Past and Present

Posted On November 30, 2012

I haven't been able to write as frequently as I would like. The concussion, in addition to my computer being really finnicky and breaking several times in the past couple of months, has me throwing my hands up about it most of the time. But, I realized earlier today that another reason I have struggled to write regularly is because I feel so behind on my updating. So much has happened around here. So much I want to document and share in this little way I've grown so attached to. But when I think about "catching up", the task feels daunting. I have to go back a couple of months, I think. So, I've devised a plan. I'm going to write a bit about what's going on now, and then a little bit about something that has passed. I'll just do that until I feel "caught up" and back in the habit again.

So. For what's happening now. I'm feeling the love of community lately, in this really electric and happy kind of way. On Wednesday we hosted a little workshop here all about raising chickens in the city. We just invited people over, made tea and coffee, and stood around the coop out in the garden talking about what we've learned so far. It happened because we're getting involved with this permaculture group here in town and people got to talking about chickens and before I knew it Jeff was telling me we were putting on this workshop! And so it happened. This place has been full of good people and laughter lately, and I'm feeling more and more like I'm coming home. And what's great for me, is that I'm finding that all of those hang-ups I used to have about speaking in front of people or feeling sort of shy- it's just not as big a deal. When I feel like I'm in good company and that I'm doing something useful, my jitters cease to matter. They are still there, but I just don't care as much. I care more about the awesome people everywhere and everything we need to do together and learn from each other. Family all around me. 

I'm still fumbling around a bit due to my concussion. It was a really bad bonk. I'm definitely better than I was. But I'm not totally done healing. 6 weeks now. Dang brain injury. It's been a total lesson in humility and slowing down and yadda yadda… you know how much I love that kind of thing. 🙂
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On the community front- Back at the end of September we hosted a big potluck for a local group that's all about sustainably transitioning into the future. We've been trying to have regular potlucks to build community and get to know each other better. It was a warm fall evening and everything was set according to plan.

It was a great turn out, and lots of fun. The one unexpected thing that happened was the dead deer that we had to butcher that very evening out in the garage… You see, Jeff works in a small office building out beyond town in the country. They were all alerted earlier that day to a young deer that was suffering after being hit by a car. They called the sheriff, and it was over quickly. Jeff was eager and claimed the body, and then he called our friend who had more experience to come out and help gut it. Our friend graciously left his own job to come help as the whole office watched intently while he walked them through the process. Later that night as we set up for our party, the garage turned into a butcher shop.

As the night went on people trickled in and out to see what was going on. Pictured below is our housemate Brett.

We got a good amount of meat off of the animal, and we were glad to gain the experience and felt grateful for its life. It was funny though, to have that kind of an activity underway during a party. It seemed very appropriate, in the end, given the nature of the group and our collective desire to be more self-sufficient. But one thing that was bizarre was that a woman unexpectedly stopped by to check out a couch we were giving away. We told her that when she came by she should peek in the garage for it, and her timing was pretty funny. She was very sweet but clearly wasn't expecting to peer into the garage to also find a dead deer and a bunch of bearded men with sharp knives… She did end up taking the couch, so she can't have been too traumatized. I love my life.

Later we managed to have an amazing meal with the venison- cooked lovingly by our Brett. It was pretty fantastic.