finishing touches



Things are winding down here for me. I am scheduled to head towards Sweden on Monday to see what's around the next corner on this journey. The learning process continues daily but it's likely no new major projects will passed to me or undertaken.
I put another coat of red paint on some window frames this morning and they're ready to be hung, just in time for the next round of guests. On Wednesday a new volunteer arrived; a gentle spirited Belgian the same age as me. He's extremely skilled at all sorts of useful things and very used to working on farms. We are delighted he's here and they will be in good hands here after I am gone. He and I made signs together in the shape of arrows for parking direction purposes. Another small fingerprint I'll leave here after I have gone. It's possible they'll think of me when the banisters I sanded and stained need a touch up, but maybe not. Maybe I'll be thought of for awhile as the American girl who ended up being a little more useful or at least more interested and energetic than anticipated. Or maybe we'll keep in touch and I will be back here one day.
I do know I'll think back on this place as having changed my life, at least at this phase of it. No matter what happens, it was this place that gave me peace and solitude, calmed me down after what I'd now describe to be a horrible year, showed me the beauty of the simplest things, shared with me as much knowledge as I was willing to absorb, and welcomed me into their small community and family to the extent I truly felt a small part of things, even for just a short time.
Leaving is bittersweet but the unknown is also exciting. I still have a few more days to say goodbye to my forest, my emerging seedlings, the cows, pigs, goats, chickens, horses, bugs, spiders, nettles, weeds, friends, frogs, etc....