Tag Archives: renovation

The Road to Diamond, Day 257: Firecracker

2
Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Education, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 12, 2025- The self-described guest took charge of the meeting, almost from the start. Offering to take notes, she kept meticulous order and did not let anyone stay off track for more than a few seconds. I sat across from her, and can attest that the notes were copious. Hard of hearing, she also insisted that some comments be repeated, and more slowly. In short, she brought some of our membership back to a reality that had been shoved to the back burner, in our perception of urgency, and in at least one case, doom scrolling.

Our group is facing a few unpleasant realities- first, the skyrocketing cost of insurance and second, the ticking clock that spares no one. That makes the “firecracker” octogenarian, with no outward sense of either gloom or doom, such a refreshing harbinger of what the next decade might be, at least for yours truly. Physical and mental exercise, combined with proper nutrition, seem to keep her in a rather solid position. I resolved to follow the same path, much of which is already in place.

Another aspect of today’s meeting is that we were able to arrive at consensus, as to our next steps regarding the future of the enterprise with which we are concerned. We will need to exercise discernment, in dealing with someone who has made several promises and who may have given us erroneous information. We will need to show discretion and prudence, in the matter of how best to arrange for the rental of heavy equipment and in the renovation of one of our buildings. We will, above all, have to remember the wishes of the founder of the institution with which our group, both official committee members and on-site workers, are charged to preserve.

The Divine has sent us a firecracker. That tells me that there are some solid plans for this rustic property. We need not doom scroll any further.

Ghost Ranch, Day 1- De-icing,Masking Tape and Collages

2
Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Education, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

January 8, 2024, Ghost Ranch, NM- I had the honour of getting up in the dark, this morning and getting my steps in, from Corral Unit 4 to the Dining Hall. It was an honour, because the sidewalks were swept free of powdery snow and were treated with icy melt. 

After a full, hot breakfast, it was time to cover the borders of an anticipated paint job with blue painter’s tape, which is masking tape that keeps sloppy painters from not staying within the lines. I will be doing some of the painting, in a day or so, and am not sloppy-still, there is always the chance someone will walk by and nudge my elbow, because of a quirky sense of humour.

After nearly eight hours of renovation prep, which included drilling holes in a wooden support beam and in the concrete to which it will be attached, I took a late nap, enjoyed Ziti Alfredo and salad, then sat in on a collage-making session. Since the collages were made with magazine photos, and the instructor is worried about copyright infringement (She did not keep a record of which magazines, or which photographers, are involved), I will not post them here. They include, for your imagination’s benefit, a man and his horse, looking up at the Grand Canyon, from the banks of the Colorado River; a sea turtle, floating amid phosphorescent algae; a rhesus macaque coming upon a manicured garden, with topiary arches; a woman in a white dress, walking through a portal, while a chipmunk looks on; and a woman doing yoga on a beach, at sunset, looking at white water rapids, coming down from the river above.

This is the sort of activity one may expect, after a day of service at this magical safe haven, an hour’s travel from Santa Fe or Taos.

The Road to 65, Mile 85: Auctions

2
Posted by on in Social

February 21, 2015, Phoenix-

I headed down here, this morning, to assist in the set-up for a major fund-raising auction at the Phoenix Baha’i Center, which was our primary spiritual gathering place from 2001-2011.  It’s been renovated, in a big way, from the rather woeful state into which it was falling, during the time of Penny’s own physical decline.  Still, it was a special place and we made do with what was available, in terms of facilities.

Now, there is a shine to the building, and a sense of new purpose.  The auction will help repay some of the costs associated with the renovation:  Ceramic tile flooring, larger and handicapped-accessible restrooms and the library moved to its own building.

Auctions are labour-intensive, energy-intensive.  I admire the record-keeping skills and cross-coordination that went into today’s planning session.  Two hours after we started hauling stuff in and setting up chairs and tables, every single item had a number, specific spot and minimum bid recorded, on the tag and in the Master Ledger, which is in pen and ink.  It is also put in digital copy, for posterity.

My hosts and I went back to their apartment for a vegetarian lunch, short siesta and a round-the-table resolution of various social ills.  At four o’clock, it was showtime, and we went back to the Center, for the intense bidding and good-natured haggling that accompanies a free-wheeling auction.  It appears a tidy sum was raised- maybe not a Sotheby’s, Christie’s or Barrett-Jackson level, but an encouraging amount.  Besides, we had a fabulous table of Persian cuisine, to accent the evening.  Anyone who has never tried the exquisite noodle dish, known as Ash Resteh, would do well to put it on the bucket list.