Striving Towards Self-Sufficiency

Huanxin Celestial

Without realizing it, a month has passed since my return. Let's see what Huiyi has been up to. He often carries a lawnmower, moving around the garden's inside and outside, both uphill and downhill, like a soldier on the front lines. His appearance is particularly dashing, and he works up a sweat every day, clearing bushes and weeds, and attending to the finer details. Since the grass hadn't been cut for months, he's now tasked with tidying up the entire hillside. I truly admire his perseverance in continuously mowing the grass. Huiyi is quite busy, often needing to handle external affairs, process visas, or make purchases. Sometimes, he helps Guang with construction or assists me with tilling the land and planting vegetables. He even thoughtfully prepares plenty of firewood and brings it to the kitchen, which warms my heart.

Guang is a true craftsman, skilled at both thinking and creating. Recently, he’s designed a clothes-drying rack, renovated steps, repaired the laundry room floor, maintained the rainwater filtration system, made dish soap, mosquito coils, cutting boards, and tools like forks and sickles for the garden. Whenever something needs repair or construction, whether it’s houses, furniture, or basic facilities, Guang is the one to call, making life more convenient and comfortable. The chickens are fortunate to have Guang taking care of them daily. He studies their preferences and needs, providing a diet of crushed corn and rice, along with fruits and vegetables like papaya, bananas, and various leaves. Concerned about them getting too hot in the sun, he planted three banana trees near the chicken coop, and following his suggestion, we planted some vine crops around the area to provide shade and add to the scenery.

As for me, I can't do much, so I focus on small chores like laundry, cooking, and cleaning. Of course, doing these little things at a high level isn't easy for me either. Lately, I've been focusing on gardening. A while ago, I mainly tidied up the weeds around the yard before starting to till the soil, cultivate seedlings, and transplant them. What vegetables have we planted so far? We have cabbage, radishes, water spinach, okra, eggplant, beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, bitter melons, gourds, pumpkins, bottle gourds, green onions, and chives, among others. Some seeds are still germinating. Yesterday, Huiyi and I planted some corn to feed the chickens. I’m new to gardening and am trying to listen to nature’s voice, learning how to align with natural laws and better harmonize with the Tao. Along the way, I’ve gained some experience but also encountered setbacks. I discovered that planting green onions from market-bought ones with roots is quick and convenient. The ginger we planted earlier is growing well and can be planted continuously year after year. However, the garlic we planted hasn’t sprouted, so I’m trying water propagation. The first cabbages and pak choi I planted didn’t sprout either, and I learned that vegetable seeds have an expiration date—some of the seeds I stored had expired. Of course, other factors might also be at play. For harder-to-sprout seeds like lettuce, cauliflower, and cabbage, I’ve started small-scale, small-pot seedling cultivation. Eggplant and tomato seedlings are prone to being eaten by pests, so I sprinkled some wood ash and sprayed garlic water, but they still got chewed up quite a bit. I ended up covering them with plastic bags to barely keep some alive. My ideal goal is to diversify our vegetable varieties as much as possible and become self-sufficient, enjoying pure, natural, green vegetables daily without relying on market purchases.

Starting last week, Guang agreed to help with cooking on Saturdays and Sundays, with Huiyi assisting him with the dishes. Guang's cooking is quite delicious, with a certain level of sophistication and perfectionism. This arrangement has many benefits—everyone gets to enjoy a change in taste, and I can take a break and spend more time in the garden. I’m very grateful to these two dear friends.

Now, my primary concern is how to achieve self-sufficiency and grow enough vegetables. I also look forward to the three of us making the Thai Subdivision beautifully orderly, with blooming flowers and fragrant fruits. Although our strength is limited, we never stop yearning for and pursuing a better life. I hope that the mental environment, cultural environment, and living environment will gradually become more and more captivating and beautiful.

2021-10-14