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Carla’s Niche
Avalon Journal
Copyright © 2006 L/L Research
August 1, 2005
LoneBear's Log
Satellite View
We have the satellite dish mounted and pointed for our Starband connection. Ran into a problem, though—the dish is pointed right into some thick trees, and they are blocking the signal.
Going to be some tough work removing those trees; some of them are close to 70 feet tall!
Wednesday, August 3, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
I have no air conditioning in my car; it hasn’t worked in over 10 years. When it’s 98°
F outside, it’s about 110°
F inside with the window down. The last estimate I got for the fixing of it (it is broken, not just depleted) stated it would cost about $800. Wow! My whole car—faithful workhorse that she is—isn’t worth that much! So, I go without. Being human, and the driver of the car, I do so knowingly and willingly. Meanwhile, my poor cats in their fur coats are forced to live with my decision.
I consciously chose to leave L/L very late last night so that the ambient temperature for Mocha’s transport back to Avalon would be as comfortable as possible. Between my intention to leave late (I was thinking maybe ten o’clock) and the virtual mountain of good work to do there at L/L, I got in last night at about 2:00 AM.
Bear had chosen to stay at Avalon last night in anticipation of helping me haul my stuff down the hill. However, given the lateness of my arrival, I was not about to phone him and ask him to meet me at the top. I took my shoulder bag of freshly washed laundry, and my shoulder bag carrier full of cat (Mocha), and left the rest in the car.
Sure enough, when I arrived at the Shack, all lights were out both there and in the Shed. I resettled Mocha and myself and fell into bed. Got up this morning about 8 AM, and had a look around. Looks like Bear swept the Shack—I can walk comfortably in bare feet. How nice! He has been busy in the garden area, turning over topsoil and beginning to ready the section further out for next year’s planting. More than that, it is nearly level now, without the large pile by the well, so we will be able to set the fourth corner post for the garden fence. That set, we can erect a permanent awning of some kind to help protect our plants from the unrelenting sun of a Kentucky August.
It’s Wednesday again. I phoned my mother about nine o’clock, and talked for the usual hour. During our conversation, Bear surfaced and discovered I had arrived. Waiting for me to finish, he busied himself with some computer work, having set up his laptop in the Shed. When I had finished, he needed a few more minutes, so I went down to the creek—blessed creek—and began hauling water for the garden.
Garden watered, we fed/watered the cats, and headed up the hill to get the rest of the things from my car. Among those things were the various parts for my computer: monitor, keyboard, marble mouse, speakers, printer, and the computer itself. After a trip into Madison for materials—needed for a shower stall, computer/phone set up, etc—I set up my computer, and we identified its power usage. During days like this when it is simply too hot to move, and the sun is on our solar panels, I can now sit here at my desk and type my journal directly into cyberdom. It is distinctly odd to have this piece of technology assembled and humming away here in our faithful old shack, but it will be good to get my backlog of journal entries caught up at last.
Bear is still not feeling himself after his misadventure. His body’s ability to tolerate heat has never been great, and is now even less. Today’s heat really got to him, and he headed back to D’s for a cool night’s rest. I puttered, watered, fed myself, and enjoyed my computer’s music library. (Sigh) Another great day!
Thursday, August 4, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Okay, confession time. I hurt. Yesterday, Bear diagnosed my sore left wrist as a damaged (torn, sprained, or otherwise crunched) tendon. It does well, considering how sharply it speaks when I happen to ask the wrong movement of it. (Sigh)
This morning, the points of my shoulders—literally the points, where the arm muscles join the shoulder—howl whenever my elbows are out away from my body. A good example is when I lift my hand from the mouse and shift it back over to the keyboard … yow! They don’t feel torn, just badly over-worked (hauling all that water from the creek), but I do have a history of downplaying my body’s ailments. My normal solution would be to haul more water, and build up more muscle so it is no longer an unaccustomed and pain-inducing activity. (Grin) I accused someone recently of being irrepressible; perhaps that appellation applies to me, as well. To borrow a line from the character O’Neil on Stargate SG-1, “Ya’ think?”
I worked on journal entries until Bear showed up around noon. He taught me to drive the tractor, and walked me through my first assignment: auguring the fourth posthole for the perimeter of the garden. Much to my delight, we hit perfect, stoneless ground. Then, it was a lesson in using the cement mixer. I’ve mixed a lot of cement, but always by hand. Using the mixer was so simple it about made my head spin … or was that just the heat? It was another high-nineties day, and I now sport a very nice sunburn.
We made another trip to Madison to buy the lumber that will create a nice workbench in the Shed. While we were out, we also picked up some wound salve (developed for horses) to have on hand for minor cuts, scrapes, etc., and an immobilizing wrist brace for my beleaguered left wrist.
