Getting Settled

We are starting day 12 here at the ranch. It has been, and continues to be, an interesting transition for me. We arrived at about 9:30 pm on the Wednesday before last, and sort've hit the ground running. Ruby is on gardens crew and I have been assigned to GWP, for the next two months. Some say that GWP stands for General Work Program, while others maintain it is short for, "Gee, where's Peter???". Peter is our fearless leader and is a master at orchestrating all the work projects related to the GWP. He is, however, a bit hard to locate at times. Most recently, we disassembled the roof on the recycling shed, to prepare for demolition. Then an excavator was brought in to knock the brick walls down. The wood was denailed and sorted according to it's destination. Reusable bricks were separated from broken ones. And, the old Sauna was renovated to become the new recycling shed. I think the highlight of the week was moving the cider press. It's quite heavy and was apparently moved to it's temporary location about 27 years ago. It is a working press and produces a huge amount of cider every year. It's also manually operated, as are a lot of the tools here. We probably could have moved the press with a lift or tractor or some modern tool of convenience. But Peter saw fit to incorporate a more team oriented means. We devised a track of 2x4's and placed 4 ft. lengths of 2" PVC (It was Grey SCH40 conduit, Dan) to be used as rollers. Pry bars were used to lift the press on to the track and it moved across the rollers with little effort on our part. We were even able to make a series of 45 degree turns along the way, pivoting all that weight on just one roller. I just thought it was really cool. Everyone working together making adjustments as needed to stay on track, literally. I guess it was a bit symbolic of life as well. I enjoy the work a lot. I just wish I could sleep better. I have been troubled with nightmares and sleepless nights. Anxiety seemed to come out of nowhere and wake me in the middle of the night. It was as though I was being suffocated. I could take deep breaths, but the oxygen didn't seem to reach my lungs. Very scary. The boiler room is on the other side of our bedroom wall and has awakened my on many occasions. But mainly, there's a feeling like something is going on here. Something I can't see but feel deep in my bones. I pray more here than I have in years. It is getting colder. The highs barely reach 50 and the lows around 20 degrees in the evening and at night. The days have been mostly sunny and beautiful, but much shorter than San Antonio. It's is dark by 5:45 or 6:00. And now with DST...you get the idea. We are quite a ways up, in the mountains, but a few nearby peaks still manage to block the sunlight fairly early in the afternoon. Monday and Tuesday are our days off. It works out ok, for now, but we hope to get Sunday/Monday off if an opening presents itself. We spent last Monday and Tuesday trying to winterize our wardrobe. We found a mission with an awesome thrift shop. They had a huge selection of nice winter attire for a price that was very helpful. I found three fleece pullovers, an insulated rainproof shell, waterproof pants, two pairs of mud boots (for farm chores), a couple of scarves, and an assortment of warm head gear. Ruby increased her wardrobe significantly, as well. I think I may head back there today to look for some more pants and a jacket with a rainproof hood. Ruby has designated "MONDAY" as her day to rest without interruption, so she is back at the apartment doing just that. I rest in a different way so I am down at the main house typing away at this computer. The rest of the ranch is on crew working, so it is fairly quiet in the living room. This weekend was a lot of fun. Saturdays and Sundays are days off for the residents, so we try to give them a bountiful selection of activities to pick from. Some would rather just read or rest, but most find something that interests them. A hike. Playing frisbee on the front lawn. Trip to town for shopping or Ben&Jerry's. There are several really talented musicians here so I organized a jam session on Saturday. They were lacking a drummer, so I filled in. It's been a while since I've played, but it was a lot of fun. The anxiety that led to me "putting down my sticks", several years ago, was no longer present. We had a really good time. I wanted to do something cooking related, for an activity, so I organized a cooking class for Sunday. Saturday night, Ruby and I drove into town to pick up a few things from the co-op. I had decided to make fresh spring rolls and needed a couple of things the ranch didn't already have (i.e. rice wrappers, daikon, sweet chili sauce, etc.). We had a blast making the "Spring Lake Rolls". Ruby suggested we make them using an assembly line. Awesome suggestion. It really made things go smoothly. And I was really glad she wanted to participate. We seem to work together better here at the ranch. I hope to make this a regular weekend activity. On a side note, I am learning to knit, as is Ruby. It's a good way to pass the time when it's too cold to go outside (when that time comes) and it produces something helpful to one's warmness. It is not uncommon for guys to knit up here, so I don't feel self conscious about it. I want to talk more about my interactions with people here, but I will do that at a later time. If you are one who prays, please pray for C. For some reason, my heart really hurts for him. He seems to be a prisoner in his own mind. We talked for over an hour last night (first time we have ever really talked) and I really hope he can work through some things and be whole again. That's all for now. Love you guys.