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Rennie Life
Mar. 15th, 2011 11:32 pmThe past few weeks have been a real reacquaintance with ourselves. As scary as the axle and the clutch incidents were, maybe it was really the best time for them to happen. (I know it never feels that way) We got very motivated, and we've been putting more thought and energy into our life here. The changes are small, but I can feel it. We work a little better together. We cultivate our neighbors a bit more, and have an ear for things they need.
The clutch still isn't fixed, but that's the par for working with your neighbors. If you want it in a day, cough up the other half of the money and have a shop do it. Oh, plus money for the tow. It hasn't been such a bad deal though- Dwayne and Rachel have been giving us a lift into Bastrop (he feels a bit responsible for having to wait for the pneumatic tools) so we can take care of laundry and shopping. I rather enjoy the slower pace of not having the option to leave site, and of coordinating with your ride. Rachel is a lovely, agreeable girl, and Dwayne is an urbane and scruffy brain trust, conversant with the world in the way of the natural engineer.
The other morning I went for a shower in the early morning chill. The showers are roofless, made of wood and palettes and built on the dusty, sandy soil that pervades this part of Texas. While I was getting ready to shower I felt what I thought was spray from the next stall over. After a bit I realized it was raining. It was the oddly lovely; the contrast of cold sprinkles with hot water, the perverse confusion of what to do with the towel ("if I take it down it'll get damp. Oh, it gets damp anyway...), walking back, and the rain changing to its usual sensation of slightly annoying refreshment.
You know, the other fairs I stay at have all kinds of showers-- portable showers in trucks, permanent buildings,pay showers, all over-used, all unavoidably funky despite the best efforts of conscientious and frequent cleaning (except Maryland fair, their showers are amazing). All of these options are ones that, presented to a tired dirty person, would probably be chosen over the option open to us at Sherwood. But I am fast becoming a proponent of having these showers at every fair that doesn't get below freezing. After weeks of use they remain fresh and clean; The constant flow of air repels rot that thrives in damp, enclosed spaces, and the palettes allow sand & dirt to be quickly rinsed away. And it's pleasant to look up in the shower and see trees and blue sky - or stars if you need a rinse before bed.
So, yeah, we've had a little time to stop and really get involved in our surroundings. It reminds us that we like this life.
Dwayne's headed to fetch the pneumatic tools tomorrow, so we may have the truck in time for the St. Patrick's Day gig at Things Celtic in Austin. If not we may be able to snag a ride with one of our fellow performers.
For those in the area, we (The Rambling Sailors) will be on from 12 to 1 PM, followed by Diane Lynn, Ky Hote and Abby Greene, all at an hour each. It's a great lineup, and Gregg and I look forward to lounging around for several hours doing what we never get to do-- listen to our friends play.
In other news, Gregg has had some kind of food poisoning the past day or so (I hope it is anyway-- may I not catch it!), and is feeling better tonight & catching up on sleep. Yesterday we borrowed hoses to span the 200 foot distance to the faucet and filled our water tanks for the first time, only to be disappointed by no water exiting our faucet when we turned on the pump. I was particularly eager to get water going to keep things clean in the sickroom.
Today I got into the storage area and got personally acquainted with our pump, a surprisingly clean and accessible little device, that needed only a little attention to start drawing perfectly. Hot and cold running water in the house -- how wonderful to wash our hands and brush our teeth! "I look forward to my turn doing dishes" -- I never thought I'd hear Gregg say that! :))
We're practicing up our Irish stuff, and thinking of doing a trad album. Life is good.
The clutch still isn't fixed, but that's the par for working with your neighbors. If you want it in a day, cough up the other half of the money and have a shop do it. Oh, plus money for the tow. It hasn't been such a bad deal though- Dwayne and Rachel have been giving us a lift into Bastrop (he feels a bit responsible for having to wait for the pneumatic tools) so we can take care of laundry and shopping. I rather enjoy the slower pace of not having the option to leave site, and of coordinating with your ride. Rachel is a lovely, agreeable girl, and Dwayne is an urbane and scruffy brain trust, conversant with the world in the way of the natural engineer.
The other morning I went for a shower in the early morning chill. The showers are roofless, made of wood and palettes and built on the dusty, sandy soil that pervades this part of Texas. While I was getting ready to shower I felt what I thought was spray from the next stall over. After a bit I realized it was raining. It was the oddly lovely; the contrast of cold sprinkles with hot water, the perverse confusion of what to do with the towel ("if I take it down it'll get damp. Oh, it gets damp anyway...), walking back, and the rain changing to its usual sensation of slightly annoying refreshment.
You know, the other fairs I stay at have all kinds of showers-- portable showers in trucks, permanent buildings,pay showers, all over-used, all unavoidably funky despite the best efforts of conscientious and frequent cleaning (except Maryland fair, their showers are amazing). All of these options are ones that, presented to a tired dirty person, would probably be chosen over the option open to us at Sherwood. But I am fast becoming a proponent of having these showers at every fair that doesn't get below freezing. After weeks of use they remain fresh and clean; The constant flow of air repels rot that thrives in damp, enclosed spaces, and the palettes allow sand & dirt to be quickly rinsed away. And it's pleasant to look up in the shower and see trees and blue sky - or stars if you need a rinse before bed.
So, yeah, we've had a little time to stop and really get involved in our surroundings. It reminds us that we like this life.
Dwayne's headed to fetch the pneumatic tools tomorrow, so we may have the truck in time for the St. Patrick's Day gig at Things Celtic in Austin. If not we may be able to snag a ride with one of our fellow performers.
For those in the area, we (The Rambling Sailors) will be on from 12 to 1 PM, followed by Diane Lynn, Ky Hote and Abby Greene, all at an hour each. It's a great lineup, and Gregg and I look forward to lounging around for several hours doing what we never get to do-- listen to our friends play.
In other news, Gregg has had some kind of food poisoning the past day or so (I hope it is anyway-- may I not catch it!), and is feeling better tonight & catching up on sleep. Yesterday we borrowed hoses to span the 200 foot distance to the faucet and filled our water tanks for the first time, only to be disappointed by no water exiting our faucet when we turned on the pump. I was particularly eager to get water going to keep things clean in the sickroom.
Today I got into the storage area and got personally acquainted with our pump, a surprisingly clean and accessible little device, that needed only a little attention to start drawing perfectly. Hot and cold running water in the house -- how wonderful to wash our hands and brush our teeth! "I look forward to my turn doing dishes" -- I never thought I'd hear Gregg say that! :))
We're practicing up our Irish stuff, and thinking of doing a trad album. Life is good.
