We’ve been living in community now for one week. We have had two community meals: one was prepared by two people and the second was a potluck (we took roasted beets with bleu cheese). There are usually three community meals per week but there was no one to cook last week so were only two meals.
Living in the community is a big change especally for Nadine. Our house is on a lane that cars typcally do not drive on. There are carports out on one side of the houses and everyone parks their cars and walks to ther houses-there are garden carts to use if there are many items to transport from the car to the house but this way you are forced to interact wth your neighbors and those in your community-much unlike the standard way of drive your car into your garage, close the door and go inside without even seeing anyone.
Things that are shared in the community in addition to meals: a common house with a commercial size kitchen, two guest rooms, a workout room and a reading library with a piano; an outdoor hot tub-clothing optional between evening hours; a yurt that can be used for outings, meetings or just hanging out; a tennis court; a green house with lots of things growing in it; and a wonderful play structure (you can see the video of the play structure).
We have found two ranches where we have begun to source some of our food: La Boca Ranch (http://www.laboca.us/history/history9.html) (raw goats milk) and James Ranch (www.jamesranch.net/) (raw cow milk, cheese, beef and pork). There is also a farmers market on Saturday morning in Durango that we visited last weekend that has lots of seasonal produce, plus meats and other farmers market type wears. We got a shot of wheat grass, a hibiscus iced tea and a muffin of some sort, plus a bag of spinach (which we’d better get eating soon!)
There are several children here, but the one who would have been the best playmate for Nadine left for vacation (the family which we are housesitting). She has been playing with five year olds and older. It is tough to be a new small person in an already established community, but hopefully she will be welcomed in soon. Her means of getting attention and being accepted by them has not been the most admirable, but we have had many conversations and hopefully this will and has changed. It is sad to see other children run and hide from your child because they don’t want to play with her. Nadine has no idea that they are hiding from her. She simply thinks they are hiding and she goes to find them.
There is a local chiropractor who lives in the community and I have been seeing him and having him help me with my back issues. I have also walked the hiking trail twice with Samson. It is pretty challenging in parts with the elevation and my weak lung capacity. I hope to get in better shape and continue to loose the extra baby weight and strengthen the abdominals. I hope to come out of Heartwood as a new woman in many ways!