I have been as busy as a bee since I woke up this morning. I have a pile of work that needed to be done. I have spent a lot of time video calling my parents to check on our rice fields. Gladly, fine weather is favoring us there for about three days now. The floods at the rice fields have already lessened and it has come back to its normal level. They have also dried the rice grains that were already been sowed on the rice fields to grow. That was a bit of good news to me too, at least. The bad news is that my wallet would cry again next week for we have to buy the fertilizers and pesticides that are needed. We would be needing four bags of fertilizers and a quart-liter of pesticide. That would be an estimated price of Php 7,000 in total.

The crops just got underway, and we have a long way to harvesting season again. That would be after 100 days but before that, we have to do a lot of checkings and maintenance every day. Like checking what portion of the rice fields have fewer stalks that grow, and we have to take some stalks to a portion where it is bushy and replace it with fewer ones. We also have to check if some pests eat the stalks, like snails, rats, bugs, caterpillars, and planthoppers. Every day my father will take rounds at the rice fields to check the amount of water flowing in the fields.

There is a portion in our fields that has a lot of spring water sources. That's why my father would always make a canal in the middle of the fields to the irrigated canal at the side of the fields so the waters would flow in one direction. Those spring water sources are also where we take our water supply from. In fact, we made a water tank in one of those and insert a water hose into it, to flow directly to our house. Every summer where water on pumps and wells got sucked up and have less supply, the people in our place would go to our house every day to ask for water.

Since we get it for free at the springs, we just let them take how much they needed. And as long as they are being careful with the water hose, we're all good. However, some people are abusive and ungrateful. They're not being careful on handling the water hose that sometimes it folds, got stomped on, got pierced that it caused leakages. They wouldn't even care to fix it and just leave it behind. They thought that the water supply is common for everyone, where it's a Barangay's property. Which irritates me the most. We're the ones who dug up the water source in our private land. We're the ones who pay for the water hose and install it, then align it to our house.

All the works are done by us, and even the Barangay doesn't contribute any penny for it. Not one of them in our place had helped us but when they needed water, we give them for free. Sometimes, they're not even asking for permission to barge in at our yard and just fetch water directly, then go when they are finished filling their containers.

Like, hello... This is private property, you know. Does it hurt to let the owners know first to give some respect?

Since that situation has become common to the people there, we ignored it as long as they'll just fetch water, because, you know, we have a lot of fruits, vegetables, and native chickens there. Some people don't have any shame on their bodies, that they will just climb our fruit trees, pick our vegetables, and steal our chickens at night.

Just what do they think of our house, a free market?

Sometimes, I joke with the people who always fetch water there that isn't careful about handling the water hose. I told them that maybe I should put a water meter there, just 1 peso per cubic meter, or 1 peso per container. Then, I will save them up for a year to buy a new water hose or the water tank's maintenance. They just laugh at me and told me that it was a good idea but none of them really pays for it, not even a cent.

Our family often believed that sharing is a blessing. So no matter how irritated am I with their behaviors, my parents would just let them. They are much kinder than me, but I'm just being practical, you know. Because in the end, if the water hose is already worn out that, I'm still the one who is going to but for the new one. It's not that I don't want to give them or let them be used it. I'm just taking good care of it, so it would last longer and many people can benefit from it. And well, to be honest, you all know that my wallet is crying now. I just want to make it hush even just for a while. So no more expenses, please.

Hi. You are here! 😊

Thank you for reading this article until the end. Thanks for checking this out, at least if you get tired of all that rants. Sorry, I can't help it. But, I did get a point, right? Oh, well. Stay safe and take good care of yourselves, beautiful people.

Until next time!

Here's @Ayane-chan, you're broke Farm Girl, bidding her good night to everyone. 🙃