Well, first, I have to say that even with the LiveJournal client at my fingertips to make entries here without modifying and uploading a FrontPage web, I may or may not journal more often.
Dropped off Jesica peacevine at the train station earlier than planned, on Thursday right after working on the farm. I really wanted her to meet my wife and friends, but maybe some other time … We spent most of the day shovelling sh…shtuff, taking about stuff like the pros and cons of different political philosophies as applied to an agricultural commune, etc.. You know, “small talk” :^} And got a warm, welcomed hug goodbye. I hope she journals or drops me a line that she got there alright. (HINT, HINT)
She also lent me a pair of home-made poi to play with. Never having done it before, I did a couple cool moves that I realize later came from the double-stick work of my early martial arts training. (Amusingly, the movements are probably from Filipino and/or Indonesian arts.)
Friday, after my daughter’s cheerleading at a basketball game, we played around with them. At first she thought it was “gay”, and then spent a while playing with them herself. I described them as being in the same genre as gymnastics, color guard, and cheerleading, all the while thinking in the back of my head about double short steel chain whips. And to my wife’s knowing-all intuition, flaming poi DOES turn me on. Using double torches at the beach always made her more than a little apprehensive. Probably beacuse of my long, flamible hair.
But I think I may have found a hobby I could really work at, except that in this weather and the way I feel at the moment, I can only play a little. I haven’t beat myself too much with them at the moment, but what I really want to do is take a long walk and just swing them for a half hour at a time.
Had a wonderful dinner over at the Ritchie’s (Native Offerings Farm), finding out earlier that day we were missing the annual volunteer’s party at our parish (OLSHOP), but oh, well. Can’t bilocate just yet. Anyway, we talked of the possibilities of teaching martial arts and such to children in their area, and also about cooperative farming options for us. Unfortuneately, we’re too far away to do anything schedule-intensive like turkeys, but even if there isn’t a market, I may be able to set up an apiary with a beehive or two. Serious thought to follow.
Being around their kids in a seemingly anarchistic yet beautiful upbringing makes me want to have children when we get a farm of our own, just to bring them up in such a happy world. And stepping out later in the evening, into an unexpectedly and completely pitch black, silent night, burned one thought into my mind …
I need this.
I’ve got to do this. I’ve got to get there.
Anyway, on to church, with a bad cold, and more painting of apartments.