Prometheus by Marieta Maglas (i can read book club txt) 📕

the steep slopes that were so common there. Many of the homes were accessed by narrow streets, too small to allow any kind of transportation. The men used to carry things over their shoulders. The women used to carry them on their heads. Surprisingly, even the old women used to carry heavy loads without having any problem. The children walked the paths daily to school. For this reason safe footpaths were very important to the community. Of course there was a bus that came every three hours but it ensured only the connection between the villages and the town and it was not used for the current activities. The polyethylene biogas systems fed with cow dung, have been used as an integrated solution to issues related to energy, agriculture and waste management. Cutting down the forests was the most significant environmental concern of the people in that village. The deforestation had led to erosion, low soil fertility and water shortages. The people living there were all farmers having the land titles. Her father lived with her grandmother, owning a nice big house in the center of the village. Her father was a teacher. After the divorce he had not remarried.

'' Tell me how it works the rural credit markets?''asked Mary.

'' They work by using the standard bilateral lending contracts between a lender and a single borrower. The liability for repaying the loan rests with the individual borrower only, although in some cases another individual might serve as a guarantor. When a borrower responds to the contract, the lender obtains the information about the riskiness of the borrower, and induces him to take actions to reduce the likelihood of default. These mechanisms may be in the credit market itself or they may rely on contracts in related markets."answered Theodore.

''Very interesting. We can take a credit to buy more cows and more milkers so that we can sell the milk. ''

''The milk at its freshest point is very perishable and it has to be moved regardless of the price. Moreover, the farmers have so much storage. Therefore, the milk is more abundant, and producer prices are low. Faced with an oversupply and negative earnings, dairy farmers have to cut immediate losses by butchering milk cows. Sometimes, when the cows are pregnant, the density of milk collected is very low, the total quantity of milk to be refrigerated is also low and the economical capacity used for a refrigerated tank cannot be obtained. ''replied Theodore.

''In this case, we can build our own milk pasteurization factory. ''tried Mary to suggested.

'' Look, Mary, the dairy equipment for pasteurizing milk usually has a big capacity. Moreover, it is very expensive and it requires a very well trained personal. The imported packaging material also represents an important investment. It's a waste of time. Firstly I have to extend the safety of the water supply and the sanitation facility. We have all we need here for our own household, but look at our neighbors. The lack of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities are the root causes of hunger, disease and poverty. Just look at those women and children, who use water for their families every day of their lives. Every day women can walk up to two hours away to find water for the household that has sometimes been contaminated. With the continued erosion of the terrace system and soil, access to clean water becomes a more pressing issue each year. How can I build a factory here? You're such a big child sometimes. ''

Theodore became visibly nervous.

''How it works our water supply system?''she asked softly, looking a little worried.

'' Oh, it's very easy. The conveyance system is required to transfer the collected rainwater from the catchment surface situated on the rooftop to the storage tank. Three down-pipes are connected to the collection devices which are in fact the rooftop gutters. The pipes used for conveying the rainwater are made of plastic because of the acidic rainwater. The storage tank is constructed of polyethylene because it is easier to be cleaned than other type. It has three openings which can be fitted with the connecting pipes. I chose a secured cover to avoid the contamination with mosquitoes, insects and rodents. I have an inlet filter for excluding the debris, the dirt, and the leaves. I used to chlorinate the storage tank. I have two pumps for the extraction system of the stored water. The faucets are installed at ten centimeters above the base of the tank because this allows any debris entering the tank to settle on the bottom. . I found seven neighbors who wanted to join me in my attempt to construct a bigger water catchment's tank to provide clean water but I didn't find any financial support. ''Theodore tried to explain.

''I see that you have built a large household, dad! It looks amazing!''exclaimed Mary.

''I have one hundred poultry, two cows and five goats. The veterinarian comes very often to take care of the animal's health, but the most important thing is the sanitary animal sheds, and the proper facilities. These animals can be sold very easily in the market and therefore providing a dependable source of income. ''

Grandmother's house was pretty big having a basement and a ground floor. Grandmother chose a sunny spot for her garden. Leafy greens like spinach and lettuce could thrive with less light. Her garden was located to facilitate full access from the kitchen. She could see the garden from her window. She improved it by adding organic matter such as compost. The garden was small because grandfather, when he was alive, built a garage that took over a quarter of the space. She had a nice decked area adjoining the house with table, chairs, and flowers. There was a path on the right with little trees. She had a small pond which was the home of some frogs. She had a bird bath, a bird table, and two nut feeders. There were strawberries in front of the house. In the spring the strawberries grew up and they threw their seeds. Every spring they grew up to their full bloom. Grandmother decided their permanent home along the back gray fence. The grass spontaneously used to grow up thanks to the seeds which had been brought there by the wind from the fields around. A spontaneous garden certainly was a bit less tidy but it was beautiful.

