Spoon carving workshop an example of one I did not attend but would have wanted too

So first -There’s two reasons I’m here, well 3,  maybe 4. One is it looked like fun to me with a “knees up” and all, and two is I thought I might meet up with some kindred spirit folk like the ones that love Alabama3. But The two official reasons are:learning skills, etc to take back with me and the other one is harder to express. How about this: to start to make the personal changes required  to operate in an intentional permaculture focused community.

In fact that conversation was started on the bus by Annette and Judy talking about Joanna Macy and David Holmgren.

my bunk on bottom left where I spent time between classes.

Cafen on site where I spent time between classes with a hot coffee and something sweet and decadent. And several sweaters to everyone elses one.

So that said – given my nice neurological condition I took advantage of just a few of the many workshops offered  – Unfortunately the Medicinal herbs one was not able to run – That sentence was for my Doctor, Martin Seltman – who is taking a course of study along those lines – I love my Doctor – any way  – so I attended very few workshops sometimes due to intentional management and sometimes due to getting distracted by conversations and just not paying attention which is a shame because I missed several I would have liked to be part of.

That said what I did do was plenty:

The first workshop was in the freezing stone barn on the first really cold and wet miserable day of my stay. I was late and I didn’t write down the teachers name but it was quite emotional talking about different ways to see our developing selves in a different light than grow up, get a job/make babies then die point of view.  She referenced the work of Bill Plotkin – Nature & the Human Soul and sang a lovely song, When I rise which I find attributed to Tich Nhat Hanh one place with the words by Wendell Berry. She had a beautiful voice. And the best part was having a very heartfelt time with Luci Ransom. Also the facilitator used the phrase of “trying to figure out a delivery system of the soul’s work”. I think that sums up the situation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s53fd9KJj5Y

The next two I went to were in the yurt which was warm and cozy – I am very sorry that I don’t have pictures of Fiona Macdougall, or the baskets she had as examples,  or the warm cozy yurt with all the samples of plant stuffs.  There was a lot of information here but what I mostly remember – aside from Fiona – a sort of wee force of nature –  stripping a long nettle stem with her bare hands and saying with a smile”If you do it fast it doesn’t hurt-much”  – were that I can use daffodil leaves to make a rope – oh I can’t wait for next spring.And how to do a two twine rope. Cant wait to get some materials and to sit with this – It’s definitely a telly watching, porch sitting, visiting with friends, tolerating a meeting kind of activity.When I can find a website or something I will have a picture of her and her work.

Us singing in a yurt

more of us singing in a yurt

Then after lunch was the singing. There were 9  us including the teacher  Rachel Bailey I think -and we learned several rounds and I learned a little about natural voice singing. Aside from just wanting to sing  I think that that is an important thing to be able to do with people and we don’t do that much where I’m from. That we need it to heal those that go out to fight the fight and we need it as a way to be with each other that doesn’t involve talking.