Arriving back at Avalon, we teamed up on watering the ever-thirsty garden, and Bear fixed the latest mechanical problem with the backhoe while I peeled the dried roof sealant out of my wastebaskets and returned them to service in the Shack.
Funny thing about living out here … after a while, you start hearing human sounds in the trees and insects. You would swear you hear doors closing or windows opening, or tailgates “ka-chunk-ing.” You would swear you hear a radio playing faintly, or a conversation just on the edge of hearing. I find myself wondering if it’s my perception that’s changing, or if the entities around me are becoming more communicative.
Friday, August 5, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
I did more journaling this morning, or rather, transcribing of old handwritten journal entries to the computer. It is fun to look back and recall individual days.
Bear and I worked a bit on the awning over the garden area. My memory of how to run the tractor served well, and I could almost claim to have dug the last post hole without any coaching from Bear … except that I hit a rock and wasn’t sure about trying to force my way through.
It was a typical sultry Kentucky afternoon—hot and sticky. We took our sweet time, stopping often to glug Gatorade and recover our breath.
At four o’clock, Bear drove me to the top of the hill so that I could head back to Louisville for the evening. I had been invited to participate in Carla’s long-overdue birthday dinner. She and Jim wished to say “Thank You” for my part in Carla’s trip to Britain this past June.
The restaurant, its wait staff and food were superb. We spent an enjoyable evening.
Saturday, August 6, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Journaling, journaling, and more journaling. At long last, I am getting caught up. I slept in this morning, since I was up far too late last night. The sky way overcast and the temperatures lower than they’ve been in several days. I let the garden breathe, and sat down at the computer.
Bear and I made another materials run so he could finish the workbench and put a sink in the Shed, as well as more shelving, etc. It was a quiet day, and after dinner we enjoyed a couple episodes from season one of Airwolf.
I am tired. Can’t really say why, but I’d like to blame it on the heat this past week. I just feel like I’m dragging bottom. Time to rest a bit.
Sunday, August 7, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Today was another quiet day. I allowed myself to sleep, and got up around 9 AM. A look at the garden showed that most of the plants had too much moisture, and were probably suffering from root rot (or just simmering their roots out there in the sun all day). I decided to mist rather than water, then worked on shade.
I always forget how long hemming takes. We have a number of various materials that we will use for shading the garden: nylon mesh (best), burlap, and old sheets (worst). All needed to be cut to appropriate length, hemmed, and attached to the steel cable framework Bear erected a couple days ago. So, I gathered my materials and sat down to work at the picnic table under the mulberry tree.
I was still there, six strips of material (and six hours) later when Bear arrived. In all, I spent about 10 hours at it, but DID get finished what I hoped to. Somehow, I seem to have obtained a sunburn. Puzzling, that, since the vast majority of the day was spent sitting under a tree. I can only imagine how many ticks I haven’t yet found on my person.
So, now, tonight, I think I will relax and spend some personal time enjoying Avalon. Maybe I’ll go out in the meadow at twilight and do a rain dance. LOL!
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
I didn’t exactly do a rain dance Sunday night, but I did go sit in the meadow and meditate for about 40 minutes. Then, bright and early Monday morning, I was off to Louisville to drop my cat at the vet for her scheduled teeth-cleaning. Got back last evening and hiked down the hill with my recuperating feline, leaving my boxes of goodies in the car.
This morning, Bear and I started up the hill to claim my stuff, and began talking about what else we might need while we were “away.” In the end, we parked his truck, moved my stuff to the Shack, and took off in my Mustang (without air conditioning) to run a few errands in Madison.
We picked up our stuff, but also indulged in a stop at Dairy Queen (yum!), and a browse at the local nursery. By the time we returned, the day was nearly gone. We puttered a bit with a couple smaller projects, and called it a day. The sink/shelving project in the Shed is nearly complete, we’re ready to build the shower stall, and of course there’s the awning to re-engineer.
Figuring out how to erect a proper shade over the vegetable garden is turning out to be a major pain in the butt. There are a hundred possible solutions, but this one sags, that one is too expensive, another simply doesn’t offer enough coverage. The last thing we did before calling it a day was to take down my latest attempt. (Sigh) Tomorrow we try something else.
Oh—also on my “to do” list is simple curtains for the porch. It is nearly 10°
hotter out there than inside (now that the roof is reflecting heat, thanks to the sealant), and we’d like to remedy that a little bit. I picked up some cotton material on clearance, and—when time permits—I’ll hem it up for curtains.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
I awoke this morning to a heavy haze in the meadow. That never bodes well for a day anticipated to be hot. Indeed, by 10 AM I was slick with sweat, and the day had hardly begun.
I watered sparingly—still convinced the heavy soil has caused root rot—and misted the entire garden. Three cheers for Bear, who brought up a 75-gallon reserve from the creek. And at least three prayers for rain … our watering hole in the creek has joined the well in being desperately dry.
