Then around February, the family will head back to the Comarca (the reservation) leaving behind just one of the men folk who will work here full time caring for the coffee plants.
My limited experience confirms that I need house rules. The last time we had an Indigenous lady and her family here they ate me out of house and home - literally, the wildlife was much depleted and here were never any fruits or vegetables for supper when I wanted them. Also, litter was a big problem.
The Indigenous are Noble Bugle indians. So far the ones on the farm have not spoken any Spanish so some of the rules and concepts may be difficult - I do not think there are even words in this language for many of the things I want to say: For example, Wildlife, re-cycling, broken.
Anyway, here goes this is my first draft, ready for review with folks who have more experience than I do over the coming week before everyone moves in:
1. No killing or eating wildlife. In particular, armadillo, agouti and coati mundi or any birds. No taking farm chickens or other livestock. Squirrels and poisonous snakes are the exception, you can kill as many as you want.
2. No litter on the farm. Trash is dealt with in three different ways:
a. Compost, biodegradable food scraps can go in the large compost bins next to the Campo.
b. We re-cycle (this is going to be one of the hardest rules to implement). I will provide bins for re-cycling and remove it every Friday. Plastics, cartons, paper products, glass and tin can all be re-cycled. Please wash and keep these separate from each other.
c. Things that can not be re-cycled - like polystyrene, plastic wrap, meat scraps, diapers etc go in black plastic bags that I will provide and must be taken to the end of the drive and put in the basura for collection.
3. After the working day ends around 4pm and before around 7am when the working day starts, there is to be no walking around the farm, my house or garden. Also, on Sundays. Only in the area of the Campo inside the fence and driveway if you need to leave the farm.
4. Everyone is to be on the farm in the Campo by mid-night. I do not want anyone walking down the driveway after this time. You might be mistaken for a burglar.
5.No visitors without my prior permission. It is very important that I know and recognize everyone on this farm for all of our security.
6. No drinking or drunk persons on the farm. Also, no fighting with people or animal fights.
7. No fires on the farm. No burning wood from the farm or lighting fires inside or outside the campo. There is a lot of cut grass and dry wood around and especially in the dry season we could have big problem with fire spreading.
8. You are welcome to as many bananas, oranges, avocado and guava as you want for your own consumption. Otherwise, no crops of the farm should leave farm, unless to be sold by the farm. You can eat the chaoti. Do not take the small specialty crops that are mainly grown for the casa - eg, tree beans, strawberry guava, strawberries, cherimoya, blackberries, mandarin, passion fruit or anything in the greenhouse.
6. If anything in the campo does not work properly or breaks you are to inform me. I will repair those things and would like to know.