Heartwood, week 2

So it's my second week of life at Heartwood, and things are going great.

i arrived Friday May 6 and found my roommate ensconced in a comfy chair set outside of the Enrollment office, waiting for me! Readership, meet Nile (Nilo Tranquilo), a guy born in Minnesota but living a few years in Central America. Drives a cool little Volvo and seemed cool about toodling around with me in it, but what really won me over was the surprise feast he had waiting for me Monday evening.

I had driven Faith's car back down to Stockton, a five-hour trip with rain for most of the first half of the trip. When i arrived at Faith's house at 1:40, she and her dad came running out of the house because (i realized later) they thought the train to Martinez -- where i would catch an Amtrak bus to Garberville -- left at 2. With the way they were running around, i had to ask, Is it really that far to the train station? i felt lucky to be allowed in the house to pee! i finally figured out in the car, as Faith was frantically calling Amtrak to see if the train stopped at some other station, that she had forgotten that my train was scheduled to leave at 2:30, so we actually had plenty of time, and everyone relaxed.

We settled up the finances in the car -- she'd agreed to pay for gas and for my trip back to Heartwood (which cost $26 for the train/bus combo, and $40 for a ride from Garberville out to Heartwood) -- and with a hug and wishes for happiness said good-bye to each other. She was to have departed Stockton two days later for a new life with a South African fiance.

My bus arrived an hour late at 9 pm in "downtown" Garberville, but a young guy named Nahum (name of an Old Testament prophet, as he informed me, one of the ones about whom i could recall nothing, thus the link) was, happily, still waiting for me, and one of the most hair-raising and thankfully short rides of my life began. You've already heard of the "twisty mountain roads" in the 16 miles between here and town. Now add Night. And Fog. Thick, billowing fog. The kind that .. well, you've seen fog, and someone's waiting for the computer.

Well as is obvious we made it back safely. I gave Nahum a nice tip, and walked down to my room. It was only about quarter to ten so Nilo was still up, and .. here's the feast part! .. he had gone to the store and bought all of this not-so-cheap fruit! i'd never had dried blueberries before, OR dried cherries, but they were there and were eaten with relish (figuratively speaking) along with dried mango and carob-covered raisins, and hell i'm forgetting the fifth fruity thing. But he also had bought this coconut - pineapple juice which was YUMMY! And that's when i realized that me and Nilo Tranquilo were going to get along just fine. He's a guy who thinks about others, and will occasionally put the needs or wants of others ahead of his own, especially important when you're living in community. You should meet him, and if you come visit me, you surely will.

Add to all this Nile's driving me through the Avenue of the Redwoods last week (which begins nine miles up the road from here), and you can bet we'll be fast buddies for the duration, if not longer.

Here's a photo of carob, if you're still curious about that. Buy a carob-bar here!

There are 4 other work-study participants: Hope, Kimberly, Vanessa and Michelle, who actually is the one waiting for the computer! She says hello.

Orientation over the weekend was great, and when we finished up about 3 on Sunday, me and Michelle jumped into Nile's 1963 Volvo and .. wait, that was what was SUPPOSED to happen, when it was just Nile and me! But when i asked Michelle to come along, we had to take "my" car, since Nilo's was too small .. to go into town to celebrate the end of orientation. I had three large beers at the only bar in town, and that was plenty considering the twisty mountain road i had to drive over to get us home safely. That was fun.

Five of us got assigned to "Househealing" which is just like housekeeping, except .. actually i'm not sure why our department is called househealing. But it, like, totally fits in with the whole spirit of the place. Vanessa got assigned to the kitchen which she wanted, and having oodles of previous experience, she was a shoo-in. i work four six-hour shifts per week, and it's very low-key. Not a lot of supervision, work at your own pace. i'm outside a lot as i walk from one building to the next, which i LOVE. It is amazingly beautiful countryside: mountainous, mostly covered in trees and shrubs, and i never get tired of gazing at it, or at the clouds. Deer are seen two or three times a day; they've learned that Heartwood is safe for them, since there are no hunters on the 200 acres Heartwood owns. Wild turkeys are also quite common, and one day i watched for a couple of minutes a flock from a short distance away: a male with a huge tail-feather fanning display, and a few juveniles or females in attendance, mostly pretending not to notice, it seemed. There are lots of beautiful flowers and gardens planted around the Lodge (where we eat), making it even more lovely.

The pool is not yet open, but i used the sauna for the first time last night (for an hour and a half!), which put me in a great mood for all of today. It was appropriate that i dally in the sauna yesterevening, since i was the one who lit the fire for it. (Three of the four shifts i work are evening, 2:30 till 8:30, so i'll become an expert fire-builder.) And the manzanita wood that is so plentiful around here burns really hot and slow.

Another duty i have 3 times a week is dish-washing, which (some of you will not be surprised to hear this) i actually don't mind. It's a great way to meet everyone who's here, since everyone brings their plates, etc. into the dishwashing area just outside the kitchen, and the community is in constant flux, with the vocational students currently away on vacation, and various kinds of bodyworkers, therapists, and other massage professionals coming in for one- and two-week intensive courses.

Gonna go visit Sandy tomorrow for the first time since i dropped her off on "the farm" 11 days ago, and none too soon as i had a dream last night that i was looking for her and couldn't find her; i was crying. But a phone call to Mike this morning confirmed that she is running with the pack. He uses her name a lot and she comes to him, and although was a little snarly with a couple of the other 5 dogs in the beginning, he teaches them all that there is no need for that kind of communication. He is a great guy, taking care of two horses as well, can't wait to see him.

OK outa here, gotta crash and i told 'Chelle i'd be off here in five minutes like a half-hour ago! See u back here in a week!

ps - Please live me a friggin' comment to let me know a Readership still exists, and i promise not to grovel for them anymore. If you're unsure what to write, simply answer the following question:

What do you think of the new template?

A: Love it, it's so daring, so you! Way to go Dougie T.!

B: Please revert to the previous pea-green one (explain).

C: I could not possibly be bothered spending time answering such a ludicrous question (explain).