Well hello there! Hope you're doing well tonight.
Maybe the sun was out and shinin bright for you today. The kinda day where trees pass and streams exhale. Only to make more of a time warp. Already the ponds have been covered in a single layer of cerulean colored damsel flies. Some call it a "swimmin hole" and others just call it. call it how it is not ever what it is. Because in the end "how" is the truth in question. So lets all glide around on hollowed out exoskeletons, avoiding the day we gotta let one in, and soon the day will pass where we all just grin.
Finally feel my heart turning back to its true light. Hearts are the most powerful when they are given the space and challenge at times. And given time at times. And love always. If even the smallest bit of your heart (the one you don't realize is there most of the time) rots with any sort of negative feeling it will inevitably block a pathway. A pathway that is vital in the opening of the heart.
I love my tent so much. It feels great to be in a nest. I suppose it's the closest feeling to being in a womb besides actually being in a womb.
My building project in my room is coming right along. It is now fully insulated and quick on it's way to being fully wall covered as well. The end is so close I could flick a piece of quinoa at it. Speaking of quinoa- I have bad news to share. Since quinoa has become such a high demand grain in the Western world, people (in Bolivia and other such places) who have eaten this grain as a staple for centuries can no longer afford it. Prices have increased so much chicken is now cheaper to buy than quinoa. The solution to this- I will stop buying my favorite grain. The larger solution-an increase in local grain CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). I'm pretty sure there is a grain CSA in Arcata...pretty sure its not hot enough here to grow quinoa, but I think amaranth (quinoa's little sister) can grow here. We'll see, but as you probably know I'm a major quinoa fiend so this will be challenging. But i def. don't want to add to the problem of grain appropriation (gentrification?).
In other news, I love the static trapeze. I'd say even more than aerial silks. It seems more up my alley. I was practicing tonight and whilst practicing met some bboys (breakdancers) and they said I could practice with them. This is great because a few years ago I was breakin' quite often with my buddy Jerson and friends. So now I get to have a few side projects. Staying diversely busy is enriching and enlivening. Highly recommended!
When I become a breakin' fool I wanna be Bbrrl Sprout. Usually people do Bboy or Bgirl then their name, but I'm not really in to that. So I'll just mix it up like I always do.
Have you ever met anyone who doesn't love Shel Silverstien?
Words can't express how content I feel with life right now, I guess I'm on an up swing.
College of the Redwoods campus at 8:30 am - 1 of 2 ponds on campus-
The morning scene pictured above was absolutely amazing. It was chilly, but if I acted like a chloroplast I felt the warmth. It was on Friday. I had about an hour until my woodworking class started so I figured I should go on a morning hike around the back of campus. I specifically made a decision to keep my feet and pants dry because I was going to be at school all day. I like going off in to the woods. I got wet. My feet and up to my knees...oops :) I also got yelled at by the Humboldt Botanical Garden people because I was climbing an unmarked mound that looked like construction soil piles, they said it was part of the botanical garden. It was a great morning! Super energizing and good alone time. That day we learned how to hone (sharpen) chisel blades. I spent 5 hours honing mine, it was so gratifying. At its final point I could shave the hair off of my arm. I felt like that scene in the movie "Hook" where they're sharpening Hook's hook.
The weekend flew by! My friend, Lynx, came to visit me. We have been pen pals for the past 9 months or so. Our first and only meeting had only lasted about 4-5 hours at a farm party on San Juan Island this summer. We've both been in a myriad of places in the 9 months of writing. It is so great to have a consistent pen pal. So we finally had our in the flesh meeting and we had many adventures. Strawberry Rock with Ollie and Table and the dog Carlos, muddy and lovely. Pretending to be in to Superbowl stuff. Walking everywhere our legs could put us.
On Monday, we slaughtered a hog in my Sustainable Ag. Lab. It was graphic and bloody, but not horrible. It was the most painless, humane way anything could be killed. Stunner shot to the head then cut the jugular. We then learned how to skin it, and eviscerate it. I took the heart home and made stew yesterday. Dinner tonight! Hearts don't taste like organs if you don't know how that tastes. And after stewing for 1 day the meat is tender like a steak. This Monday we learn how to butcher it, I'm excited. I'd like to be a butcher someday. Making sustainable meat available for everyone.
I'm in a conundrum right now: with all of the things going on in my life right now do I have time to commit to Roller Derby? Also, if I choose to do it and I get hurt that could affect 2-3 other things I'm also doing. It seems so fun though. We'll see.....
