Monday, May 30, 2011

This whole post is about babies

There are lots of baby animals right now! Baby chicks, baby goats, baby calves, baby bunnies, baby kittens, baby puppies...
Yeah!




Me and Mishka, the new commie kitten.














Zan and her favorite goat kid.










The baby calf, Hock













This is one of my MANY favorite parts or spring. :)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

East Wind Delicacies

I have had some opportunities to eat and drink some unique things the past few days.

A few days ago, a woman was breast feeding her child. Someone else said something along the lines of, "I wonder what breast milk tastes like?" Then the mother said, "Wanna try it?" The other person said, "sure," so then she put some of her milk into a cup and passed it around for people to try.

I happened to be sitting nearby, and was offered some also. I was a little nervous about it, but then I figured, "Hey, why not? I drink other animals' milk, what's the difference if I drink human milk? Some people, actually, might view it as more natural, and when else would I have this opportunity?"

So, I drank it. I was surprisingly sweet, and I am glad I tried it.

I wasn't as daring for some other new food opportunities, though.  Last night, someone served cicadas wrapped in spinach and cheese in a egg roll. Tonight, a black snake, (whose death was punishment for eating baby chicks repeatedly) was served. I did not try either. I am little more uncomfortable eating animals than other foods, but other people ate it. Maybe I will have the opportunity again someday.



cicada












snake!

Monday, May 23, 2011

tornado?!

We had a tornado scare last night. About ten of us were sitting outside, around a fire, having a sharing circle. A sharing circle is an event where we all take turns talking about how we are doing, and everyone listens. It was quiet, dark, and the air was still.

Well, right in the middle of the circle someone ran up to us, reporting that we were in a tornado warning, and that people were about to start going into the root cellar. I started freaking out a little bit. Tornadoes really scare me.

I went toward the root cellar and stood outside until I noticed a change in the weather. It started to become windy and rain starting pouring. Then, myself and about ten other people crowded into the root cellar, listening to the radio, some of us making jokes about the end of the world, trying to keep it lighthearted. We had water, and canned fruits and vegetables, so I wasn't too worried. I felt pretty safe.

Eventually the tornado warning passed, and we went inside Rock Bottom for goat milk ice cream, bagels, and some guitar playing.

It was an interesting night. I feel lucky that the tornado didn't hit us, though it did hit Joplin, Missouri pretty badly.

Tornado Death Toll Hits 90 in Joplin, Missouri

I hope I can come out and help any way I can.

Update: Joplin had a blood drive today, and a bunch of East Winders came out to donate blood! I am so happy. I didn't donate blood because the last time I had my blood taken I almost passed out.
I made whole wheat cookies for East Winders to eat after donating, except they forgot to bring them! :( Luckily, there were snacks there to eat. I am not sure if they were as healthy, though. :)

Saturday, May 21, 2011

learning, growing

I have been working a lot these days, so I haven't had much time to update the blog. The garden is producing lots of greens, and the strawberries and mulberries and ripening. It's an exciting time, and I love being outside helping all the plants do their thing. Garden workers have been talking about how great the garden looks, and how well everything is growing, and how more people have been out there helping.

I have been making yogurt, and cheese, and tempeh, and helping cook meals. I picked up a couple ranch chore shifts, which involve feeding and watering all the animals. (cows, goats, pigs, chickens.) The broody chickens are laying and hatching baby chicks! I also picked up a laundry shift. I really like having a variety of work, and contributing to different parts of the community.

I have been learning so much! I have learned how to plant and take care of many vegetables and herbs. I have learned how to make compost, how to make yogurt, cheese, and tempeh. I have learned how to cook and bake many things. I have learned how to be respectful of others' space, because we are all sharing so much space. How to be more emotionally open, and feel comfortable being myself, how I am all the time, and accepting people how they are all the time. I live with 67 other people right now, and every person feels like family now. It's amazing. I could never have imagined feeling like SO many people are my family, but I do.



I have been trying to be supportive of a few others lately. There have been some difficult times. There have been some relationship changes involving friends, and hurt feelings from a lot of people involving a new, disruptive member whose membership will be voted on soon. And then an abandoned baby rabbit was found and taken in. Then I accidentally stepped on it, and now it is paralyzed in the back legs. Myself and the owner of the rabbit have been upset, and sad. There's been discussion about putting it down.

I am not always sure what to do or say when others are hurting. I can feel pretty awkward sometimes, but, like I said, I am learning. I am trying to view my experiences as learning opportunities.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Some goings on

The raining has slowed down quite a bit. It rained so much that the dam overflowed causing East Wind to have a new lake where a field used to be! We have been canoeing in it. I am worried about all the trees that got flooded out though, and wonder if they will survive.
















It even rained all through May Day, so we didn't have a May Pole, but someone made a beautiful cake with a May Pole on it!



















During one of the rainy days, a few of us played a murder mystery game. We went into the community clothes closet and picked outfits to fit our characters. We all looked pretty silly, but it was pretty fun.




My character, Vicky, liked to spend her husband's money on clothes and tabloid magazines.

Joshua's character, Enrique, was a promiscuous  farmhand.


Yeah, the characters were pretty ridiculous, but that's why it was so fun.






Finally the sun shone, and I moved my work back into the garden. Some of the seedlings in the ground got washed away in the rain, but mostly everything survived.. The brassicas are getting big. It won't be too long before we harvest some.



















We also are in a frenzy of putting seeds in the ground, transplanting from the greenhouse, thinning new seedlings, and weeding. It's getting pretty busy here! The garden manager told me that May is the busiest month in the garden.

Well, I better get back to thinning carrots. See ya later.