Loving everything but the weather

I'm finding it difficult to update everyone.  We've had some pretty dreary, cold weather this entire week, so we've had to be super conservative with our power use.  We got to charge for a few minutes in Skyhouse last night, but until we get some sun we're gonna be sporadic.

So, what's happened this week?  I had an amazing night with a couple of new residents, Kyle and Coz, a longer term resident named David, and a work exchanger named Jordan.   I drank the first Shiner Bock I've had in a long time.  I helped some great folks get some of their foundation in, which involved an hour of swinging a sledgehammer and an hour of hauling rocks and gravel.  Most foundations here are a combination of urbanite (reclaimed concrete), earth bags, gravel and lime mortar.  It's amazing how comfortably and happily people here live with *comparatively* so little.  Not to give the impression that people here want for anything.  They don't.  Everyone's needs are more than met - but if you attempt to compare this life to the life people out there are living, it's rustic and a lot more work.  But it's good, happy work.  Even swinging a sledgehammer.

One of the people I've become most...connected to is Thomas.  Thomas is a visitor, and we met up with him in St. Louis.  We bussed in together from there.  He's a Buddhist monk who seems to be questioning the monastic life, as he seems to feel he is climbing the religious version of the corporate ladder.  I've learned a lot from him - and he's NOTHING like what I would imagine a monk would be like.  We sat and had a beer and a smoke yesterday and talked about New Years in Nepal, when the monks tap the kegs they've been fermenting all year, and get pretty toasty.  Sounds hilarious!!

There is a bed and breakfast here called the Milkweed Mercantile.  It's one of the aspects of this place I am most interested in.  The owners, Kurt and Alline are wonderful people, we had delicious pizza with them last night.  Hopefully next week I'll have more free time to spend with them.  And really, if you are curious about this place, or places like it, spend a couple of nights at the Milkweed.  You'll see how it works here, but with a little less rustic accommodations.

I'm running out of juice on the laptop, so I'll have more later!!