community garden or landscaping. a quicker fix is a simple garbage / recycling clean-up. there is a returnable policy for things like paper and plastic - a company will process the stuff and give a small reward to those who bring it in - this is always trumpeted as a way to get people interested in cleaning up their community. everytime i mention a policy or plan i'm asked if there is a way to make money out of it, that the people will listen if they have money as a motivating factor. so jonathan, one of the members of the ONE sent an email to a friend of his who works for the recycling company and they are to get in touch with me about the process. should be interesting.

right now i'm waiting for the veterinarian to show up. the one dog has developed an open sore on the side of her face and the vet is supposed to be taking her away for examination and treatment. i was told that 'of course' the vet would be here before nighttime... it's pushing 7 and i haven't heard any doorbells. the cats have also not been fed today i don't think. with nancy and her husband away all week chores start to slide. since i'm usually the first non school aged person up in the morning (ana maria is out the door by quarter to 7) i usually feed the animals - but i don't usually buy the stuff.

the dogs are a little panicky tonight. for a few nights in a row there were fireworks in the area (not sure why) and the dogs ripped into the house at first opportunity. once inside they employ non-violent means of resistance, falling on the floor and going limp. you practically have to slide them across the floor to get them out. tonight they have been barking like mad, pacing the 15 feet of the front yard and letting loose on anyone who dares venture down our street.