Yesterday, the weather was especially hot and dry. It should be a great and perfect day to go out and ' hunt ' for manure, I thought to myself. So, when the sun was about to set, I unhesitatingly, got all the necessary equipment and things ( a face mask, a pair of gloves, three big, recycled paint buckets with covers, two small spades and two five-litre bottles of clean water ), loaded into my car. Then, off I drove, to the ' kampong ' ( meaning ' village ' in Malay language ) not far from our old family home, where ' Bengali Singh ' loves to let his herd of buffaloes free, grazing on the vast grass field there.
Upon reaching the ' kampong ', I was greeted by a large number of buffaloes grazing on the vast, open grass field. Like always, the sight of them in that number never fails to put smile on my face. The scene was a most beautiful one. I did not understand why a friend of mine had to go all the way to Thailand to see buffaloes when we have them just as much here. She should have come and take a look here instead, I told myself then.
And, as expected, I was greeted by numerous patches of ' cakes ' ( my definition of wet manure ) and ' pastries ' ( my definition of crisp dry manure ) too. They were seen dotting the tarmac road and surrounding grass area. And just like the sight of the buffaloes, the sight of them made me smile no less. I felt happy for my nutrient-hungry plants, back at my small backyard garden. Oh, how they would enjoy them, I imagined!
Carefully ( trying my very best to avoid running over the patches of ' cakes ' and ' pastries ' ), I drove my car to the side of the road, and had it safely parked there. Then I got myself and all the equipment and things out from the car.
I put the face mask and gloves on. After that I was all set to collect the manure. I chose to only get the ' pastries ' as they were light and not so smelly, and most importantly, no noticeable wriggling worms that could possibly make me feel sick at the sight of them. I used both the small spades to lift and guide the ' pastries ' into the paint buckets. It was not at all difficult. So, before long, I had all the three paint buckets compact-filled. Then I had them all enclosed with their respective covers. Finally, I had my hands and all the tools washed clean before I had everything loaded back into the car.
When I was all set to leave the ' kampong ', the herd of buffaloes happened to head back to their homes, guided by their owner, ' Bengali Singh '. It amazed and entertained me so, to see them move in such an orderly line. I never knew buffaloes could be so obedient and well-tamed! How adorable and incredible!
Oh, Dear Buffaloes! How I appreciate you all for putting smile on my face! And oh, how I appreciate the ' cakes ' and ' pastries ' that you all left behind for my plants!
