I have been made very aware that there are several people eagerly anticipating an update, so here we go…

I had a spectacular birthday. The Friday before my actual birth-day, I hosted an open-invitation dessert potluck and game night, which was blast and a half! About twenty-five people showed up, bearing delicious cakes, breads, and even ice cream, and we played a variety of side-splittingly hilarious games. We finished up with “Honey, I Love You,” in which one person must go around to one of those sitting in the circle and say (in some permutation) “Honey, I love you, won’t you please smile?” The person must then respond, “Honey, I love you, but I just can’t smile” without smiling. Riotous hilarity ensued.

Then, on my actual birthday, my dear friend Chynna came over to make dinner for a smaller group of Medicine Wheelers and close friends. She made the most incredible lasagna I have ever eaten in my life – with all organic ingredients! Mmmm! We followed that up with an equally incredible carrot cake, make by Earthaven’s official pastry chef, Eli. When we were done, we all piled in Chynna’s SUV and went to the local contra dance and danced the night away. Contra is so much fun, especially as a woman. I just have to follow (and laugh!) as I am whirled through the excitement of the lines, and partners, and neighbors. Delightful!

In other news, I have been busier than ever.

As he approaches the deadline to finish the house, Brian Love has plenty of work to keep me going literally from dawn until dusk. I am not complaining, though, as I am making a significant amount of money in a very discrete period of time.

In addition to the 10 and 11-hour days with Brian, I still have my responsibilities at Medicine Wheel, as a work exchanger, as kitchen manager, and as a member of the household. It just sort of happened (perfect-storm style) that Patricia and Steven both left to visit Texas for the month of October and I got this six-week job at the same time. Anyway, with those two gone, a lot of household chores and tasks have fallen to the already fully burdened shoulders of Lyndon and I. For example, I am now fully responsible for the garden, which is still bearing a lot of the fruits of the summer’s labor.

Needless to say, I have been dropping more than a couple balls, which doesn’t feel great. I am usually so on top of things. I dislike the feeling of knowing that I am repeatedly missing connections and that, due to my commitments and priorities, there really isn’t anything I can do to change that. As much as I would love to, I can’t add more hours to the day! If this breakneck pace were to go on indefinitely, something would absolutely have to give; as it is, I can suck it up for six weeks to ensure financial stability for a solid six months. Sleep is for the weak. ;P

Right now, I have time to write this because I am at the Southeast Women’s Herbal Conference! I am SO excited about it. It was at this conference last year that I fell in love with this area, starting the chain of event, which would eventually bring me to Earthaven. In that sense, it is almost like an anniversary.

I am very excited on many different counts. This weekend I intend to:

- Relax! I am giving myself the weekend off. I don’t have to do anything, which is a relief after weeks of heavy ToDo lists.

- Learn. So many wonderful teachers are offering so many interesting classes, I can hardly decide what to attend! I will definitely check back in afterwards, though, to report in on what I learned.

- Eat incredible food that I neither have to prepare nor clean up after! I am actually especially excited about this.

This year, I am work trading for my conference registration fee, and since I am now a neighbor to the conference staff, I have been involved in pre-conference set-up. To help with loading and unloading (and to hitch a free ride), I came a day early. Since the conference doesn’t start until this afternoon and my work trade doesn’t start until this evening, I have this whole morning free, which is very exciting.

Also, the conference hasn’t even officially started, and I have already had an interesting experience. The conference is held at scenic Camp Rockmont, and I decided to camp (which is free) instead of getting a bunk in a bunkhouse (which is expensive and not particularly private). Unfortunately, last night, we had a rainstorm with high winds. I had a tarp over my tent that kept me pretty dry, but the winds were so intense that I thought I was going to blow away! At one point in the night, the wind tore my tarp right off my tent, and I had to get out and re-tie it. Needless to say, I look forward to a nap after lunch.

Speaking of which, it’s time for lunch, so I gotta go!

Love!