i had a great beginning to the day and a kind of weird second part. the farm i volunteered at was quirky and lovable. the people were very relaxed and kind.
i got up really early this friday so i could make it to green gate farms by 9am, the beginning of their work day, or at least the beginning of the volunteer's. i thought i was going to be late, but i got there just a couple minutes before nine! on time for once! i started off with wheel hoeing, then i helped with transplanting some tomato plants and getting produce ready for CSA pickup. the moisture level of the soil was great for hoeing and i felt happy and strong. i enjoyed the conversation during transplanting, and the group dynamic was humorous to observe during CSA prep. the others went to lunch while i finished up washing and bundling the radishes. when i sat down for my lunch in their circle they were just finishing up with some appreciation/ feedback for the owners and managers of the farm. it was a wonderful feeling in the circle and i felt honored to be there to observe this. the group that was just finishing up there was some kind of jewish farm group from NYU. after these folk's lengthy departure i stuck around to help out for a while longer. i decided to take on the repair of one of the wheel hoes that was dirty from the day's use, had a flat tire, and needed lubrication. at green string farm in the fall i never got around to doing the tool repairs that i wanted to do, so this was a taste, finally, of that kind of satisfaction. the folks of green gate farms told me to take as much produce as i wanted, and even some eggs! i took one egg, just to see how the yolk compares. the vegetables i chose were various greens, carrots, onions, beets, radishes, cilantro, thyme, and rosemary. i saved aside some of the onion roots i had trimmed to add to the soup for extra flavor.
the farm was getting prepared for having guests at and evening film screening event, which i should have stuck around for... why didn't i? guess because i felt i already had plans for the evening and nobody invited me. wish i had realized what an opportunity i would be missing!
the ride to and from the farm was really good. i do feel comfortable on the bicycle, my black dragonfly. today at the farm i lubricated the chain just before leaving. that is the main thing i need to keep up on for the well-being of the bike. other things come up less frequently. i cleaned off some of the grime today that has accumulated in the undersides and crevices of the frame. in tucson and phoenix the distances always seemed farther than they looked on the map. but here in austin it has been the opposite. maybe it is just the size of those other cities that create the illusion... when you look at the whole thing on a map it doesn't look any bigger than a normal city.
i rode to the venue where i thought laura gibson was playing at 4:30. it was empty. there had been a mistake in the information online. then i decided to ride over to whole foods and on the way get a better idea of what this SXSW event looked like. the crowds thickened, just as i had heard, upon entering the blocked-off downtown section where the bulk of the festivities are held. there was a notable vibration of anarchy. bicycles flitted everywhere and people of all types crossed paths. there were two or three different kinds of music in the ears at any time. sometimes one would dominate.
at whole foods a woman selling jeans outside complemented the butt patches i recently sewed on my riding pants. could she be as serious as she seemed? or was she just trying to legitimize a good long look at my butt?
on the way back from whole foods i stopped at one intersection where i heard music coming from an upstairs venue. it was mixing almost evenly with the less appealing music playing at the 'geisha room'. i listened to two of their songs, thinking the female vocalist sounded like it could be laura gibson... hard to tell for sure. just a little ways down the street i came across an incredible band playing on the sidewalk with a little crowd of people digging them. they were called grupo canalon de timbiqui. they gave me that really good feeling with their rhythm. it is a quality hard to find in the american performers dominating the big and small stages of this festival. they brought us this magic right on the street, where anyone passing by could stop and appreciate it. like me! lucky me! i got to be there for two of their songs before riding off, leaving the crowds behind.
back at the apartment i enjoyed time alone, but felt a bit antsy. i made soup after eating a dinner of leftovers. just felt the soup couldn't wait. thought i was going to be making soup for walter, my sister's ex-boyfriend, and i tonight, with beef stock, but he took an extra shift and won't be home until i am asleep. he has incredible endurance to be working this much on very little rest. i want to feed him good food so he can get through it without getting sick. i put yogurt in the cooler for the night, had some tea, and meditated before going to sleep.
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