Winterizing

We had a first light frost on the ground with a half moon in a clear night sky. Yes it's getting colder and time to move the kitchen indoors.
Today was picked as the moving day and everybody jumped in. Wheelbarrow loads of stuff was taken out of the cupboards and fridges and is now in its new location for the cold months. Marisa orchestrated and many hands made the work light. And still it took all day.
At the end of the day dinner was served indoors!
A few more interns finished on Friday and have moved on. The place feels empty and quiet. Our winter population will count around 20.
There's lots more to do to be ready for winter: the garden will be put to bed, firwood moved closer to the buildings, water shut off to outdoor showers.
Meanwhile I am preparing for a trip to Africa- 10 days from now I'll be on my way. And Sundays at O.U.R. Ecovillage will resume in February.

Thanksgiving weekend

Yes, it's been a long while since I last actually sat down on a Sunday to write.
It is somewhat symptomatic for how the season takes off here at the Village, leaving hardly a weekend to sit back and reflect.
So here it is Thanksgiving weekend and we are taking three days off. Days off look different for everyone. In my case it looked like this:
Sleeping in was definitely on my list. Followed by "unscheduled time to do whatever I felt moved to do". That translated into doing some browncoat plaster in the bathhouse and cleaning out the gutter of the Art Studio.
A drive to the open water near Sooke at French Beach was a wonderful break. There's just something about sitting by the ocean and listening to the pulse of the surf.
A visit with friends also felt good and was long overdue.

So think about what time off means to you and how do you make it happen?