Mietzke's POST Holden Adventure

Reaching These Clumsy Wings Towards Light

They hang suspended in the sky
No strings attached
Gliding on unseen breezes
Illuminated with the light of the afternoon sun
Each gentle tilt of wing or tail
Sending them into a dance across the sky

They rise and fall like skilled puppets
Making an appearance on the stage
Each time they move they change the mood of the scene
White, black, and grey
They perform their sky dance
Air and light their props
The lonely cry of each gull is the music that guides them on

I wish that my dance was this well rehearsed
With flow, grace, and agility
I wish that my heart could respond to each tilt of my hand
Pushing me with swiftness in the right direction
If only I felt the breezes lift me
When I am sure I will plummet to the ground.
It seems that even a toad has more natural grace than I,
In this dance with life

I live black and white
but I seldom find the gray
My dance is one of comedy and tragedy
With blunder for props
And yet the music that guides me on
Is the same as the gull
My lonely pushes me forward
Ever reaching these clumsy wings towards light

Hello friends and Family,

I have been out of the village for two weeks finishing up the last portion of my Waldorf Teacher training from which I graduated last week. The graduation was a sweet small affair and I will miss all of the beautiful women who I studied with for the last few years. Dave and the girls came up for the graduation and my Mother made the trek to Canada as well and it was so nice to be surrounded by so much love and support. I spent a week in Duncan BC doing a practicum and my mother came and spent the week with me getting some study time for herself during the day while I was at my practicum and then hanging out with me in the evenings. It was a good week.

On Wednesday of my practicum week David was changing a light bulb at the Holden Bed and Breakfast down lake and fell off a ladder breaking his ankle in two places and tearing ligaments. He had surgery on Wednesday and our friend Rachel took the girls back to the village. I had a job interview in California and my car was in Victoria Canada so I was unable to be with him for the surgery, but the village wrapped around us to help. Jaci and Linda our down lake goddesses drove Dave to and from the hospital and gave him food. My friend Rachel watched the girls in the village along with all of the other amazing friends we have here.

I got back to the Bed and Breakfast on Saturday night and came back up lake on Monday morning with Dave.

The village greeted me at the bus with a cap and gown and congratulation signs and a bar of chocolate to celebrate my graduation. They hummed a graduation song and it made me feel so loved. Then they greeted Dave with equal concern and care. It is so strange to feel so established here and to know that we will be leaving in just about ten weeks. It is possible that Dave will get his cast off the week we are leaving…It feels nice to be home and I am so thankful for all of the people who helped out during my absence and Dave’s predicament.

It is strange to adjust to the idea of leaving, but it also feels like the timing is right. I think it is going to be difficult for Dave to be here with such limited mobility, but he was already in the shop today working on some wood projects and finished my Maltese cross for Easter which turned out beautifully.

Dave made some big disks for the bottoms of his crutches, but I almost can’t bear to watch him go up and down the hill. The snow is wet and slippery and we got several inches of fresh snow last night. He seems to be taking it in stride though.

Easter is coming up fast and we are working on the plans for holy week and finishing up the decorations, and I am still in the throws of a job hunt and Dave and I are working on making life decisions. Life keeps moving right along and sometimes it is hard to keep up.

I followed Dave’s footprints from the Hydro to our house. I picked up the trail where it meets the road and heads up the hill on the backside of the village. I could tell he hadn’t come this way for a couple of days because his footprints were edged with fresh white powder. A few feet into the trail I noticed some tracks coming up and joining it and as I walked I began to see where the Coyote’s feet had joined with Dave. In each of Dave’s footprints there was a paw print deliberately and cautiously placed. They followed his path all the way up the hill then branched off as they came to the edge of the house, then climbed further up the hill and out of sight. I can’t help but smile at the notion of our late night visitor moving on the same path. I can’t help but feel a connection to this quiet creature that I haven’t seen.

Stillness Broken

The wild hare runs
Shadow to shadow
In the blue light
The hare pauses between trees
Waits and watches
In the stillness and cold
You can just see her there
Silhouetted
On the edge of time
Waiting for something to happen
The stillness is broken
As the coyote
Moves at a quickened pace
The hare darts and turns and in the nick of time
Clambers down a hole to safety
The Coyote pads away
And the cold blue stillness is left behind
As if nothing ever happened
Only the prints are there to tell the tale
Of the wild hare
And the narrow escape

I have been leading a college work group this week. We have been painting the rooms in the Hotel. I have had three volunteers each day and we moved through seven rooms with some soft yellows, peaches and a warm orange. All sun colors! It was just what the rooms needed. The rooms feel comfortable and inviting, and a little more up to date. We did the side walls a light peach, orange, and yellow and then had a deeper tone for under the windows and around the door. I love how new paint can freshen up a space and create a mood. Right now the mood is relaxation. My favorite room combination is room 11. It has light peach walls and a warm orange yellow for the accent. That room gets direct sunlight and it feels like arms being wrapped around you when you sit in there. The work group was fabulous and took instruction very well and worked hard and well together. It was really satisfying to see the "feel of the area" transform, and to have a completed project at the end of the day. Some of the rooms still need some trim work done but we got a lot accomplished in just three short days. I think leading groups is one of the best parts of my job here at Holden. I love getting to know new people and having a common goal that unites us. It was a good and satisfying week!

I love starting the morning fire from last night’s coals; the process of chopping kindling, laying it around the coals, opening up the flu and waiting for the pieces to ignite. I always spend the first few moments wondering if there was enough kindling… Should I have just used paper to help start it? Why am I so impatient?!

With the flu open the air rushes in, swirling the smoke round and round faster and faster until I can hardly see the kindling anymore just the small steady glow of the coals as they heat and brighten, then like magic the kindling ignites and fire dances through the stove. I add little bits of wood as the fire gets going and with in moments I can begin to feel the bits of heat pressing against the morning cold and filling the space around the stove warming my hands and face. A few more logs and the fire is in full swing and before I know it the temperature in the room and then the house will begin to change. The draw of warmth and the crackling of the fire will call little feet, and big feet out of bed to begin the day.
Nyrie is often first bring out the days clothes and warming each side of them to her liking and then slipping into them. Then the rest of us follow in kind.

It all begins with a coal left over from last nights fire made new.