Our pits (Dec 6, 2008)

 

We have 2 pits for trash now.  We have a shallow one for paper and stuff we can burn and one deep one for stuff that will not breakdown in our lifetime-plastics and tin cans.

 

This is dry season and people have been clearing the ground that has grown plants during the past 6 months of rain and is now dry.  They clear the dry brush by controlled burning.  I’m sure there are many reasons for this, removing hiding places for snakes is probably one.  Our neighbors are all burning the dry brush around their homes and it can be very scary, because the flames get so high.  They seem so know what they are doing.  The other day when I first tried to burn the trash in our burn pit, the flames were incredibly high.  I hadn’t expected that and noticed how close  my other neighbor’s grasses were  and thought how quickly they could go up in flames, not to mention every hut has dry grass on the roof.   I will need to be very careful.

 

As far as the other pit is concerned, I’ve thrown my stuff down there and started leaving what others might consider valuable-like an old peanut butter plastic jar with lid, up next to the pit.  In Bundibugyo, children regularly cut my fence to my yard, sneak in, slide under the chain link I have surrounding the pit and descend in order to pull out such treasures.  Here, the jars sit.  I guess I should just toss them in.

 

We will also dig one more little pit.  This will be our compost.  In the past, I’ve had trouble with the compost not getting hot enough to break down and be useful fertilizer.  Scott B. has suggested that we 1) dig a pit to keep in moisture, 2) mix it from time to time and 3) add missing something (nitrogen?) by having Gaby pee on it from time to time.  Gaby take his job very seriously.  He says, “It takes gross stuff and gross stuff to make good stuff”.