I am staying at Fusun's home for a chunk of November, where it feels like a chilly version of heaven. The last post left you standing outside the house with the kitties, about to enter the kitchen. Let us go in now. (Not you, Kitties. Sorry).
On the kitchen table, I imagine there are always ripening fruits , pekmez, and other jams, as there are now - all made from and provided for by the variety of fruit trees on this land and Fusun's loving hands.
There is a nook in the kitchen where Fusun said she sometimes sleeps...
... a wood stove that heats the kitchen...
... and a fireplace that heats the rest of the house.
The refrigerator is in the pantry off the kitchen, to the right of the fireplace. There is a door off the right of the pantry to the woodshed. (You can not see that in the picture below).
Beyond the refrigerator there is more pantry space. It is a homesteaders wet dream.
To the left of the fireplace is the entrance to Fusun's stunningly decorated living room...
...that leads to the sun porch and bedrooms.
One of my jobs is to water the plants on the sun porch every other day. I told Fusun that my plant caretaker (at my home in Vermont) counted that I have 74 house plants to water, once/week. I was hoping this news would instill Fusun's confidence in me that I could and would lovingly care for her plants. I think she took my words to mean: "just how many plants will I need to water here?" "I do not have that many," Fusun assured me.
On the sunporch, I have found my favorite warm and cozy spot to drink my morning brew, eat meals, and write. That is my foot in the picture below, which is attached to the rest of me that is stretched out on the corner couch.
My chores include watering the plants around the pergola, turning over a few small garden beds, harvesting ripening fruit from the trees, and weeding and watering the new lettuce in the garden.
Beyond the sun porch and bedrooms are meticulously organized workshops, a greenhouse, and so much more...
Check out the size of this yucca plant...
...and this view...
Fusun showed me where they had recently cut trees and formed wood piles... the homegrown source of her firewood.
The grounds are sweetly cared for...
...and they sweetly care for Fusun. There are abundantly laden fruit trees on the way to the garden...
...paths leading to the garden...
...and the garden...
...with some tomatoes and peppers still left to pick, and enough edible greens to feed me the whole time I am here. I will not go hungry.
Fusun pointed out an edible green that makes for a delicious salad base...
...along with all the mint I can pick.
The garden leads to another building that Fusun calls the Basket Building. Fusun is an archeologist. She has spent over 40 years digging up ancient artifacts and writing books. She is especially intrigued with baskets and the cultures that happened around them. The Basket House is full of baskets.
Fusun brought me into the Basket Building. It was a great honor. I felt an overwhelming sense of history and life and... the presence of women. I told her this. She seemed pleased that I felt that.
Fusun asked me not to take pictures of the baskets inside the building. "Some baskets have walked away," she said, and continued, saying: "Others must have needed them more than I do." I appreciate her perspective on theft and her request for privacy.
Fusun seemed sort of ok about me taking a picture of the outside of the building. Please do not come to find this building my dear friends. I am entrusted to Fusun and she has been good to me. And, this It is sacred territory, not to be disturbed... like a burial ground.
The Basket Building had been a historical center and basket making classroom. Inside were rooms where students and a caretaker-helper had lived. Those days, Fusun said, are in the past.
Beyond the garden and Basket Building is the orchard...
These fruits hanging in the tree (pictured above) are called medlar. I read about them and tasted them. Do not let what you read fool you. To me, they are not like applesauce. They are delicious to the point of placing them in the category of a perfectly ripe mango.
All around the land are ground water sources for the plants and trees...
...and rain water barrels to catch sky water...
...and containers of water for the birds...
All around the land are places to sit...
...to think, to listen, to be, to watch the sunset...
...and the moonrise...
...as day closes, and night settles in.
When day is done, inside the house, there is intriguing art to enjoy...
...and foraged food to cook...
Today one of the feral cats climbed into my lap. I consider that a great accomplishment. After a bit of that sweetness, I walked into town. It was magnificent. I will tell you about that later...
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