Learning Curves!
I don’t know about you but I’m learning a lot these days! Being told to open three weeks later than usual seemed like the ticket to rest and relaxation…not so much!
My days revolve around checking out the latest numbers every morning, tuning in to Governor Cuomo’s updates, setting the alarm for our Maine CDC briefing (huge fan of Gov. Mills and Dr Shay) and then “just a minute” of news every night before I go to sleep. I’ve learned tons about disinfectants and anti-viral chemicals. I’m happy to report that we’ve worked with a company in Denver Colorado to ship us a product that sterilizes with a fogging machine within 10 minutes, no PPE required, no odor or residue and it’s so non-toxic that a child can drink it without a worry. Am I the only one who’s amazed? When the 5 year supply is delivered next week, our sterilizing quandaries have been solved.
When KZ Recreational Vehicles heard that we were having trouble sourcing enough masks for the summer (we’re going to require masks on anyone inside a building (laundry, office, art studio etc)), they mailed us 100 N95 face masks with a request that we put them to good use…within the campground and the town of Searsport. Thank you KZ!
Steve’s been focused on the grounds…we turned the water on for the entire park yesterday (and of course it’s going to snow again on Saturday ). The Garden Kitchen finally got its coat of interior paint this week and we’re re-working the gardens to create a prettier entrance to the kitchen because we’re anticipating offering pop-up meals this summer with some of our favorite chefs. I’ll post update pictures on all of this next week, including the expand frog pond. In between chores we’re cooking over the campfire regularly, watching a pair of bald eagles hunt on the beach every day and admiring all of the Spring bulbs that are starting to appear (while I was in Ethiopia last November, Steve planted 250 bulbs as a surprise…isn’t he awesome?)
Lucy is growing…She celebrated her one month birthday on Cinco De Mayo…we felt obligated to toast to her sustained exuberance with Tequila and blood oranges after we gave her yet another bottle of formula. We pan roasted chili peppers over the fire too…that makes a rounded meal, right?
Living in Maine has shielded us from many of the challenges and pain Covid is causing. Without minimizing the suffering in anyway, I am amazed to be living through such a pivotal point in our civilization. Just a few months ago, who could have imagined that millions of people would be ordered to shelter in place and put a full pause on their lives?
Last week I asked Facebook friends what unexpected pleasures they’ve experienced and we all seem to agree that slowing down gives us time to re-evaluate our priorities. In our corner of the world we’re seeing it manifest by people playing in their yards and walking the myriad of trails made available through land trusts and public access. Are you all aware of the Coastal Mountain Land Trusts network of trails in the mid-coast? We’ve been enjoying them more these last few weeks (especially when a trail is close to a restaurant with take out )
It isn’t without irony that I share this beautiful poem. Of course we want you to visit…you enrich our world in more ways than we could count and I will be saddened if we can’t find a way to share the beauty of this little corner of the world…so let’s define “Home” as where we find nourishment rather than a physical location.
And the People Stayed Home
And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed. — Kitty O’Meara.
