This phrase has been top of mind
since it made a debut appearance yesterday in Douglas’ cabana. I had come to
the orchard to visit the boys, and after our visit I took TJ up to Doug’s house
for a visit. Doug was not living there, but we had recently arranged the sticks
and it was almost ready for her to move in.
I set Tetra on the floor, and she
began playing independently with a few small sticks that were lying around. I
thought it was a good opportunity to sweep, and so I did. When I was done
sweeping, she was still occupied, so I decided to stretch.
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| The following day, Douglas joined us. Tetra and Lucy took a nap while Matt searched for a good data signal. |
It was then that I heard the
phrase “almost perfect.” As a child, I dreamed of assembling an airport tower
that we had lying around in Ava to be a dance space. The tower is still there,
and the dream never faded. Sometime in the past couple of years, I had a dream
that seemed to be in another world/dimension. I was atop a wooden floor high in
the sky. The ground was far, there were no walls. There were two voices of
encouragement, telling me to dance, and so I did.
My moment in Doug’s casa brought
me back to those dreams. I realized I was living them. I tried to write the
file to memory, as I stretched, and watch Tetra explore her environment. “I
never pictured this with a charming little daughter in front of me,” I thought.
“But, how happy am I that she’s here!”
The house is moving along. The
posts for the veranda have been set, and the beams for the 2nd floor
and veranda are being hoisted. We’re eager for it’s completion.
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| Two of the posts were leaning slightly. Here, they work on putting up the natural stick for the veranda railing, but you can also see the ropes from efforts to move the poles to a more vertical position. |
Now, I see a new dream – one that
I’ve been painting in my head for a while. I am in the new house – on the deck,
or in the big space. Everything we need is within reach. Visitors in the form
of guests or friends/family visit occasionally. Tetra has a natural environment
to explore and learn from. Matt and I also take advantage of this optimal
learning environment. He develops skills to work the land, and continues with
his experimental noise. I grow as a professional and as an artist. Douglas is
the happiest she’s ever been. Lucy feels friendship and freedom every day, and
Jack is loved. And now the chickens have joined in.
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| Matt is dedicated to his carrots. Today he weeded for an hour. |
When Matt and Luciano came home
yesterday, he kept telling me about this surprise he had. “Guess! Guess what it
is!” he said. “Cake! Cake! It must be Cake!” I declared. “Guess again!”
He brought me up to the rover and
told me to look in the passenger window. I peeked in and jumped back in shock.
It was a clump of red feathers! “Dead chicken?” I looked again, and actually
the rooster and hen were sitting next to each other in opposite directions. The
rooster had his wing over the hen. They seemed frightened, and he was
protective.
Today is their first day with the rest of the hens. They all
seem to be getting along fine. When we move out to the orchard, we’ll bring them
all to a new coop under Doug’s casa.
So, it’s all coming together, and I hope it keeps coming.
The guests continue to bring new ideas and company. One of
our most recent guests told me about how useful clay was for fighting infection
and more. I learned that the darker clay is more for molding and the lighter
clay is more medicinal. The white, white clay she said, can be diluted with
water 10:1(ish). You can drink the water to cleanse out your digestive system.
The road is dry and bumpy. The weather is overcast and
probably in the low-mid 70s. Perhaps 50% humidity.
Well, that’s the news from Honey Camp. You can log on at
www.honeycampranch.com