While I was last in Louisville, I purchased some perforated plastic, designed to be used at ground level to stop weeds. It is super lightweight, and should serve well for awning material over the garden. The material is so lightweight that it will certainly tear if the edges aren’t well bound. So, this morning, once the green ones had been seen to, I sat down on the porch to hem the edges. There I sat for the duration of the day, hemming with practically invisible nylon thread, and putting up the new awning, one slow section at a time. I think—at last—we have a viable solution.
The heat was such that even sitting in the shade on the porch, I ran with sweat, and had to stop occasionally for Gatorade. Tonight will be quiet—I’ll probably just curl up with a cat and a book. Mocha, who just joined me here at the computer, seems to think that’s a great idea.
Oh! I drove the Mustang down the hill tonight! This is huge. Bear spent some of the afternoon, when he wasn’t working on the sink/shelving project or the shower stall project, grading the road. My Mustang made it down without ever bottoming out! Woo-hoo! I still wouldn’t recommend it for just anyone, and I’m not too sure yet about getting back up (my little Mustang is awfully lightweight and the dirt is loose now), but I’m excited to think I might be able to drive the hill. Tomorrow we’ll test driving up and see if the Mustang can do it.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Phew! Today was another hot one. We were forecast to hit 105°
F. I don’t think we made it, but we did manage at least 102°
F.
Bear ran some errands this morning before coming by, so he arrived later than usual. After checking on the garden, I sat down to continue work on the awning … the garden must have shade! Roman appeared at 10:00 AM as promised and set to work bracing our lean-to. A break and water got him back up and running the chipper until Bear showed up.
The day was slow, of course, working with the heat factor. Frequent water breaks—as well as just “breather breaks”—ensured everyone stayed healthy if not happy. Roman left us shortly after six o’clock, and Bear was not far behind. I finished the third section of awning and hung it, then cut the next piece. I’ll begin hemming piece number four first thing tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be a short day for me, as I will drive to Louisville to pick up my long-time friend Ashom from the airport. I’m excited about his coming to visit, and look forward to the next days. We have an L/L conference coming up next weekend (not this), and there will be much to do. Thankfully, he and I have known each other for almost twenty years, and communicate well. I’ll be putting him to work, and we’ll find out whether we in fact work well together.
Tonight I think I will simply “veg”… I’ve been trying to concentrate all day in the heat, and it has taken its toll.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Back at Avalon. Purrrrr …
Saturday turned out hot-hot-hot once again. I did finish piece number four of my awning, but it was simply too miserably hot to put it up. So—I set it aside for my return.
I picked up my friend at the airport, and spent the evening with him. Then, Sunday was spent doing bookkeeping at L/L. Roman came by in the afternoon, and Ashom helped him properly install a ceiling fan that had perplexed me. We had a lovely evening just chatting and bringing Ashom into the circle.
This morning I attended to a few planning details at L/L, and enjoyed lunch with Carla and C, a long-time friend of L/L Research. Then I collected my freshly clean laundry and, with Ashom, came back to Avalon.
It is so very nice to be able to share this place with a dear friend. Often, I find I am wary of bringing people here, as it is a special place and a special initiative. When there is a question of introducing a new personality to the mix, our pledge to the entity Avalon to do our part in trying to live consciously weighs heavily in my choice. Ashom is a known quantity to me, and someone I trust implicitly. What fun to be able to say, “THIS is Avalon. Welcome.”
Hallelujah! We actually got rain yesterday, so the road is a bit muddy. Bear met us at the top of the hill—not wanting to risk bringing the Mustang down—and helped haul our stuff down to the Shack. We chatted for a bit, then Ashom went to work setting up the shower stall he brought for us, and Bear tried again to augur the new post hole for our garden gate. I put up my fourth section of awning, and also took down section number three, which had torn in yesterday’s wind. I plan to repair it tomorrow and get it back up.
For a short evening’s work, the results were quite satisfying. Tomorrow I have a haircut back in Louisville, and Bear needs to have a tire replaced on his truck. I will give him a ride back from Madison before I leave, so he and Ashom can work together while I’m gone.
We’re off! The week is vanishing fast, and this is only Monday. Where does the time go? Good grief—it’s almost Labor Day!
Monday, August 15, 2005
Ashom’s Journal
First let me say that—between reading various peoples journals over the last year or so and talking with Hotaru—I knew what had happened here in a rather general sense. But knowing everything about something without actually being there is hollow knowledge. Just as you can know everything about a person but you never truly know them until you look them in their eye and shake their hand. So it has been with me as I arrived on Avalon.
We got here about 5-ish and were met at the top of the hill by Lone Bear whom I enjoyed meeting for the first time. Bags and supplies were quickly moved to Bear’s truck and down we went. The drive was rather quick despite the road, which I’m told is far better then it was this time last year. Once down, everything was moved to the Shack and I was given the nickel tour of necessary need-to-know items. From there, Hotaru and Bear caught up on current events, first from the shed and then from the rather cozy screened porch of the Shack.
