Today the family gathered to prepare the rice nursery. This is almost a festive event that brings relatives together, especially if they hope to get free rice at harvest time. The Nambu's and the Nibe's joined forces to seed the dirt-filled trays and transport them to the previously prepared beds at the end of the field. It takes a group effort to get the job done efficiently. Taka-ojichan, the elder uncle, oversees our efforts and shouts out orders to us like a general to his army. Fifty years of farming and every year, it seems like they are doing it for the first time.
The load was too great for the truck so the tires had to be pumped by hand with a bicycle pump. The netting wasn't long enough, some of it had holes, so we had to keep re-doing our efforts. Afraid to throw anything away, they keep the torn netting along with the good netting so we never know what is inside the roll. It's like the boots - they filled with water when I went to rinse my feet in the canal. Why ever does one keep rubber boots with holes in the soles?
We finished before noon. We have trays of Hinohikari and Mori rice. Apparently, farmers west of the road grow one type and those east of the road are expected to grow the other, according to the government agency. Hinohikari is better tasting and fetches a higher price, so woe be to those who live on the wrong side of the road.
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