Well, as I come up on one year in the Trailer Park, I realize that I have been living in the Dragonfly Lodge for at least one year. I paid her off last year - and she is ALL mine. The first time I have ever owned my own home. I certainly did not choose her for her beauty - although she is BEAUTIFUL in my eyes.
(Refc: Cabaret - "If you could see her")
I recently listened to an interview with Joel Grey on Fresh Air - and he discussed his life with interactions around Cabaret. I miss that this movie/show has faded from the popular culture awareness. It made my life so much easier to explain with all of the references to Berlin - Good/Bad and Indifferent. I always thought I would get old in Berlin, I never expected to do it in a Trailer Park in T or C, New Mexico. "I am NOT old, . . ." you might say, but this post-50 lifestyle has new challenges that remind me it is certainly the last half - although it might, it just might last as long as the first half, we shall see, . . .
I speak more and more in ellipses, especially as I move in to the multiple Broadcast media that are available with the Internet. I am still not sure how much I enjoy Broadcasting and/or writing. I look even more for shortcuts, memes and other common references. I am still horrified when I don't get the reference, but even more so when I use one that I know 99% of my students will never get - such as aforementioned Cabaret, . . .
Anyway, I woke up in the Dragonfly Lodge this morning - still thrilled with how she continues to work for me, especially now that we are moving back into Spring and the hot weather. Rain is still a concern, but not as much as the drought. The heat I can live with and get used to again. And, I have survived the cold. With my tax return money, I bought a mobile Swamp Cooler. I love swamp coolers. If you are going to use more energy to cool off than you get from a cool bath, swamp coolers are the way to go . . .
Cleaning up around the trailer, I realized that I have often chosen my homes for their Beauty. Not the beauty within the home, but the beauty outside. Eschershausen, Osgood, Truth or Consequences have all been choices that I made for the beauty of the environment and the possibilities that I experienced. I don't see or feel the limitations that most other people would in the situation. I want to have a place that serves my 4-legged family and I functionally, but that is less demanding and more environmentally sound.
Sustainability is a nice idea, but community and solidarity may be even more important, I'm not sure. The biggest issues are probably time and health. I don't think I ever get bored, I can't read all of the things that I have here - not even considering the DVD's, Books and my Kindle backlog.
The wasps have been a little too friendly, but we are trying to work out some kind of arrangement. I just worry that Loki or Xena will wind up playing with one of them when they are down.
Interesting - I just looked up the totem Intrepretation of the Wasp - how fitting:
In some African traditions, the wasp is a symbol of evolution, and control over our life circumstances. Some Native American Indian tribal myth inidcates the wasp as the creator of the earth, and was a symbol of order, organization as well as productivity. Ancient European lore recognizes the wasp as big part in pollination. Here the wasp is symbolic of fertility as this genre of earth-based believers honored the wasp for its role in continuation of certain plants and flowers. The prime season of the wasp is spring, and so it is symbolic of new beginnings, and starting new projects. The wasp is very social, and has special means of communication with its family. When the wasp appears in our lives it is a message for us to consider our own methods of communication. The wasp might be a sign that we may need to express ourselves more clearly.
So, the wasps too contribute their Beauty to my home. One of the big things that has changed since last year, is that Diablo is gone and Loki has wormed his little way into heart and home. He is a gorgeous, chocolate Chihuahua, but a very real pain in the rear in his whole glorious puppy self. Well, apparently I was looking for some kind of "puppy fix" again - I got it. The Dragonfly Lodge is a puppy kennel.
We miss Diablo, though. I think Emily misses him more than she would ever admit. I think he kept many of the local cats off of our little rental property. I have been keeping her in at night, especially with the idea of coyotes being out and about, although I have not seen any.
My neighbor Richard helped me to change lots last year. I am now right up against the back hill which probably is home to more friends than I want to meet. I can leave both doors open, though and wake up looking out. Some day - pictures again, but it is Spring and it is warm, and I and mine are happy. That is worth a lot ! and represents a whole lot of Beauty, . . .
