argh!

DH came home, and immediately plopped into bed for a nap.



(the heat in May here is debilitating...)

so, despite my eyes burning... I'm coping with TWO fans on full-blast.



I just hope they don't lose control of it or anything, 'cause it's pretty DRY here right now...

the rains are due "soon"

controlled burns are how Maya farmers do their "Milpa" farming...

they're burning off a few acres of jungle brush, then they'll plant in the rich soil left behind, and move on...

The milpa cycle calls for 2 years of cultivation and eight years of letting the area lie fallow. Agronomists point out that the system is designed to create relatively large yields of food crops without the use of artificial pesticides or fertilizers, and they point out that it is self-sustaining at current levels of consumption....

The word is also used for a small field, especially in Mexico or Central America, that is cleared from the jungle, cropped for a few seasons, and then abandoned for a fresh clearing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milpa