July 8, 2011
Presentation day! We broke up into five groups and took different areas assigned to us by the teachers. We had to interview the land owners, make a site map, fing out what the land needed as for physical improvements, for drainage or shade etc. then we had to design and use the permaculture principles we were taught with details, including a plant list, press release and group process. Each group had 12 hours to pull it off. No Stress…SURE!
But we did and the presentations were really good. May used power point but we didn’t because there were only three of us and none of us were any good at power point. We took the front of the barn area and the animal section in the barn. We added parking lots and roads, efficiency in feeding animals in winter and feed storage, improved play area and a pond to catch the run off water and tap the springs off the slope. Very detailed and very glad to accomplish. After the presentations we had a class on contacts and what we can do with our certificates in Permaculture Design. We can actually call ourselves Permaculturist!!!
And for dinner we had turkey!!!
The talent show was a lot of fun. The teachers always do a skit and theirs was a mix between Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and permaculture, they were very funny. Others sang and read poetry, some told stories and jokes. It was very entertaining. Oh and the answer is…. I watched and enjoyed, no I did not entertain, but in some ways I did.
After the talent show we could smell the cake down stairs as we closed our daily circle and sang and danced. There came to a place where we had opened the circle and no one moved, everyone was just frozen and some people were crying. That was a very odd moment for both teachers and students but it said a lot about the work we have done together and how close we have become as a community. Starhawk started another chant and we raised a cone of power and when it was over the same thing happened. Everyone just stood there and the same feeling came over us, this time it was almost like a fear of what waited outside of this place and time. We stood there looking at each other and no one said a word or moved. So I stepped into the circle and with trembling voice talked about how important our work was and how we all came here without knowing how we would be changed, but we all came because we were called. That this is powerful and important work. That we needed to not say good-by but to say until we meet again and take our passion and permaculture out into the world and use it. We sang the one song I brought to circle, "Humble yourselves in the arms of the wild" and I said, "Now, let’s eat cake!" and the spell was broken. It was powerful and later both Starhawk and Charles came to me and thanked me for my words about the moment, I spoke to them about our fear and our work in the world. They both told me they have never had a class that just froze like that before, one the last night when there was cake and a hot tub waiting. They also felt it was powerful, and I am glad I had the words to break the spell.
I did not sleep well. This was the first night I tossed and turned all night. A huge storm rolled in and my bones ached. A skunk must have been right outside our cabin and there were things moving around inside. I would have gotten up but I did not want to wake Louise and I didn’t have anywhere to go so I just tried to go to sleep. Early this morning I talked with Charles and he said I was processing and I am sure he was right, I just need to be careful not to let the it get my energy, I still have a few days before I get home.
So it is closing circle at 9 am and most everyone is on the road.
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