Thursday.  started in the usual fashion.  Garden then help Kate clean.  See, the thing is, that we may only be SCHEDULED for 4 shifts, but when you see your friends having to clean the whole hostel by themselves especially when they don’t feel well the little compassionate beings that we are can’t stand to watch that happen...  So even though we want nothing more to be in the garden we still choose to help our dearly cherished friends. 

We were all hoping to go camping tonight.  We’ve tried to camp a few times now and we keep waiting for the secret ingredient of mushrooms, but each time we think we’re close it never falls into place.  Which is fine.  Mushrooms have to happen under the right conditions and maybe the universe is telling us that now is not the time.  However, we did head into town to buy snacks and groceries just incase it did work out.  

The tensions are continuing to increase and todays tensions were soothed by music.  Ah, the healing properties of music... even when it’s coming out of a tiny speaker on my iPhone.  But in the spirit of Botan (Amu’s wife who always seems to have music coming from her pocket) I emanated healing tunes for most of the day. 

It actually rained for a few moments today.  It was so fantastic - especially after that rain dance we did.  This region needs rain so badly.  Not just Colorado but New Mexico too is having a record breaking summer - multiple days of triple digits and long stretches with no rain.  I swear it didn’t used to be like this growing up.  I remember 1 or 2 days of over 100, but never up to 106 like it was the other day in Denver - it’s scary.  But the rain and clouds created a very welcoming environment to get back in the garden.  Some guys were passing through town and were trying to stay for free so they were helping us weed the lower field.  We got to talking and one of them proclaimed he was a “breathaterian”.  What the fuck is that?  Well, it’s someone who only eats the fruit of plants where picking the fruit wont kill the plant.  And I guess the idea is to someday live off the “divine light and love that resides in all of us”.  Um, yeah.  I like eating.  a lot.  It’s a great pleasure of mine.  He predicts this is the way of the future - where evolution is headed.  Perhaps.  I can’t say for sure, but for right now, even if it means I am a less evolved human, I am going to continue to eat all delicious plants I can get my hands on - carrots, radishes, potatoes and all :)  I couldn’t really stand him very long so I excused myself to work on a project I started yesterday in the upper garden and enjoy some much needed alone time.  I guess not too long after I left he remarked on how “painful” it was for him to weed this garden and essentially kill all these innocent plants.  Barf.  I’m glad i was not there to hear that. 

Some days you just want a beer after a long day.  Today is that day.  All I wanted out of life was to have a nice cold beer and enjoy the sunset with some friends.  And you know what, some days you get exactly what you ask for.  I went and bought a couple six packs and we took a few with us to watch the sunset on the mesa by the gorge.  It was delightful.  The clouds from this afternoon refracted the light in the most amazing way making it one of the best I had seen here.  So incredible.  We did some yoga amongst the sage bushes and took about a million photos.  We were all in a great mood after this and many of us stayed up talking in the kitchen until about midnight.