[The parched landscape still supports Crocuses and happy honeybees.]
The days are hot, but reasonable. The nights feel very close to freezing. The Halston temperature regulation routine that I learned from Rabbit is hardly necessary anymore. It goes like this: leave things open at night and let the house get cold. Close them in the morning. This cabin, chilled in this way, will stay far below the outside temperature until 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
The caretakers are all away, and yesterday's events made clear the importance of one phrase in their agreement: "...to facilitate visitor stays." A visitor arrived a few days ago with no prior connection to this place, expecting to stay long term. He has already laid claim to the temporary indoor living space, refusing to share with potential weekend visitors and declaring instead that we should evict long term visitors from their cabin. To top it all off, he appears to be inventing conflict with another long term community member, going so far as to threaten calling the police, but refusing to tell us what it's about. It's extremely doubtful that there's any real malfeasance, just annoyance if we have to defend ourselves.
As a community we're doing the best we can to handle it but this really is the job of the caretakers. Nobody here wants to overreach their authority, but things could get very ugly if nothing is done. Since I seem to have the most experience of anyone here and the least to lose to community backlash, I'll probably step up and facilitate resolution of the situation this afternoon.
Despite a slow pace yesterday, taking time to work with this visitor, and then working with Mattie on a yummy garden-grown dinner, I am exactly on schedule with my weaving. I'll be caught up from the "July Slowdown" at the end of the day tomorrow. Then I can start earning this month's income.
Things I Know: Boundaries, communicated clearly, and enforced immediately, are crucial to the smooth functioning of an intentional community. (This also applies to the training of dogs. Coincidence?)
2 comments:
Good luck with solving the problem. I think your last paragraph is right on target. At least it certainly works for raising children!
Peg, thanks for the kind words. Children, dogs, spiritual retreat visitors - it's not always easy to tell the difference. :)
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