After a bit more conversation and a quick bit of dinner (Beefaroni is good no matter where you are) it was off to finish things. Hotaru wandered off to check on the garden and repair the sunscreen that was damaged during the recent rains. Bear and I started on finding a way to finish up the posthole he had been working on. It seems that the rock here knows how to 1) multiply and 2) bury itself. It does both with great glee. After convincing the rock that it really needed to move (heavy breaker bars can have that effect), the hole was dug but not before it sheared off a connection pin on the auger attachment of the tractor. Once our posthole was dug, it was off to fetch a few bags of ready mix, haul over the cement mixer and see about making sure the post itself would remain vertical in said hole. Hotaru and I got everything mixed up and poured. Soon after, Hotaru and I filled back up on fluids, wished Bear farewell and settled in for the evening.
I can see the draw that Avalon holds. Although I grew up in a mid-sized town (25,000 give or take a college student) I spent much of my summers on either my grandfather’s farm or working for my dad at his agricultural business. It is only now that I begin to see the influence those summers had on my life. I work on computers for a living but find myself really looking forward to the day I can retire from the active duty military and come work outside. It could be here on Avalon, it could be somewhere else.
Avalon is a magical place and I’m eager to do my part in the days to come.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
I actually slept fairly well last night and got up late this morning. What a blessing! We had more rain last night and again throughout the day, so I only checked on the garden … no watering necessary. I had some breakfast and was ready to go when Bear arrived at 10:45 AM.
We drove to Madison to drop off his truck, which needs a new passenger-side tire and front brakes. Then I drove him back to D’s and headed down to Louisville for my haircut and a couple of dangling errands. I returned around 4:30, and since Bear’s truck was not yet ready, simply went back to Avalon and hiked down the hill. Ashom and I enjoyed a leisurely chat before heading out to pick up Bear for an evening of Pizza Hut and good conversation.
It has been a lovely, relaxing day of blessed nurturance on so many levels. Perhaps we will get back to work tomorrow … we are forecast to have sunny skies and more heat.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Ashom’s Journal
I love lazy days! Woke up about 9:30ish and basically lay in bed until I knew that people would be around and I knew I needed to be up. Got up, dressed and Hotaru and I had some food. From there Lone Bear was down to get Hotaru so that they could run errands for the day, which left me with a valley to myself!
I started to read a bit and found myself starting to look at my watch far more then I needed to. I took it off, lay it face down and proceeded to read more. At some point I got a bit bored and swept the Shack and the Shed, both of which showed some traffic but not badly so. Afterward I found a Bloom County book of Hotaru’s (an old favorite of both of us) and read a bit more. Soon I got the itch to see more of Avalon, which I had not yet had the opportunity to do.
Soon I was wandering to all her remote corners and getting a much better feel for her layout. Many a time I was reminded of my own childhood growing up along the Mississippi River Valley of southeastern Minnesota and exploring the woods. Since it had been raining on and off most of the day, the forest growth was quite wet. I was soaked from the thighs down upon my return. Just as I arrived back, Hotaru was back for the day so I quickly took a rather cold shower. It’s hard to take a warm shower when there’s no sun to warm up your Sun Shower. Such are the hazards of basic living in the country. Of course if I were afraid of a little cold water I wouldn’t be here to begin with!
Once properly clean it was up the hill for dinner with Hotaru and Lone Bear. Canned food is fine but I have problems passing up an offer for Pizza Hut! Mmmmm, Meat Lover’s. Must be the carnivore in me. J
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
I slept well last night for a change, having gone to bed around 2:00 AM, and allowed myself a slow start to the day. Of course, integral to this decision was waking up with a horrendously sore neck and shoulder. I must have slept in the wrong position and not moved much because for the first couple of hours of the day I could scarcely turn my head. My intestinal tract was also not entirely happy with me—the trend toward cooler temperatures means I drink less fluids and eat more solid food—I’ll have to find a happy transition method, because abrupt change is not comfortable.
When the time came to go pick up Bear for the afternoon’s work, I gladly took Ashom up on his offer to go for me. I have been wanting to clean up the stacks and piles of things in the office, get them filed away appropriately and clear the floor space for proper traffic flow again. Since I was feeling so punky, today seemed like a great day to do it.
Ashom and Bear were back shortly and had the power tools running in no time. Trees were cut, rubbish was hauled, limbs were chipped, and by dinnertime there was a general feeling all around of a good day’s productivity.
