Bob and I had a perfect Christmas Day. We lazed around in the morning and then took some food over to Jason and Haruka’s at noon. Bob showed us how to make Seitan and I made some seitan lunchmeat. David came by and we walked through the woods to play some disc golf at Augusta.

We saw a flash of orange (it’s still deer hunting season) and here came Lyle walking through the woods towards us. He joined us on the course, which he created on his property. We have not played with him since his brother Mark died a week and a half ago.

The weather was blue sky, sunny, warm, gentle puffs of breeze perfect! Absolutely the best weather imaginable. There was silence between shots, while we waited for the next Frisbee tosser to line up their shot and in that silence we listened to the birds and the gentle swish of the pines.

Bob and Lyle and I are birders so I was paying particular attention to the bird calls and at one point asked, “What is that bird?” Lyle listened and answered, “I don’t know.” And that was the hole he threw a birdie at.

We were all playing well and Lyle threw a putt from nearly 100 feet which landed in the basket with a resounding “Ka-ching!” Everybody ran up and gave him high fives and he was beaming. He was one under par and it was the best shot any of us had ever seen him make. I wondered if Mark was helping him by blowing little puffs of air under the disk to make it float better.

After we played, Lyle walked back through the woods with us and Greg arrived. Jason broke out an expensive bottle of Japanese liquor and poured everyone but Greg, the teetotaler, a drink. We sat on the deck behind Scott and Rachel’s house and drank and chatted as the sun went down and the temperature began to drop.

Lyle borrowed Greg’s phone and called Tami. She came over and we went back to Jason and Haruka’s to finish pulling dinner together. Haruka showed us how to make Daikon “steaks”, Greg fried up some awesome potato latkes and David brought some biscuits and Challa he had baked. We all ate and drank some more and laughed and listened to that silly Christmas music Bob brought (Bob Rivers’ hysterical Christmas Carol parodies.)

Tami and Lyle went home to be with the kids who had called, wanting some mom and dad time, and Greg did the dishes with help from the rest of us. Then we played a card game called Apples and Apples. It was quite the fine afternoon/evening in every way and Bob and I were glowing by the time we went home.

The after dinner group that remained after Lyle and Tami went home.The post A PERFECT CHRISTMAS DAY first appeared on Plastic Farm Animals.]]> https://troutsfarm.com/2008/12/25/a-perfect-christmas-day/feed/ 0 127 https://troutsfarm.com/2008/12/08/unconditional-respect/ https://troutsfarm.com/2008/12/08/unconditional-respect/#respond Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:43:43 +0000 http://troutsfarm.com/?p=130 Link stopped by today and we had a long three way conversation with Bob about this and that. Eventually, the topic of unconditional love came up. Bob referred to something Kurt Vonnegut Jr. wrote about people getting hung up on the word love, as in “love thy neighbor.” Vonnegut suggested we substitute the word “respect” […]

Last weekend Bob and I joined Matt and Lyle for a trip to the shore to join a group of writers and activists at Orion’s Grassroots Network Southeast Regional Conference in Columbia, NC. Over our two days there, we enjoyed a good mix of idea exchange, campfire, hiking and birdwatching.

Our group of twenty-six nature loving, intelligent idealists (is that an oxymoron?) brought stories of the battles they have fought or are fighting for change. We talked about the words we use to put labels on people and how those people are all basically the same.

We discussed the implied meanings of words like Hope and Industrialists. We talked about how overpopulation, over consumption, corporate personhood, politics, the plantation mentality, willful ignorance and the military industrial complex all contribute to the destruction of Southern wetlands and compromise the health of the people of the South.

There were many wonderfully articulate speakers with great ideas but I was extremely impressed by one participant in particular. Virginia Townsend, a retired teacher who lost at lease nine members of her family to the polluting industries in her community and who has since put her shoulder to the wheel to educate her neighbors and enforce anti-pollution restrictions. She was the only woman of color in the room but she didn’t let that stop her from speaking from her heart about her experiences.

All my life we’ve had to play a game, being black. You know your place and you’d best stay in it. Labels can be draining, embarrassing. But labels — knowing who a person is — is helpful. To acknowledge differences between people isn’t necessarily wrong. Everybody has a right to be who they are. We’re all different and that’s to be respected.

Con men study the people. The first person to come into the room and say something smart will find followers. That’s how so many get over on people. Basically corporations go in and study the people before they put a plant in.

Writers have a great advantage. Writing is a great medium. I’ve read books that gave me a completely different view of a person. Like the essay the other night. When people read those words, I can’t see how they’re not touched. Sometimes a simple play changes the face of the world.

You can’t get to where you need to go, if you don’t know where you are. If you want to keep a people down, you’ve gotta stay down with them.

All in all, a good time and a nice opportunity to connect with Lyle and Matt. We also took note of birds during the day and by the end of the weekend had identified 43 different species, including the Tundra Swan who come by the thousands to Lake Mattamuskeet.

We also think Quakers are pretty neat. Especially as regards their Peace Testimony. Over the years, many conscientious objectors have been Quakers. The tireless promotion of non-violence earned Quakerism the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947.

However, Quakers and Amish often get confused with one another, probably because of the photo of the man in the Quaker Oats logo.

In this short video, Rob Jones, Quaker and soon to be famous rock farmer, sings a song clarifying the difference between the Quakers and the Amish:

The Sunday night potluck is one way our eclectic and busy group stays current with each other and our ever-evolving ideas. There are eleven of us living at Oilseed Community, six at Biofuels Coop two miles down the road and another half dozen regulars from other neighborhoods.

The food is always interesting. Among the offerings last night were tamales made with rabbit and pigeon and a variety of fermented chutneys and slaws. One night the gang at the upper house surprised us with a freshly butchered guinea.

Most of the food is locally grown or intercepted from the locally landfill. We really enjoy the variety and look forward to tasting new dishes although we have to admit we have not sampled any of the meat.

Ping pong, fooseball and the latest rage – a board game called Settlers of Catan are standard after-dinner activities. Settlers, in which players build roads, settlements, and eventually cities is appropriate for our group in the same way Monopoly was appropriate for our parents.

And for the non game players, there is always conversation, ranging from silly to serious. Lately we’ve been discussing the future of our community. All of us seek to reduce our dependence on petroleum products and some of us fantasize about creating a new settlement. Each week we share tips and stories for reducing our ecological footprint.

I always look forward to Sunday evenings – to the people, the food, the games and the conversation. When all is said and done, we return home with full heads and hearts and an empty pot.

I try to pretend that it is just Simon in his bone outfit. I try to carry on like normal, but I keep a wary eye on him. My brain tells me that it’s Simon under those old bones, but my gut tells me to run. If he gets too close, I lose control and take flight.

The first time Simon blew the lid off my cool was at Potluck Sunday. Dave was there with Giant, his dog, and Giant started barking furiously, all the hair standing up along his back. I jumped up and didn’t know what to do for a second. Then I went over and put a hand on Giant to calm him. Dave was surprised I didn’t get bit. Giant has a reputation.

There was a big going away party for Chris over the weekend and we were encouraged to dress up. Bob dressed as an Arab and I wore my chi pao. He introduced us as representatives from the country that supplies our oil and the one that helps pay the bill. And Simon wore his bones.

So, over peanuts and beers, they filmed this:

Something tells me this is just the beginning…