still here, still doing alright. have been sick and/or bleeding and/or super busy most of the last two weeks, so while i've been socially productive and doing my body well with a lot of sleep, i haven't felt very productive physically.
i had a great work trade day with dylan a few days ago, we got my main garden weeded, put doors on my pantry, and worked on the floor quite a bit.
land day, which is ____'s celebration of the day they got their land, falls on the solstice and was a big hit. i organized games for the kids and later for some adults (relay race, sack race, wild edibles hunt, wheelbarrow race...) and made little stamped notebooks for the kids who joined in as a prize. the after dinner part of the party happened at my place, so i got a lot of folks to come visit who wouldn't normally make the trip - it was a sight to see a few dozen folks all parading around, crossing the creek at the road, carrying their instruments and the chairs and dishes i had brought over for the main party and firewood for the bonfire.
i've started sharing two meals a week with the neighbors - you'll see pictures of their girls on my flickr set. i have a great time hanging out with them, braiding their hair and doing henna and letting franny play with their old dog. they like to climb on me and act ridiculous with me, and i'm really happy to have a whole family of friends to spend time with.
i also enjoyed a great weekend at the nearby ecovillage, since community friends came for three days to lead dance workshops. i took classes in tango, swing, and salsa, as well as tango for blues (there are regular blues classes already at the village so there's a lot of interest in that). i really appreciated a basic class on partner dance skills, since belly dance has left me with moves that are great in a troupe or solo, but a bit trickier to work out smoothly with a partner. there's a good bit of interest in me teaching belly dance here as well, so i've got to work out how i'll teach it and get that going. it feels good to have folks desiring things that i can happily offer.
well, i've got to go - i'm setting up my printer at a neighbor's since theirs is on its last leg, so now we can share the use of mine and we can all be happy. then i'm off to queer movie night at the ecovillage, which is always a pleasure - couches, friends, a story, and often massage trades or cuddle piles by the end of the night.
having friends to share massage and cuddles is, i'm finding, a staple for me if i'm to continue living surrounded by bugs in an open shed all summer. neither of my two bed options are comfortable, the bugs are incessant, and every pond is a hike away - but hangout time, a spray bottle full of peppermint water, and a solar shower full of cool rain water straight from the barrel are keeping me afloat. it's an important balance to master if i want to stay productive enough to significantly improve my living situation. i have dreams of a summer hut with a thatched roof and burlap walls and a woven willow floor that can keep out bugs and let in breezes.
hope you've got cool breezes, nice shade, and good friends to pass the hours with wherever you are. i'd love to hear from you, whether you post here, call, e-mail, or come by for a visit. happy summer!
photos from spring are at my flickr page.
i had a great work trade day with dylan a few days ago, we got my main garden weeded, put doors on my pantry, and worked on the floor quite a bit.
land day, which is ____'s celebration of the day they got their land, falls on the solstice and was a big hit. i organized games for the kids and later for some adults (relay race, sack race, wild edibles hunt, wheelbarrow race...) and made little stamped notebooks for the kids who joined in as a prize. the after dinner part of the party happened at my place, so i got a lot of folks to come visit who wouldn't normally make the trip - it was a sight to see a few dozen folks all parading around, crossing the creek at the road, carrying their instruments and the chairs and dishes i had brought over for the main party and firewood for the bonfire.
i've started sharing two meals a week with the neighbors - you'll see pictures of their girls on my flickr set. i have a great time hanging out with them, braiding their hair and doing henna and letting franny play with their old dog. they like to climb on me and act ridiculous with me, and i'm really happy to have a whole family of friends to spend time with.
i also enjoyed a great weekend at the nearby ecovillage, since community friends came for three days to lead dance workshops. i took classes in tango, swing, and salsa, as well as tango for blues (there are regular blues classes already at the village so there's a lot of interest in that). i really appreciated a basic class on partner dance skills, since belly dance has left me with moves that are great in a troupe or solo, but a bit trickier to work out smoothly with a partner. there's a good bit of interest in me teaching belly dance here as well, so i've got to work out how i'll teach it and get that going. it feels good to have folks desiring things that i can happily offer.
well, i've got to go - i'm setting up my printer at a neighbor's since theirs is on its last leg, so now we can share the use of mine and we can all be happy. then i'm off to queer movie night at the ecovillage, which is always a pleasure - couches, friends, a story, and often massage trades or cuddle piles by the end of the night.
having friends to share massage and cuddles is, i'm finding, a staple for me if i'm to continue living surrounded by bugs in an open shed all summer. neither of my two bed options are comfortable, the bugs are incessant, and every pond is a hike away - but hangout time, a spray bottle full of peppermint water, and a solar shower full of cool rain water straight from the barrel are keeping me afloat. it's an important balance to master if i want to stay productive enough to significantly improve my living situation. i have dreams of a summer hut with a thatched roof and burlap walls and a woven willow floor that can keep out bugs and let in breezes.
hope you've got cool breezes, nice shade, and good friends to pass the hours with wherever you are. i'd love to hear from you, whether you post here, call, e-mail, or come by for a visit. happy summer!
photos from spring are at my flickr page.
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Rebecca :)
http://penelopescastle.blogspot.com/