''My garden is my sanctuary. Working in the garden has saved my sanity over the years. ''said Grandmother.

''It is a lovely place, Grandma!''

''Look at my veggie garden, at those zucchini, potatoes, beans, and tomatoes. I don't know why but even I worked very hard watering and feeding the plants I didn't see any cucumber. I had to tear them out. Martha, my neighbor, stepped over and asked me if she could have a few sprouts. I saw those bumps growing on the center of the stalks and I realized that I have sprouts without doing anything. She visits me every day. '' explained Grandmother.
''I like to have breakfast here and enjoy the smell of jasmine, lilac, and lavender. The cat somehow knows that she is allowed here but she always waits for me to take her. ''said Mary.

'' The flavor and the texture of the peppers is twice as good as any pepper I have ever had from the shop. ''

Grandmother continued very convincingly.

''The peppers are sensitive vegetables. You must know very well how to plant them. '' Theodore agreed with her.

''The condition of your plants is very good. By the way, I love to sit here and watch the birds. '' Mary continued to say. She was looking at the sky.

''I love this too. It makes me calm. I love getting up in the morning and hearing the birds singing and watching the sunset over the tops of the trees in the evening. I think many people do not have the chance to experience the beauty of nature at their home. '' said Grandmother looking proudly at her niece.

''It might be a great thing if farmers take up cultivation of plants while embracing the technology of tomorrow. ''suggested Theodore.

''They don't know anything about vegetables, Theodore. They grow plants as their parents have taught them. '' continued Grandmother.

'' Some plants need constant attention. Some vegetables grow faster and more generously than others. It's important to know them all, so that we can plant a few of the faster variety and more of the slower variety. This way, we will have a very well balanced garden. ''continued Theodore.

''Let this natural grass to be always self planted. This way, we can get daisies and dandelions too. By the way, I saw some hedgehogs and gorgeous little field mice. . They were so cute and friendly. ''said Mary.

''The new houses do not tend to have a garden because people build more houses on every piece of land. They're day by day smaller and smaller, then closer and closer to one other. ''said Theodore.

''One morning, I told your father I was going to go to catch the train. When I left the house and was getting in my car, I looked at my new neighbor's garden and noticed that there was no grass. In the evening, when I came back home, his garden was covered with a perfect green grass. I asked him how was it possible, and he showed me a new system. It consists in cultivating a subtle layer of grass in wide fields with a particular technique. This technique allows farmers to pick it up all together like a carpet and to roll it up for selling it. ''said Grandmother.

'' I don't any longer wake up in the morning to see the landscape because all those fields had been sold and people have been starting to build new houses using every centimeter of the free land. The new houses do not tend to have a garden. The farmers wrongly used their own lands that had been destined for the agricultural purpose for many generations. Nevertheless, they changed their destination into building areas after selling these lands at four times the price their parents had originally bought them. . Now, the administrators allow more and more constructions because they make more money this way. '' said Theodore having a very sad look.

All summer long, the old apple tree had stretched out its branches wide to catch the rain, the sun and to make its apples to grow round and ripe. Autumn has come and the old apple tree had great red apples. Mary looked so longingly at the red apples, wishing she might have ate one to eat. . She picked up one apple and roundly held it in her hands. It smelled very sweet. She put it to her mouth and took a great bite of it, then another bite, and another. Soon, there was nothing left of the apple but the core. She smacked her lips and said:

''Your apples are very good, Grandma!''

Grandmother smiled. She used her face as a way to express her affection for Mary. Them she closed her eyes.

''Do you want to drink some fresh milk, Mary? It's still warm. ''asked Theodore.

''Of course. The milk collected straight from the udder is very good. By the way, it is also used as a medicine. I heard that it can cure some chronic diseases. ''

''I found three quail eggs. Do you want to see them?'' continued Theodore.

"They are so small!"exclaimed Mary.

''Everything I have here is delicious. Do you see those plants?''

''Yes, Grandma!. ''

'' I use berries, nuts, flowers and roots of plants to make natural dyes. I get vivid colors from those plants. I must always gather the flowers that are in their full bloom. I pick the berries and I use only the mature nuts.