My dad's health began to fade when I was about twelve. I then had to take on more responsibility of the farm. I did not have the time to read and study like I used to. But still I would observe the wonders of nature as I attended to my work.

I often thought about the Dogon stories Big Mama used to tell me about my grandfather as I thought about these things. And how we took advantage of the lessons he taught us about caring for the land. I think that is why our harvests were among the best in our area.

I started keeping a diary of my thoughts on the things I observed. And I followed this routine from my teen years on.