We enjoyed a breakfast buffet for dinner in Madison, and went our separate ways after. The night is humid and very bright with the near full moon high in the sky. I look forward to another good night’s sleep and more good work tomorrow. Hopefully, my neck will be recovered and I will be able to repair the awning.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Ashom’s Journal
After sleeping like a rock and having a rather lazy morning thoroughly enjoying the bed, got up and got motivated about 10:00ish. As I finished my brunch and cleaned up the dishes, Lone Bear called looking for a ride since his truck was still being worked on. Hotaru wasn’t quite up for hiking the hill (and had some office work to do), so I volunteered to go pick him up.
I discovered what happens when you take a wrong turn coming out of our little section of the world and just how close Carroll County is. Once I got myself turned around the right way, I retrieved Lone Bear and we quickly returned to Avalon. We had a quick discussion about what needed to get done and then were off to do it.
The immediate major goal was to get some trees cleared so that there would be a clear line of sight for the satellite antenna. We looked at the trees and decided that the old outhouse and attached lean-to had to come down. Useful destruction can be so much fun! Bear collapsed it with the backhoe and we carted it off to the rubbish pile.
Since we were already cleaning junk up, we turned out attention to another pile. This one was centered on a pickup truck bed that had been converted to a trailer. The most expedient way to move this (it looked like it hadn’t moved since Regan was president) was to get chains in underneath it and carry the whole thing to where we wanted it. This worked out better then I’d hoped as I was sure the only thing keeping it together was willpower. I know the rust wasn’t helping any!
Soon, it was time to break out the chainsaw! The whole corner where the outhouse had been needed to be cleared and I set about getting all the small trees in the area down and cutting some of the old logs down to a size that would fit into the backhoe’s bucket. We soon found that the brush pile was getting out of hand so I traded chainsaw for chipper and corrected this.
That done, I found that Bear had moved the rest of the logs that were too big to chip and was now working with Hotaru to trim a pear tree in preparation for its move out of the meadow. When they had finished this task we took a much needed break.
J soon arrived, dumped a load of lawn clippings and sat down for a moment to discuss some of the improvements that have taken place. As J was heading back up the hill, Hotaru and Bear took the opportunity to hitch a ride up the hill to H’s car. From there, they drove into Madison to fetch his truck and I took the opportunity to take a much-needed shower. It was nice to have done a hard day’s work (or half-day’s, if you’ve been keeping tabs) and have the dirt to show for it. After my shower and some relaxation time, Hotaru and Bear returned and it was soon time for dinner.
It’s only been a couple of days since I’ve been out here but I can see the appeal. I can see why Hotaru likes it out here and is working so hard to make all this happen. I hope I can get up here more often to help. I find myself being drawn into all this and rather enjoy it all.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Oi. Big day. Tomorrow, Ashom and I head back to Louisville to set up and attend the opening stanzas of L/L’s “Living the Law of One” seminar. The event will take place in Wooded Glen, Indiana, an hour’s drive from either L/L itself or from here. I have had minimal participation in the planning of this event, so I need to touch base with Gary, who has spearheaded the effort.
So … Today was clean up day. Whew! We tidied the property, making it spiffy and visitor friendly. This involved resorting and moving piles of materials and brush, taking down some problematic trees, and general pick-up of the yard and grounds. Machines were relocated, tools put back where they belonged, and the tent arranged for Monday’s luncheon. By the end of the day we were all equally filthy, sweaty, tired … and smug.
The place looks great!
Monday, August 22, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Pardon me, please. I’m going to show my Minnesotan for a moment here …”OOF-DA!” Okay. With that out of my system, I’ll begin by saying it was a great weekend.
Throughout Thursday night, Avalon was swept by a series of thunderstorms, and we received RAIN! Blessed rain! Not a torrent, but certainly a surprising amount. When I awoke, there were literal puddles in my bedroom. Most of the water seemed to have come in around the window, but there was a splash pattern indicating at least some must have fallen through the ceiling. We will need to revisit the sealant on the SW face of the Shack’s roof. Another coat is in order. Still, for having received 2 1/2 inches of rain in one night, I think the roof did remarkably well.
Ashom and I rose early on Friday, having several things to accomplish before leaving for Camelot (our new name for the house in town). This involved some general tidying of the Shack. I did not want the place to be perfect, only tidy. Anyone walking through on Monday should, in my opinion, see a degree of truth … these items are left out because they are integral to everyday decisions, those items are put away in plastic tubs to discourage bugs, et cetera.
I must note here—because it is relevant to life at Avalon—that a spider has chosen to investigate the space between my computer screen and the filter over it.
When I first saw its silhouette creeping across my work, I thought perhaps Bear had jokingly loaded a “companion” onto my computer (he knows I love spiders). If you haven’t seen these “companions,” they are silly little programs you can run that cause small, computer-animated creatures to scamper across your workscreen from time to time, and sometimes perform antics. These “screen pets” are certainly amusing, and serve to relieve the tedium of working in a “cubicle farm” environment. Shawn the Sheep is a great example. However, on closer examination of this spider silhouette, I discovered him to be quite real.
