Pachyderm Paper for Christmas

It rained all night long and when I got up this morning, it was lightly snowing. It is November after all. The trees have been bare of leaves and the grass dried up for some time now. I need to get hay bales to cover my septic tank and line and also the water line. There’s a place on the way to my Mom’s that sells some. I almost stopped on my way out last week but decided to wait until the return trip and they were closed. This time I’ll stop on the way, which means I need to leave a bit earlier than normal for that and also to conpensate for the driving. The roads could be slippery if the temperature stays below freezing.

Yesterday was an interesting day, as I had figured. Spent some time catching up with blogs then called HIR to see if she wanted to meet for lunch. She works on Saturday and often cannot get away long enough for lunch. Time went by and she didn’t call me back. I wanted to go to the Fair Trade event but had to do something first, before leaving home. I couldn’t just leave in case the neighbors came over, my son was home but sleeping because he’d worked late. So I got all ready to go and then walked down my driveway, on the road and then down their long driveway.

I usually don’t walk to their house, it’s rather intimidating. Normally we see each other in passing, walking on the main road, at the mailbox getting mail or doing garbage for pickup. They have a long driveway, many large garages filled with things like snowmobiles, ATVs, trailers, a boat, two motorhomes and many vehicles. They have a cool antique car, several large trucks and I don’t really know all what else. They also have a outdoor swimming pool, rare in this area. The house is large and has so many doors and two large decks that I never am quite sure as to which door I’m supposed to knock at. It always makes me feel kind of like a dork.

A gaggle of large hunting dogs came running down the driveway, barking to greet me. They are friendly and know me but as much as I like dogs, it does make me a bit nervous to have them leaping and play-snapping at my clothes as I walk. I went up on the rear deck, as I was hoping that was the correct door, and knocked. The wife came to the door in a kool-aid stained T-shirt (she normally is well-dressed and fastidious) so I knew that I’d come at a bad time for her. But waiting until they pulled their huge white truck with a winch into my driveway to move the car would definitely not be a good time either—it would be too late!

She was caring for her grandchildren and seemed distracted, so the conversation didn’t go as well as I had hoped. I had been planning to carefully explain why (again!) I didn’t want the car in our yard. But I had to hurry the conversation along more than I would have liked, as I was standing in the open door, letting the cold into her house. At first she though I was there to gather them to move the car, so she started calling for her husband. But I told them (quickly!) how much I appreciated their plowing, and that I didn’t want the car to be moved. And that was pretty much it. I wasn’t totally pleased with the brief encounter, but that was the best I could do at the time. Then I walked back home and left for the Fair Trade event.

The Fair Trade event was awesome! We have this old movie theater which has been closed and reopened many times by various entreprenuers. The fire marshall had recently closed it again but gave a special dispensation for just this one event. There were all the interesting activist groups in town at tables with brochures and literature to convince you to join their cause. I stopped and talked to a few of them and one convinced me to join them for $5. The place was very cold, the heat was turned off and yesterday was not a balmy day! Those seated activists had heavy coats, hat and scarves and blue lips. They were giving out free hot tea and I bet they went through a lot of it! At the place where you’d normally buy popcorn and soda, they had delicious smelling wraps and fried zucchini for sale. It was around lunch time and the smells were making me very hungry but I went to another large room to see the crafts.

There was latin music playing in this room and it was more lively and full of people than the front hallway, although there had been plenty of people there, too. The crafts were so interesting, if too expensive for most. I did succumb to the sales expertise of Mr. Pooh. He is a zoologist who has spent years in Sri Lanka. He had what he called “Pachyderm Paper” which was made from a blend of elephant dung and rice paddy. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? Well I wish I could take a photo and show you the cool stuff I bought. It’s very cute, nice, and (of course) perfectly clean and good-smelling. My sister-in-law loves elephants and also has a sense of humor. She’s getting some Pachyderm Paper for Christmas, along with other things!

I thought about my friend SLA, whose phone was disconnected, so I left to drive to her house to see if she still was there or had moved to her sister’s apartment. She loves going to events like that, maybe going to the Fair Trade event would cheer her up. We could sit and eat some of that great smelling food and drink hot tea. SLA’s van was still parked at the house, I didn’t see Houseguest’s car, so thought she might be working. She works in retail, like my son and has irregular hours. SLA opened the door and invited me in. I was shocked at how empty and cold the place was. There was nowhere left to sit so we stood and talked for over an hour. SLA was very depressed and I felt so helpless to help her. She didn’t want to go to the event, but just wanted to stay at home, although she did have one of those home décor or candle parties to go to in a couple of hours at another relative’s house. I finally left feeling vaguely guilty but, again, I think it was the best I could do at the time.

At least things seem to be finally looking up for her and Houseguest. They both have found apartments in a neighboring state that are more than reasonable. They know the landlord, which like jobfinding, really helps! Both apartments are two-bedrooms and allow pets and are the price of a small one-bedroom or efficiency over here! And each of them has received a Section 8 housing voucher that will pick up most of the aready pretty low rent. SLA will have to pay only about $30 per month rent, imagine that! Houseguest’s will be probably a bit more because she has a job but it still will be low because the market rent is only $450 on her new apartment and she has a Section 8 voucher to pick up most of that.

That makes me want to move into town again, but I don’t know any landlords! Who ever thinks that living in the country, even in a tiny house like mine is inexpensive probably has never done it!

As for the other conversation, the one with V-Man, I haven’t had it yet. I’m leaning towards just letting things be for now. He did love her and she left him. Maybe he still does love her, maybe they can get back together. He’s been very honest with me in that what he feels for me is only friendship and lust! He’s never said or even implied that it was, or would be anything more. So there it is. I’m going to just let it be for now.