The return of the green beans...

More exciting news on the garden front! All four green bean plants are making a comeback! They are surviving the lizard attack and starting to grow again!

It's going to take a bit before they are producing beans, like before they were demolished. And the lizards should not be a problem anymore...

There were a few cracks in the floor that they were crawling in and out of that Ian filled with cement. Since then, we have had no issues!

Growth!

For those who haven't seen yet, we have tomatoes! The rest of the plants shouldn't be too far behind :)

Update from last week

Sorry for the big gap in updates! We had some great friends from Lansing visiting from 5/5-5/12 and we're still getting back into the swing of things here. We were able to get a lot of work done with the help of our friends! Check it out:



Nasty thorn bushes- GONE!



Tomatoes- CAGED!



Compost bin- CONSTRUCTED!

We also got to check out the last Art Walk of the season (November-May) in Old Mazatlan. We got to see some really neat artwork done by local artists and had lots of fun wandering around the historic part of the city. We had a lot of fun with them and we're so glad they could come and check out what we're doing down here!

One more fun photo for good measure...



VICTORY!

lagarto en el jardín...

Well, we have discovered this week that our garden officially has a predator. It was just by chance that we figured out it was not just insects eating the leaves off of our plants. Early this week, as I was taking photos to update I noticed something in one of the planters...

 

 Yes, those are lizard skins. They were all over that box and another one. So that night Mary, Ann, and I did some research on how we can prevent this guy from completely destroying the garden. I mean, he really is only interested in the green pepper plants (which have been reduced to just stems) and the green bean plants (he definitely ate the sprout I was so excited to post earlier this week). Regardless, we don't want him in there. So this is what we came up with...

A mixture of garlic, tabasco sauce, two squeezes of dish soap, and water. We applied this mixture to the plants, planters, and even around the structure. We are unsure of whether or not it is helping. Yesterday, there seemed to be more leaves left on the plants than expected. We'll see if his distaste for the leaves keeps him away.

Please be praying for the garden! And for quick, lasting solutions to the unexpected problems that come! We really want the garden project to be successful. Good thing there are three growing seasons in Mexico... we will be able to try again soon!

Fun Fact:

Yesterday, while driving to the Ranch, we saw these little blond-haired, pale skinned boys selling these cookies in packages at one of the main intersections in the city. I just said, "No" out of habit and he walked on. Ian, however, was intrigued. We talked for a little bit about whether he was American or not, but the kid was wearing overalls, a plaid patterned dress shirt, and a straw hat. So were the other kids. They are Mennonites.

Ian decided to buy some cookies from him, because he just looked like he deserved it. As he came up to the car, the kid spoke in perfect Spanish, telling us how much they were. Ian was a little shocked. So was I. After doing a little research, It appears that there is a pretty large Mennonite community in Mexico. They generally are not here in Mazatlan, and actually the ones here selling things are part of the Modern Mennonites who have not only learned Spanish but have integrated their schools with the Mexican education system. Some of them also drive trucks.

So, fun new fact of the day: There are Mennonites in Mexico!

**For those who are wondering, the cookies taste like a fancy graham cracker. Nothing special, but they're good with coffee!

We have a green bean!

We are still working to figure out the best watering schedule and it seems that something may be eating the leaves of some of our plants, but we've got something! It's very exciting to see something produced from all of our hard work.

Miracle of miracles

We found Mexican craft beer! Bodega- Snacks & Beer was the best random discovery we have made. It's a new place that opened up by the Thai restaurant we order out from. We just got some bottles to take home, but they also have some specialty brews if you feel like sticking around for a drink. They also have wings and burgers and other snacks.