Peanuts

The past week I have been working hard in my field, harvesting peanuts. I had a good harvest originally, however after they were pulled up i had trouble finding help, other workers, and they sat in the field for a week calling insects far and wide. On top of that this past week it has rained every day. More rain in October than in any other month during the rainy season and last year the last rain was the 10th or 15th. This meant that I was in a race to get my peanuts to the house before the insects ate them and the rain rotted them. Have you ever seen the movie Girl of the Limberlost? There's a scene that kept playing in my head when there is a rainstorm and the mother is out in the rain shoveling her corn into a car (?) trying to save the harvest. that's about how I felt, fighting against the insects and time. They were crawling with beetles. The difference is that my livelihood is not dependent on it. Even if every single peanut was ruined, eaten, I could survived. However, it is still depressing and stressful watching the hard work of three-four months get consumed quickly before your eyes. Working against time. Finally all the peanuts are at the house, put out to dry in the sun (and put back up in sacks at night in case of rain). I must say that I am a tired person now, after all of the digging, plucking, sitting in the sun and carrying back to the house. Next week I will start sorting out the peanuts and see how many are empty shells (because the insects bored into them and sucked out the oils) and how many are good. Then I will know how much harvest I actually have. And also will start the soy harvesting next week. I will be glad when all is at the house and I can rest!!!

Voila behold my peanuts, drying in the sun. Lots of them yes.