Minnesota Trip

I am in Bloomington MN visiting my mother right now. I took Amtrak Sunday evening with 2 other Holdenites, Jim Raisanen and Tom Braken who were on their way home after Work Week. It was nice to have friends on the train to chat and eat with. The scenery through Glacier was beautiful with thousands of golden Tamaraks covering the mountains. Both Montana and North Dakota are past their autumn colors and looked bleak. We said our goodbyes as we went to sleep because they were both getting off at 4am. I awoke this morning surrounded by strangers and ready to get off and begin my visit. I was so glad to find that the Twin Cities still have plenty of color to enjoy.

My Son Left Today...

... and I cried as the bus went down the road. Another woman's son found me later and held me because his mother would have cried too if it had been him who left. Love and Pain - Joy and Saddeness -- All the same emotions of life. Thanks for the visit and the hug.

My First Hat and a Pretty Fall Walk

Two Pictures Taken from the Same Place

I know...

I know what a chipmunk's teeth feel like when they nibble on your fingers.
I know the sound of a ravens wings as it flies by your head.
I know what it feels like to have a humming bird land on your hand.
I know that I can walk between a doe and her fawn, if I move very slowly and quietly.
I know the joy of sleeping soundly after a hard days work.
I know that bears are not to be afraid of as long as you treat them respectfully.
I know that the moon is clearest on a cold night.
I know that rain comes in 100 different forms.
I know that mice stink if they die in your wall.
I know that you can eat good warm bread at any time of the day, even if you are not hungry.
I know that a martin looks like a mink and eats a lot of garbage.
I know that no matter how many time I walk up and down Chalet Hill, my legs still tire before I get there.
I know that friends are always on bus away; both coming to and leaving the village.
I know that having a five week old baby living down stairs is so much fun.
I know that much of what happens in the world each day does not effect me.
I know that the people with whom I share daily life with are the ones that really matter.
I know that family is more important than anything but that anyone can be made into family.

The Joy of Working Hard

Today at breakfast it was announced that there were 12 cords of wood to be moved and stacked into the basement of Lodge Six. During the winter this building is heated entirely by wood. Everyone was asked to help out if they could. At ten am the bell rang and about 40 of us gathered to form a line or chain and to pass wood from one person to the next. My spot in the chain was just inside the basement door and Art was a few people out of that same door.

Everyone who came worked very hard for about two hours. Currently, the village is quite a mix of people. We have about ten men here from the Seattle Compass Center; a non-profit that helps the homeless find resources, food and shelter. These men, along with the compass center staff, village guests and staff all worked hard for about two hours to get this wood in.Each piece was picked up from the pile and handed off to the next person, who passed it off to the next and next until the very last person put it in the neatly stacked pile deep in the bowels of this big building. As we worked, each of us began to be transformed. We lost ourselves in the task and busied our minds with silly songs and jokes. As the wood passed from person to person we all began to become one machine. We all could feel our small piece become important to the final goal.

When we were done, I went up to the dining hall and got a bowl of cereal to eat. I was invigorated and exhausted at the same time. One of the Compass Center men came up to me and in broken English said, "Wood tomorrow, I do!" He spoke for all of of us. Experiencing hard work with others, no matter who they were, was so fulfilling. Everyone is waiting for the next call to work.

Dress Up Night

Holden life is fairly informal. We live in the wilderness and dress for all of it, but every once in a while we have formal dinners or other occasions when we "clean up". This night was a dinner celebration for one of our cooks, Hannah. As a long term staff person leaves they get to request a dinner to be made in their honor. She wanted a Holden formal night where "everyone looked their best".

Right Outside Our Backdoor

We had to walk through these grazing deer to get to dinner tonight. As we got past them, one walked up on our porch as if to try to go inside. When the weather gets colder the deer come in to eat the grass. They move down the mountain as the snow comes in, eventually wintering at the lake.

Bamboo Sheets

After nearly 32 years of living together, Art and I have finnaly agreed on the kind of bed sheets that we both like and find comfortable .... bamboo sheets. Holden has several sets for their beds and so we tried them out on our chalet bed. We love them!!

You see Art likes crisp, smooth and cool sheets and I like warm, fuzzy and soft sheets. One of us has always been unhappy until now. These are all of the above and more. I plan on buying a set when we move home to Ellensburg again.

Image from Holden's Main Page

I love this image from Holden's main page http://www.holdenvillage.org. This is not my picture but borrowed from Holden's site. This was taken last year in October. We are not quite here yet but every day we are closer.