So, now I ponder the significance of having the web-builder put in an appearance as I sit down to type up a summary of the past weekend’s “Living the Law of One” seminar. It seems to me the universe would like to:
- affirm the web of energy that we are beginning to build,
- affirm our weaving of a new destiny, and
- acknowledge the boldness of this attempt (spiders are patently aggressive).
From where I sit, I cannot see a web—only the spider—but spider webs typically spiral inward, converging on a central point. We need to build well and diligently our small webs; we need to focus ever inward on that central point within us. The macrocosm will reflect our microcosm.
And so, we (Ashom and I) were off. We drove to Camelot, met with the crew there to determine who would be going where, when, and with which vehicle. Ashom and I were soon off to the airport to pick up our first “flyer” and drive him up to Wooded Glen. With us went the water and Gatorade that would keep our guests hydrated when they visited Avalon on Monday (today). We unloaded, saw our guest settled, and headed back to the airport for the next two arrivals.
BTW, Ashom had elected to accompany me on these trips rather than stay at Avalon to help Bear due to my bum shoulder. Apparently I had strained or pulled something earlier in the week, and even though my coping mechanisms were working, Ashom wished to save me from lifting/hauling luggage and various other heavy objects.
Back again at Wooded Glen, we ironed out a few details and discovered that we had about four hours to wait until the first meal would be served. We and the most recently arrived flyers were hungry; four hours would be a long wait. We set out in search of sustenance and found a Subway not far from the conference center.
That evening, still Friday, the conference began. (As I type this, my companion spider investigates the tool rack behind my desk) I do not wish to go over the entire agenda here, but will mention that the lasting impression of that evening is one of pulling together. The attendees were from widely divergent backgrounds and interests. Friday night as we talked around the circle, we found a common language and passion that enabled us to engage with one another.
Saturday was a day of presentations. There was a lot of good conversation and Q&A sprinkled throughout, but I do wish I were able to be a fly on the wall at each of the lunch or dinner tables. Those casual conversations contained gold, I think. Next time we do this, I would like to find a way to replicate the luncheon atmosphere in a Workshop format (rather than the Seminar format we used).
Sunday we had more presentations, but also longer breaks to allow people to clear their heads and “breathe” a bit. We also ironed out the details of who would be visiting Avalon on Monday, what they would like to eat, and how they would get there. Sunday night ended with Carla offering a Q’uo channeling. It went beautifully, and ended very late (around 11:00 PM).
Then, Ashom and I were off to Madison to do grocery shopping. The hour drive put us there at about midnight. We picked up the fixin’s for sandwiches, plenty of greens for side salads and vegetarian tastes, a watermelon for fun, and ice to keep things chilled overnight. We then drove to Avalon and loaded the goodies into our Styrofoam chests. Paper plates, napkins, and cups would be had at Camelot, so after a hug and a scritch for the cats we were off again.
We got in to Camelot about 2:45 AM, and I sat down at the computer to make up a certificate for Gary, who acted as Administrator for the entirety of the conference. Event planning is incredibly involved—there are literally hundreds of things that can go badly (or just wrongly). This was, to my understanding, his first endeavor in this capacity, and I think he did marvelously.
Finally, it was past 3:00 AM and time for bed. We needed to be at Wooded Glen by 9:30, and the one-hour drive meant leaving the house by 8:30. Alarm set for 7:30, we collapsed.
Today—Monday—was a day of driving for me, and a day of good-byes. First, though, I discovered that while Camelot had the paper plates, cups, and napkins, it did not have plastic flatware; at some point I would need to stop at a Kroger for plastic knives and forks. At 8:35 we set out from Camelot for the one-hour trip to Wooded Glen.
We arrived on time, met with our Avalon visitors, and I presented Gary with his certificate. That was fun. Then, I said goodbye to Ashom, who would drive my Mustang (not a people-carrier) back to Camelot and catch his flight home. The attendees who would visit Avalon needed to be able to leave for home from there, which necessitated a rearrangement of luggage. We distributed said luggage appropriately, and set off.
Another hour on the road put us into the beautiful teacup valley that is Avalon. Blessedly, the road was in good condition and we were able to get all but three of our caravan down the hill. Those three cars remained at the top, and their passengers walked down to join us for lunch.
We enjoyed lunch in the tent, just across the creek. One of the attendees had brought a delectable selection of spreads, wonderful sesame bread, and other additions to our laden table. The same man graciously purchased our plastic-ware from Kroger on the way in, as well as additional plates. We were well provisioned, and the conversation was lively.
After lunch, Bear gave a tour of the sites, explaining what we were trying to accomplish with each area of the property. I stayed behind in the tent, doing some basic clean-up of the lunch table and chatting with those attendees who had chosen to forego the tour. Soon, it was time to take attendees to the airport, and we were off again. Lunch provisions were cleared and moved to the Shack, and likewise the folding chairs.
