friends and frost

last night's stitch and bitch was all about catching up (for me) with community members whom i've been a little out of touch with. we get together wednesdays at isis' and make things, mostly of fiber, and talk. we might discuss brian's chickens (delicious), whether the river's up or down, teaching chinese (and learning about pictograms and radicals), life post graduate school and post teaching college, teaching emotionally disturbed students, seasonal affective disorder, horses, who has eggs for sale, who's sleeping with whom, yoga, who is going to grow which vegetable varieties next year. it's a delightful group, mostly women, a few men. they are all people who work hard and are mostly, like me, from elsewhere. only one north country native. what we have in common is this, a love for and commitment to this very unusual northern adirondack geography. everyone of us has walked or ridden or skied miles and miles of land on both sides of the blue line, learning and respecting this harsh, beautiful place. our ages span 60 years. so, it's an amazing group. 


so after a night of this kind of community, i find the following day, today, a challenge because of missed sleep, but i find myself renewed by friends. some of the people there helped me build my pasture fencing, purchased my work, came to my housewarming and other gatherings, have given me food and cloth and fiber, taken me places, written me letters and kept me in the loop, because i tend to stay at home. they are good people, people who are trying to be the change they wish to see in the world. (another quote! gandhi.) an amazing population: teachers, artists, writers, farmers, knitters, spinners, weavers, filmmakers. our home place, northern new york.