And you all call ME granola?!?!

I'm Martha Stewart compared to this crew!!

Well, we've settled into our new home nicely. It's still just as dirty, but so are we, so I think it bothers us less ;) We've become accustomed to the spotted slug (it's huge) that enjoys crawling along the tile in the bathroom, the tiny geckos that dart in and out of the walls silently (they're actually pretty cool), the rats that seem to be chewing their way through the straw at night, the cats that poke their heads in the fridge every time it's opened, the gnats that surround us at the "main house" during dinner, and even checking the sheets and pillow every night before laying down - just to be sure.

What I haven't gotten used to quite yet is the lack of the dirty-unsanitary line that exists at the farm - evidenced by the fact that our hosts don't even rinse their plates after dinner....just leave them dirty on the table for the next meal (Adam and I rinse ours every night), the scorpion in the bathroom this morning (little, but still a scorpion), the dog that barks beneath our window half the night, and the incredibly LOUD music coming from the after hours club over 1 kilometer away. After hours meaning it starts going about midnight and doesn't stop until about 6 or 7am. Apparently the club doesn't have a license, and when Giorgos has complained to the police in the past they've told him - The club does not have a license, what can we do? Are you kidding? Nope. So, he circulated a petition and got all the neighbors to sign a complaint. He went into town today to issue a formal complaint...hopefully it will help. It's really ridiculous - if it's loud enough to wake us up over a kilometer away....I don't know how the people who go there can stand it! The little dog (there are two) hates it too...he barks a lot depending on the music - seems to bark more when the music is worse ;)

We've been weeding a lot....and I mean A LOT!!! Aside from weeding orange, peach, apricot, and olive trees, grape vines, corn, cabbage and other veggies, we've cleared, tilled and prepared a field so we could plant strawberries, and picked walnuts, black berries and figs (they're green figs and they are soooo tasty!!). We'll be gathering walnuts for an hour each day until they're all gathered....we pick berries whenever we see them - they grow wild on the side of the road, and they go very well in our morning mueslix. We've even stolen - shhhh - a few grapes from a neighboring farm - tasted like Welches grape juice, no kidding!

We work for 3-4 hours in the morning (somewhere between 7 and 11:30am) and 3 hours in the evening (between 5 and 8 generally) to avoid the hottest part of the day. I like the schedule - gives us plenty of time to do whatever else during the day - like walk into town and hit the internet cafe to update all of you on our lives ;) Some days we just relax a bit...learn a few more Greek words...pick berries ;) It's pretty chill, and the work, while laborious, is not very difficult. We can even listen to music (thank you for the MP3 player Geeta!!!) while we work. Pretty nice to jam to some Al Green while I weed away ;)

We've seen so many gorgeous sunsets already, and set against the mountains....ahhhh....oh, and I watch the sunrise from bed every morning - tough, I know ;) We went to the sea last week in the afternoon one day - it was incredible! The water is crystal clear and so refreshing. I haven't felt that clean since we've been here!!! Only it's not quite so safe to go in after the tide starts coming up....TONS of huge jellyfish! Unfortunately we left just as the sun was going down - there was still dinner to prepare and all....watching the sunset from back window of the car as we drove away, ahhhhhhhh, it was absolutely breathtaking and heartbreaking all at the same time. How could we leave at the most beautiful moment of the day? It made me wonder if I'd ever take it for granted if I lived here....would it ever be less enchanting? I can't imagine ever being anything but in awe. We're told we'll be heading for an even more beautiful beach this week - MORE beautiful?? Count me in! Only thing is that it's 100 kilometers away, so there's no chance we'll stay for sunset. When we leave the farm, I'm determined to watch a sunset from beginning to end from a beach in Greece. Could be on the mainland...could be Corfu....but it will be! It's just so difficult to fully describe the beauty of the water....even the river that runs through town that we're told we can't swim in looks clear and gorgeous!

Good grief there's just soooo much to write and so little time....

The food here has been great! Anke is a fabulous cook (I just pretend that the conditions are sanitary) and we came at a time when fresh veggies are plentiful. The little yellow tomatoes are awesome! And yes, I'm getting plenty of nutrients, momma ;) Lentils, beans, grains, veggies....mmmmmm....we even got curry the other night (although it can't compare to my Geeta's cooking)! We eat leftovers from dinner for lunch the following day, and Anke gave us some fresh orange marmalade...soooo yummy....for bread in the morning, which sure beats mueslix with orange juice. Although the orange juice is freshly squeezed...so that's pretty good too. She made these incredible fig balls the other day that I renamed to Fig Truffles and have decided we need to market because they are so nostrimos (delicious) :) And like I said earlier, we're picking figs and berries and have even had a few strawberries. There's also a market in town with plenty of cheap, good stuff....so all of you who were worried I'd starve should be more hopeful I can fit in my pants by the time we leave! ;p

Overall, I'm really glad we're here. Anke and Giorgos are super nice and Demitry, Girogos' brother-in-law is fabulous!! Barbara, the other volunteer, couldn't be nicer - and she's fun too! She's from a Germanic part of Northern Italy and grew up on a dairy farm. And even though our hosts are a bit odd (to say the least)....I feel really comfortable here...and that's what's important.

Oh, I almost forgot - we watched the Sound of Music the other day (took two days because it's so long). It's the first time I've seen it, and I know Stephanie (in VA) will be very happy that I finally saw it ;) It was actually pretty good. It's apparently one of Giorgos' favorite movies. LOL Who would have guessed? One thing I can say for sure, is that there is never a dull day, and they never cease to surprise me.

I know I've left out a ton of stuff....but hopefully that gives you enough for now. You can always check out Adam's blog too - adshock.blogspot.com.

Until next time, Sagapi (I love you) all, and thank you for reading and sending the positive vibes - yes, I can feel them.

xoxo,
Lor

PS - we haven't seen any of those nasty little bugs in our beds lately...YAY!