Hand Made Note Cards

Note cards are the tourist's delight everywhere in the world. If the card is unique and reminiscent of the romance and enchantment of the visitor's journey, the card is sure to be a hit!

I was very pleased to find these rough but charming notecards at the mercado, and snapped them up to send to all my friends. Especially to those friends who had helped me in my previous life as a gallery director! These cards were certainly unique and sure to pique the interest of my friends and colleagues!


All the materials in these cards are naturally occurring in the daily environment of the artist. All the designs are wrought from plant material or stones or sand. I was delighted to examine them. The only drawback was the lack of a signature! Does anyone know the artist who created these cards? I know of one young woman who does this, Maria Isabel Ruiz Talen of San Tomas, but these don't look like her work to me.

If anyone knows the artist, please pass the name on! Thanks.

Project Bona Fide

There are lots of interesting NGO's out there doing a wide variety of work in Nicaragua. I recently learned of one called Project Bona Fide that works on the island of Ometepe. It is a 43-acre permaculture site which has been in development for nearly a decade, and has become an important center for education and community development. One of the fascinating aspects of this organization's work is their emphasis on "permaculture". I'll admit I had never heard of permaculture, and I've now learned something!

According to the Project's website (www.projectbonafide.com), permaculture is " is a design system for creating sustainable human ecologies. The word itself is a contraction not only of permanent agriculture but also of permanent culture, as cultures cannot survive long without a regenerative agricultural base and land use ethic. The aims of Permaculture are to create systems that are ecologically-sound and economically viable, which provide for their own needs, do not exploit or pollute, and therefore are sustainable or even regenerative in the long term."

"Project Bona Fide practices many different types of agro-forestry. Plantings of fruit, nut, and multi-use trees on contour are spaced so that "alleyways" are left for the inclusion of annual crops like cereal grains and annual legumes. Alley farming allows for multiple yields of tree and annual crops throughout the year. The use of vertical space is optimized when this type of poly-culture is employed."

"Outreach efforts include social programs that provide educational opportunities based in ecological agriculture, community reforestation efforts that are supported by our seed bank and nursery, local seed and plant exchanges, a children's nutritional kitchen and an upcoming community center."

The list of projects this group works on are quite varied. Not only are long-term issues addressed through permaculture and agro-forestry, but some short term needs are also recognized, and efforts are made to find sensible and practical solutions. For instance, they run a children's nutritional program, a single mothers' group, and a community stove project. I will profile these projects in later NicaPODS.

El Viejo del Monte - An Enduring Myth for Today

There are many legends and myths in the Central American region, as in all parts of the world. Some of these tales are similar to those in other areas, but there are a few that are unique to a specific geographic location. The legend of El Viejo del Monte (the old man of the forest) is one of the Solentiname Islands' most enduring folktales. It is a story that has been passed on for at least 100 years among the inhabitants of the Islands, and probably longer than that.

It is said that the character now known throughout the numerous islands of the Solentiname Archipelago as El Viejo del Monte, used to be a hunter who practiced his aim by mercilessly killing any animal who stepped in his path. Without respect for the life of the animal, El Viejo del Monte would never eat his prey , but just kill it and leave it to rot.

Partly to punish him and partly to teach him a lesson, the gods turned the man El Viejo Del Monte, into a part man/part ape-like creature and made him keeper of Solentiname’s abundant wildlife. In his new role, El Viejo del Monte is now believed to protect the numerous species of birds, reptiles and mammals that live in Solentiname from poachers and irresponsible hunters. Where he once was destructive and disrespectful, he is now a protective champion and advocate!

A single visit to the miraculous landscape of the Solentiname Archipelago will convince anyone of its unique stature in the wonders of the natural world. The moral of this legend becomes profoundly important after witnessing the splendor of Solentiname’s wildlife and beautiful landscape. The archipelago is made up of 36 islands on which white tailed deer, giant iguanas, caimans, turtles, raccoons, and howler monkeys cohabit peacefully with human inhabitants. A small disequilibrium in the delicate balance between nature and humans would result in catastrophic damage to the Archipelago. This fragile ecosystem has been in danger at numerous times in its history, and the story of El Viejo del Monte adds a perspective from traditional lore to the importance of the stability of the archipelago’s delicate natural resources.

This same Viejo personality has made a place for itself also in the modern day lexicon, as grandmothers use it to ignite fear in the hearts of children who won’t go to bed on time, and tired wives use it to dissuade philandering husbands from straying too far from home!

Much of this information was derived from http://www.solentiname.org/content/view/19/27/