Great!

November
These are words you tell yourself
As if from another mouth
And in a moment of honesty
It seems false
Like another bedtime story
A blanket from the dark

On Tuesday afternoons Booty and I try to do something special. Last Tuesday we walked from International Friendship park to Smale Riverfront park.

Fall 2015

We finally took a much needed vacation at the end of July to St. Augustine. We stayed on Villano Beach near the marina and from what I gather, everyone had an excellent time. Booty spent time with her grandma, her great aunt and with me, separately and together. Lulu ran wild on the beach in the early mornings and at dusk. Gailala and mom were able to spend some time together and we all enjoyed the cottage and the town. Tho' it was super hot, of course. It was especially satisfying to watch Booty learn to swim in the ocean.

Spring mess

This spring I am planting my seeds in starter boxes first and then putting them in the garden. I dug two rows (with Lulu's expert help no kidding) for the sugar snap peas and then I will trellis and replant in the front garden. In addition I have started cabbage, kale, 3 different lettuces, cosmos, sweet peas and morning glories (of course).

We now have 50 baby chicks living in the garage room in the basement. Road Island reds, black austrolorps, buffingtons and a brown striped breed with which I am not familiar. Only one death very early on. Today one of the austrolorps flew up to the top of the lowest cage.

Our grown layers are doing well and generously giving an egg each day. Timma continues to escape almost every day but never strays too far.

I have 3 students at the language academy and 4 active programs at my consulting job. But $ is trickling in and I have other things I am more interested in here in the village.

I have been actively participating (on behalf of the Ecovillage) in the efforts of purchasing a property on the corner of 8th. All I can say now about it is, given particular circumstances, this purchase could have an extremely positive effect on the village and the community in general. We are still negotiating and I am very eager to see how it turns out.

The CSA (of which I am the coordinator) had a lovely open house last month and Nathan (our friend and head farmer) is busy getting the season underway. We will have orientation in a few weeks and then plant sales and then the season begins with shares in the middle of May.

Nathan started planting in January! He has a "wicked" effective system of heating the flats with water lines which run from a water heater. He is a very inspiring friend.

My Waldorf friend Kate (who happens to be Nathan's wife) just finished her week long camp "strengthening the will" with farm work.

She had older children as mentors with the groups. And adults guiding the activities. This is the kind of work she imagines we could do someday given the right preparation and a group who wanted a farm school in an urban setting. It has all the right ingredients for a pilot program that could innovate schools globally.

Friend Romain has built a mushroom incubator at the greenhouse. These aren't  just edible mushrooms. They are also earth-cleaning mushrooms!

Waking up the body

We finally got enough snow to build a snow tunnel and sled! What an achy morning I had today from all the shoveling and fort building. But very satisfying to be outside for so much of the week-end. 

I have been occupied with my part time job (Relocation Consulting) and learning how to be the Coordinator of the CSA. It may not be spring but our local gardens are being planned and readied for share membership.

Last week-end we took care of the baby girl goats, (above Floppy) because their momma refuses to feed them as they were sickly little ones when they were delivered into the world. Now floppy is still a little "special" but at least her ear isn't completely paralyzed. She and her sister Speckles are bouncing all over the place! The Bakers had just very recently delivered a human baby and momma Baker is quite active these days. So we took care of these babes, milked their reluctant mother goat and the other creatures on their farm (adult goats, cats, dogs and chickens) while they took a much needed 24 hour vacation(?) with their 3 young boys.

Happy Valentine's my dearies

Getting used to who I am now

That I love

A rough stone stair in the wood

Holy things

An absolutely beautiful day. The sky couldn't be bluer. The breeze more gentle. So, instead of heading downtown on the bus to march and sing we went to the creek and walked in the cemetery. We sang to MLK. It was a blessed day.

"We bake a cake. We blow it out. Happy birthday Martin Luther King we shout.
I have a dream, he said. All people hand in hand. Working and playing throughout the land." Written by me and a group of stellar 2-4 year olds in Chicago 20 years ago.

The last day

It is the last day of our experiment.
Our experiment.
You who have joined me have allowed me to stay close to the experience of loss and to openly grieve. This is one of the anti-dotes to depression. I thank you. Each one of you holds a very precious place in my heart. Each of you is unique and from the far corners of the world you have witnessed some very personal moments and tasted the sometimes not so yummy flavors of me. Even if we never see each other again I say with deep love and gratitude, "I belong to you." This is also a celebration!

This piece is dedicated to you Deborah, Kate, Marcy, David, Jai, Mary, YengYen, Nikkie, Amy and Rebecca. May the door be open to you always.

Things to do

It is very satisfying having things to do.

This morning I woke up early because as the newly appointed Secretary of the Board of the Enright Ridge Urban Eco-village (where I live) I had a Board Retreat to go to. At the Board meeting there were many things to discuss and ponder.
When I arrived home in the afternoon it was a beautiful day and Booty and our friends' two children played inside and out. The play date ended in the woods chasing our dog, who was only too happy to comply.

I made a full dinner, chicken, rice, moong beans, veggies and gravy.

Since the kids are older now they didn't trash the house but helped clean up.

My neighborhood always provides me with things to do.

Note* Tomorrow is the last day of the Witness posts!

The Chorus

This is a fiction
Fiction means it didn't happen
This is a story
A story I tell to you

This is a song
A  song means its a whimsy
This is an air
An air may not be true

This is a picture
A picture is just one angle
A painting, decoration
A drawing's just a view

The Icky bits

I caused a kerfuffle at school last week. It went like this:

I went in to deliver a hand made birthday gift to one of my former students (as I had promised them I would) and noticed the one I had delivered before had not left the teachers' mail box. I thought to myself, "Is she so busy that she hasn't checked her mail? My (former) student will think I have forgotten her!" I think I even made a noise like, "grrrr" or said "Oh no". I took both gifts and brought them to morning drop off to hand them directly to the students, (altho' I was asked not to do this).

Not a good idea.

The teacher explained to me, (clearly not impressed with my dismayed expression) that she had not delivered the gift because the child was previously absent.

That day the office staff and the sub reported me to the "Principal" and I was sent an email to the effect that I had better mail the gifts or get someone else to deliver them.

In response I apologized to the offended teacher and told her that I realize I am responsible for dealing with this transition and that I was sorry she had to see my "Icky bits".

Where do you live?

I have not been able to find housing for these folks but the criteria are very narrow. Regardless, we have enjoyed our time looking and discussing: options for housing in Mason, our young girls (theirs is only one year younger than mine) and expat life. I only wish I had a little more time to work on this project.

Here is a listing we looked at today:   Palmera Apartments

Do Over

A little snag in the road trying to find homes in the desired school district for clients. All units we saw yesterday advertised Mason and Loveland but were not in Mason or Loveland school district. Yikes. Do over.

This is a job

Had a lovely day with a family from the UK. Very busy looking at apartments. They were so cute talking about the places they saw. We ate lunch at Whole Foods and I was amazed that this is a job.

The Other

I am still figuring it out I guess.
I tried to stay cool but I didn't.
My heart on my sleave
And I don't want to leave
Walking where really I shouldn't.

And I imagine a better scenario
Where people are forgiving and kind
And I realize
from the love in their eyes
Transformation begins in my mind

I may not get that chance
There may not yet come the call
From others but me
I still want to see
The crumbling of Other's wall