Here I Go...

I finally arrived in Charlottesville after a 14+ hour train ride (meaning, we were over 3 hours late. Of course! First, we were stuck behind a freight train, then there were signal issues, then a man attacked one of the conductors on the train, slamming his head into the ground until he was knocked unconscious. So, the train stopped for 2 hours just outside my destination while they arrested the man and completed the report. The passengers ran around like it was Christmas, debating whether it was TOO MANY drugs or NOT ENOUGH drugs, that caused this young man the beat the conductor over a cigarette. Then the man broke out of the police car… twice… smashing both windows and everyone brought out their picture-taking devices to capture the moment of the young man being tazed to the ground.

Why do we take so much joy from watching others suffer? Why do we get so excited whenever police get involved?

Well, I finally made it Charlottesville and was picked up by a very patient member of the Little Flower Catholc Worker house. (Thanks, Rhonda!!!)

The house and land is beautiful and such a wonderful change from Atlanta and all the smog.

Bill and Sue do construction to make their livin’ and have done a lot of work on their place as well. There are beautiful mosaics everywhere!

I am staying in a straw bale house the family built with a composting toilet (mom, you’d be excited).

and a chapel

this is where i sleep!

They have a beautiful garden,

some crazy dogs, a number of chickens (not as friendly as Rhonda from Sparrow House, unfortunately),

and 2 baby turkeys.

There are children everywhere. Bill and Sue have 3 teenagers I(18), A(16) and G(13) and they have custody of 3 young children as well J(5), D(4) and E(3). Their Momma comes over frequently with their littlest sibling, S, who will be 1 next month. The little girl, D, has decided I am definitely her New Friend and gets annoyed when other people talk to me. She has also decided that she does not need to know my name; New Friend is sufficient. Rhonda also stays here to help out. She’s from Macon, so we get to talk about how glad we are that we aren’t in Georgia.

I cast on Hillary’s birthday sweater (why am I knitting my sweetheart a sweater in July? well, I’m not sure). I’m hoping to have it finished by the time we get to the Jesus Radicals Conference!

There is very little cell phone reception here, so it is difficult for me to receive calls. If you call, and I don’t get it, I’m sorry. I’ll call you when I’m in Lynchburg!