I took my four passengers to their designated drop points, bid them a fond farewell and headed back to Avalon for the food and the chairs. The food will not last in our minimal refrigeration, and the chairs are only rented—due back tomorrow. Loaded once again, I drove back to Camelot and un-loaded. Then, I put away the food, the plates, napkins, etc., pulled together the charge information I had collected at the conference, and processed the transactions. Shortly, it was time to eat—which I did gladly—and then a quick check of email before loading my faithful Mustang and heading back to Avalon for the night.
I think I drove seven hours, all told, today.
The weekend went well—the attendees I spoke with seemed pleased with it. I am very glad to have met all of them and hope to encounter them again at future events. For tonight, though, I am so tired I am stumbling. It is time to get some sleep.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
I awoke at about 5:00 AM this morning to a surprise downpour. I had just risen to visit the toilet, eyed the sky and sleepily thought, “We’ll have rain tomorrow” (meaning Saturday). Then, I had gone back to bed. Not five minutes later, rain was drumming on the Shack’s tin roof.
A later check of the rain gauge showed only ¼” of rain, but it was still enough to delight me. The garden doesn’t know what to do with itself. Most plants are bolting, others are woozily quitting for the season. It’s time to changeover to an autumn planting.
Bear arrived about 11:00 AM and we wondered at Roman’s lateness. He’s usually here promptly at ten (no later than ten-thirty if he’s running late), so we were somewhat perplexed.
Shortly, while we were talking, Roman appeared as if by magic. I gave him half of a sweet pepper—fresh from the garden this morning—and he was off to fell trees with Bear. I started on the autumn garden plan.
The garden plan stalled out as I was intermittently called out to check the satellite dish line of sight now that the targeted locust tree was down. Then, I sat down at the computer to install the Starband software that will ultimately allow me internet access via that very same satellite dish.
I sat on hold for most of the afternoon, as is the way with tech support. In the end, we had submitted an official site change for Bear, allowing us access to the new satellite (since the original is out of site from Avalon). New I.D. numbers were generated, and the software configured. Alas, it still did not work, and we will have to tinker further to get my internet access up and running.
The evening was Sci-Fi Friday up at D’s again. Bear and Roman showered, and Roman generously went to Madison for pizza and soda. A pleasant time was spent in front of the television.
During the eight o’clock hour, we were hit by another glorious thunderstorm. Even without any significant wind, it was powerful enough to knock out our satellite TV connection for about 20 minutes. Because of the soggy road, I elected to leave my Mustang at the top of the hill upon my return. I hiked down to find a respectable puddle on my floor in the bedroom (where there is a now-well-known leak in the roof/ceiling), and all my garden materials (books, notebooks, etc), which I had left on the porch, soaked. I had left them directly under yet another leak. (Sigh)
I spread them out to dry, tidied a bit, and decided to read before bed.
Final note: something bit me yesterday (spider?), under my wrist brace. Of course I ignored it all day as I was learning a new job, and was also wearing long sleeves. Tonight, the bite mark is inflamed to about the size of a silver-dollar, and not looking inclined to ease off anytime soon. Hmf.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Bear decided to take the day off today. Bravo for the Bear! In my humble opinion, it is past time he took off for a weekend and relaxed. I rather hope he will choose to take tomorrow off, as well.
As for me, I took a leisure day, also, returning to my garden plan. I did venture out to check on the well (FULL!), check the creek (RUNNING!), and take pictures of yesterday’s results.
The clump of cherry that infringed on the meadow has been cleared. The area positively sings with relief—”I can breathe!” There was a lot of dead material and many heavy vines clogging that “clump”… I think Bear called it a negative energy sink.
This is interesting to me, as it obviously grew up naturally (without human intention). I’ll consider what to plant out there that will brighten it up, and lighten the energy. Maybe that’s a good place for a splash of wildflowers, or a hummingbird garden.
The rain gauge reported that last night’s storm dumped two full inches on us. It’s no wonder the well is full and the creek is running!
My spider bite is about three inches across, but starting to look as though it’s out of steam. Perhaps it will go down tomorrow.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Bear is still off. Good for him!
I puttered in the garden all morning and into the lunch hour. The “summer garden” is gasping its last, and was in desperate need of clean up. I pulled all the spent cuke plants, the beans (which never quite got beyond the flea beetle infestation), and the radishes. I also tied up the bushy tomatoes and picked off five more hornworms. The squash are badly infested with vine borers as well as squash bugs … I saved what I could and trashed the rest. About the only bug-free zones are the sweet peppers and the cayenne peppers.
A Gatorade break prompted me to go in search of food. The search for food lead me, somehow, back to my gardening books. The gardening books lead, in their turn, to me staring at the sky, thinking about how to start seedlings.
