the country side with farmer john

grandma with baby

handsome John and his sweet parents.

John and I made a pact that next time they butchered chickens, I would come over and kill one.

john with the mountain of corn. (this is only a small portion of what they harvested)

Hello Miss Piggy! John kept saying, "don't touch! don't touch! too dirty!" I definitely piqued the pig's curiosity.

John is the proud owner of 38 sweet little piglets. They've got one BIG momma.

Saturday I went with my sweet students John and Roselin to John's family's house in the country side. John had been asking me for weeks to visit his home, so finally I found a free day to accompany him about 10 miles away to where his family farms chickens and pigs.

John's a smart, humble guy who speaks very good English (learned from his uncle) and his parents had all the same qualities. His father had a peacefulness about him that emanated from his smile and soft gestures. John told me his father wakes up every morning at 2am to light a fire for the pigs, so the piglets don't freeze in the night. Now that the harvest is finished, John's family focuses on their breeding pigs, and their 1,000 chickens to provide them with income. Every week a big truck comes to pick up thousands of eggs proudly laid from the scrawny and loud chickens. The father grinds the corn harvested from their fields to feed the chickens and the hogs. This corn also feeds the family, too. The corn husks make a great kindling for fire to warm the pigs and the main house.

We had a great lunch of freshly butchered pork with salt vegetables and blood sausage, a dish of smoky tofu, and a dish of chicken and mushrooms. The obligatory rice, steam bread, peanuts and coca cola where also on the table. At the end of my visit I got the treat to meet John's niece, a beautiful red-checked little girl. She was such a doll, and very shy with me. I brought the family 2 pineapples and a bag of clementines, (as is custom for a guest to bring fruit.) I gave the father, mother, John and Roselin a state flag of NM pin...a bright yellow flag with a red Zia symbol in the middle. I explained what it was, and the mother and father were convinced it was something of great monetary value, and went to hide it somewhere. John told them it was a just a pin to remember me by, but they still muttered in wonder to themselves about the pins. oh well. At least they liked it.

It was a delightful Saturday afternoon. =)