Preparing for Sandy

As I write this we are in the calm before the storm.  If you live anywhere along the east coast you have surely been inundated with a fair amount of both warnings and hype.  Who knows what will actually happen but I suppose it is better to be ready for what Mother Nature decides to throw at us than to ignore it completely.  Living out in the country I'm pretty sure we'll lose our satellite internet connection and most likely our power.   In preparations, I went out at 8am this morning to buy the following essentials:

1.  batteries for our flashlights and lantern
2. drinking water (6 gallons)
3. matches (to light the stovetop, our furnace and our wood stove)
4. gasoline for our generator to keep our freezer going if the power goes out for more than a couple days

We put away most of the fly-away-ables today (including sporting equipment and political signs), but I will do a last minute check tomorrow morning.  I will also fill up four carboys with water to use for washing dishes and humans if we get to that point.  We will collect the storm water to use for flushing toilets etc.

My main concern is the sheep as they are enclosed in a pasture with electric netting near the barn.   Obviously the netting won't be electrified when the power goes out, and there is a chance that it will blow down with the strong gusts of wind.  We will probably end up locking the sheep up in their stall in the barn Monday night during the most intense parts of the storm.  The horse (if he's as intelligent as we think him to be) will stay in his stall munching on hay, and the chickens, guineas, and pullets will likely remain indoors as well.  I don't worry about the cats as they'll probably find a cozy nook in the hay loft.
 
Regardless of what happens here in Upstate New York, Sandy has already packed a punch to some parts of the world and our country.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been impacted.

Community Building

Note to my faithful readers:  This post was started sometime back in May. The yoga classes have since ceased but the message remains the same.

The double entendre of the post title is by all means intended.  I arrived a few minutes early to yoga this evening, just wanting the peace and quiet.  I lay down on my yoga mat, closed my eyes and let my mind drift.  The evening before, I had been in the same space, the church, for a concert by the great Canadian folk singer John Wort Hannam and his awesome fiddler sidekick Scott Duncan.  The night before that I could have gone to the Mother-Daughter potluck dinner. 

Our church, which celebrated its 175th birthday two years ago (the banner, "Celebrating 175 Years of Community was just taken down this summer), is one of two public gathering spaces in the village, and the only one that it is heated.  In the days of yesteryear, there were five churches scattered throughout the village; now, the United Methodist church is the sole (soul?) survivor as the County has seen its population decline over the last hundred years.

For this small community, it really is the center of social life for many,  many people, far beyond its obvious use as a house of worship.  Not only does the church hold several major fundraisers throughout the year that are community based, but other organizations often use the building for their own gatherings.

The folks from the Historical Society meets here once  a month in the cooler months of the year (their building, the grange, is the other public building but has no heat).  The quilting group meets on Tuesdays during the day.  Yoga is Tuesdays in the evenings. The village and valley farmers meet there once a month as well.

Clubs from the local school have used the building on several occasions to host various speakers including Helen Sperling, a Holocaust survivor.

Every March the sanctuary gets turned into Philharmonic Hall for an original thematic variety show (which was once showcased on Prairie Home Companion).  Other musical acts often perform throughout the year as well including folk singers, jazz ensembles and organists.

Of course, this post wouldn't be complete without mentioning all the church suppers.  Chicken 'n' Biscuit, Harvest Dinner, Indian Dinner, spaghetti dinners, various potlucks.  I think it would be quite possible to eat your way through life just by attending church suppers.  Sometimes the suppers aren't even sponsored by the church.  The Boy Scouts hold some of their suppers here.  Relay for Life offered a Mexican Fiesta the other month.  Entire extended families have used the space for their own private parties. 

Auctions.  The church is famous for its auctions.  A country auction is held outside under the tent almost every summer.  One can find Bill enthusiastically auctioning off anything from old bicycles to brand new baby lambs.  I believe that every single reading lamp in our house has come from the auctions over the year.    There's also the talent auction.  And the yearly community-wide yard sale.

Sometimes I feel claustrophobic in this small community. I yearn for the mountains or the sea--the vast expanses of land or water.  I want to be able to live in anonymity, where there are no busy bodies butting into my business. But then I take a moment and reflect.  Our village consists of well-intentioned, caring individuals who look out for one another.  It is seeped in a rich history and exudes the tranquil, rural culture of yesteryear.  Whenever I find myself in the church for service or any other reason I am reminded of this fact and I am able to remember what is truly important:  my family, my friends and my community.