I headed out back to our scrap pile and loaded up the garden cart with various bits and parts that looked like they might be useful. By the time I had hauled it to the back door and sorted it, the sky had turned dark and was spitting rain.
Rain meant leaks, so I spent a while chasing drips with my kitchen pans. I’m happy to report that I caught most of them. The Shack floor and contents are nice and dry. All told, I think we got about 1/4 inch.
When the drips were under control, I began the search for proper tools to tackle my seedling-starter-box project. I dusted off a slab of particle board and pulled the bent nails from it, then put it on top of the cat tree for a workbench. It was slow going at first: hunt for the tape measure, work for five minutes, hunt for the square, work for five minutes, hunt for the staple gun… Shortly, it was dark and time to arrange for more light on the porch.
I finally decided I was making too much noise. The echo throughout the valley became distracting, and something up in the trees would “clack” loudly at me after the echo faded away. So, about 10:00 PM I called it quits.
At some point during the day I finally had enough of this silly spider bite on my arm. I pulled out my trusty pocket knife and dug out the hard knot at the center that seems to be fostering an infection. I swabbed the area thoroughly with hydrogen peroxide, smeared it with a bactine-type ointment, and covered it with a Band-Aid. Tonight it is feeling MUCH better, and the inflammation is almost gone.
However, I have acquired a mosquito bite on the first knuckle of my second toe (left foot). Dear GOD that is distracting!
Monday, August 29, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
Happy Monday! Bear is still off. The road is soggy, anyway, and Katrina is bearing down on us.
I split the day between seed-starter-box construction and battening down for Katrina’s imminent arrival. A few trips to the creek supplied me with sand for potting material. I didn’t dare wait until tomorrow, as the creek will surely be high and my sand will be temporarily unavailable. Tonight, three boxes are complete, and two of them planted for our autumn garden. I would like to make and plant two more.
I called my parents to let them know I was just fine and getting ready for Katrina. I took down the awning over the garden, put away all the ladders, collected the garbage barrels, covered the new woodpile and swept out the Shack.
The crowning achievement of my day was SUPPER. Nothing special, except that I remembered to eat. This is good. I believe I will tinker just a bit on my computer, and read by lamplight until bed.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
THE RAIN OF KATRINA
Actually, Katrina was kind to us—for which I am most grateful. She rained steadily at about an inch every three hours until we had a full four inches, then backed off to a drizzle and stopped entirely. The steadiness of the rainfall helped avoid what could have been serious flooding, and it was—though certainly soggy—a generally pleasant experience.
The well overflowed into the meadow, the garden stood in water all day long, and the Shack—predictably—leaked like a sieve. I set up with pans under the worst of the drips, and returned to the porch and my seed-starter-box project. Rain drummed on the tin roof and drips plunked into pans, accompanying my sawing and hammering.
During set up for the day’s efforts, I abruptly ran out of patience with the two wobbly tables on the porch. I suspended the box project, upended the first table on my makeshift workbench, and set about fixing it. Then, I fixed the other one, and only afterward got back to my seed-starter-boxes.
By the way, when one is damp and standing in a slight breeze, one begins to think they are cold. I began the day in a sweatshirt, and soon discovered that it really WAS 72° out there. Working with hammer and saw, even on a damp porch in a slight breeze, I swiftly found it necessary to change into something lighter.
Every time I’ve stepped off the back porch for about a month now, the mulberry tree has whispered the word “abraxis” in my ear. Don’t ask me why—I still don’t know, though it does provide an interesting meditation. All day today, while working on the porch (within arm’s reach of the tree), I had this silly ditty running through my head: “Abrixi, abraxi, a pretty yellow taxi …” Obnoxious. At last, I couldn’t take it anymore. I waved my Japanese handsaw (with which I pruned the mulberry earlier this year) and declared “Enough! I hereby dub thee ‘Abraxi.’” Blessedly, it fell silent with something akin to a contented sigh. (Chuckle) One could think they were losing their mind out here sometimes.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Hotaru’s Journal
There was another 1/10 inch of rain in the gauge this morning. I’m not sure when that happened. It continues to amaze me how swiftly Kentucky drains. Already the creek has receded, the well is down by about a foot, and the garden is merely gooey instead of squishy.
I had finished the last two seed-starter-boxes before quitting yesterday. Today, the first item of business—after chatting with my mother—was to plant them and the other remaining yet unplanted from Monday’s efforts. I was working on the last of them when Bear arrived.
It seems gasoline prices have skyrocketed to $3.19 per gallon. We need to rethink our supply habits out here. Bear’s truck gets about ten miles per gallon, so driving anywhere gets expensive in a hurry.
In any event, we tried yet again to get our satellite connection to connect. It did not, and we moved on to other things. He cleared trees while I converted my garden notes to computerized format for future reference, and we took my Mustang (which gets MUCH better gas mileage) into town for dinner.
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