THE DRINKING HOLE

By Dr. R Sudarshan

Five years ago when we had just begun planting and were still broadly clueless about the craft of farming, a leopard family had walked in search of water that had seeped from the just laid drip lines, punctured by rats on a summer night. That eventually inspired us to dig some depressions here and there at the farm to impound water, but it is just over a year ago that we made 3 permanent water holes, the biggest of which is this.

That's our major link to the wilderness at the organic farm. Leopards may still be walking in but due to green ground cover, we hardly see the pug marks. Wild pigs do come in hordes to drink. The peacock families are regular. Lots of other birds, frogs, squirrels, rabbits, and mongooses aren't day-shy and we see them all the while. A rat snake has almost lived in the pond in recent weeks and it even molted on the shore.

The drinking hole is getting a makeover this week. Some water lilies and lotuses will begin to grow in it soon. When the leopards come to sip and snakes hiss in the lonely nights, the lilies could watch the drama in our absence, in the wilderness since.

For any relevant query, message 81051 12990.

Padma Farms (Gaddige Road), Farmer's House, 1A, 13th Cross, Kalidasa Road, VV Mohalla, Mysore.

Comments

ITO OF THE EAST

By Dr R Sudarshan I to Hiroshi came to Farmer's House over two years ago to take a look. He so much liked what we do that he came to the farm a few times to discover more. He told us then that he feels so inspired to open a cafe to use fresh farm produce. We liked what he said, but forgot about it all in time. Ito of the East walked again into Farmer's House this morning, after years. He narrated how he opened a store in downtown Tokyo and named it Mysore Cafe . He explained that he now grows some ingredients and cooks them fresh. He was thankful to have walked into Farmer's House, years ago. He was proud that he had linked 2 different cultures by a tether of common excitement. Yes, it feels good. For any relevant query, message 81051 12990. Silverfish Books, Farmer's House, # 1A - 13th Cross, Kalidasa Road, VV Mohalla, Mysore.

THE TREE HOUSE OF WEAVER ANTS

By Dr R Sudarshan S ome 20 feet high above the ground on the Soursop plant on the farm, a football-sized nest has come up overnight. And thousands of weaver ants are still busy bending the leaves and enlarging their tree house. Weaver ants are almost mythical. Hundreds of them stand in a line and bend the leaves together, just like the slaves in Cecil B Demille's epic films moved massive stones to build the pyramid. Then they bring in their own larvae, shake them back and forth and squeeze out their silk saliva to glue the leaves into globule nests. They feed on aphids and other harmful insects. Such friendly creatures help natural farming. But they can also bite if we intrude and disturb their peaceful life in their farmhouse. Farmer's House, Silverfish Books, Kutz Bowl and the Farmer's Market, # 1A, 13th Cross, Kalidasa Road, VV Mohalla, Mysore.

COMMUNITY DIALOGUE - 1

By Dr. R Sudarshan EATING CLEAN: COMMUNITY DIALOGUE - 1; Featured Speaker - Sindhu Ramachandra; Friday, 15 July 2022 at 5:30 PM E ating clean is a lifestyle fundamental, easily ignored and abused in the fast lane of tongue temptations. And the long convoluted tube that we call 'gut' is often turned into a gutter that is forced to process what it is not meant for - synthetic food, herbicides, pesticides, and life-threatening substances. Sindhu is a biochemist with work experience from IISc. She pursues data science and AI in the context of biochemistry. An ardent believer in organic farming, she cares for clean foods. And she knows how unclean foods can turn your life upside down. Community Dialogues at the Farmer's House are an engagement with reason to restore the dignity of life. Come, listen, interact and benefit. Attendance is FREE. Register with Gagan at 97421 62956. * * * Farmer's House, Silverfish Books, Kutz Bowl and the Farmer's Market, # 1A, 13th Cross,...

Silverfish spill the Golden word!

Search This Blog