reunion

Yesterday was an in and out day, ending with reunion. In and out in the sense it felt like there was frequent getting in and out of the car. Short hops to run errands, have coffee, and shop a bit.

There was, however, ample time to feed and then research what kinds of birds are visiting the table set for them. Magpies, Eastern Starlings, Northern Flicker, “little round gray with rust chest” bird, and crows. The latter my least favorite.

We’re feeding leftover scraps. That wasn’t enough for me. While at Walgreens picking up The New York Times, I grabbed a loaf of bread from the food aisle. As I checked out, the loaf of bread reminded the checker that she needed a loaf to take home for her family.

That gave me pause. I’m grabbing a loaf of white bread because it’s cheap and adequate for the birds, yet when she gets off her shift, she will grab a loaf to feed her family.

In the afternoon, after it had warmed up, we walked the labyrinth at the local Presbyterian Church. I love the intention with which a labyrinth is walked.

The day culminated with the much anticipated reunion with Abby. She’s a local ceramics artist and printmaker. She and her husband, an artist in his own right as cabinet and furniture maker, live in an earthship. They reside north of Taos in El Prada within the Earthship community.

A note about earthship living.

The six needs for life on earth as viewed by earthship devotees are: thermal/solar heating and cooling, solar and wind electricity, food production, contained sewage treatment, water harvesting, and building with natural and recycled materials. Earthships are built in such away so as to provide all six needs.

The community is located in an area of little vegetation and, in a way, a not very scenic setting near the Rio Grande River. This is primarily so as to have ample sunlight to generate heat and provide necessary power. What they lack in scenery, they make up for in the tremendously creative designs.

It’s enormously interesting to me to simply drive through the community, and all but gawk.

Abby and Dean built their earthship many years ago. It’s cozy and inviting. So, too, was the evening spent with Abby. She prepared a special dinner as a gift to us of salmon, salad, cabbage and rice. All served in and on her beautiful tableware.