There is a religious community in Cambridge, N.Y. known as Common Sense Farm, and when the community first moved to the area, it made people nervous. Some people called it a “cult,” and I remember referring to it that way myself. People are wary of anything too different. The group settled into the area, opened up a cafe, a vegetable stand and sometimes the community turns out to help people with tasks. We are struggling to do all of the things we need to do to move into the new farm – fences, animal shelter, Maria’s studio, electricity, plumbing, roof, a hundred small things – and there is not a lot of time or money to do all of them.

I called Common Sense and some very nice and eager people came over to the barn, including Devon. They love taking down old barns and recycling the wood, metal and anything else they can find and use. We are working on a deal. They will take the metal and wood they want for free, they will take down the barn, and I will pay them something for their labor. I’ll get a dumpster to haul away the broken glass and other un-recyclable materials and then we will dig a burn hole and do a controlled burn with the unusable wood. This will free Ben up to work on Maria’s studio and the shelter for the donkeys and sheep.

The experience has reminded me once again to not view people as strange or alien because they live differently than I do. I am excited about working with Common Sense. Maria and I felt completely at ease with their ideas and their sense of values about the work they do.

It seems like a complex chess game to me – so many different parts, so many telephone calls. It has taken me a week to track down a farmer with 200 square bales of hay. We are bargaining over price. Hopefully, I’ll get it into Rocky’s barn tomorrow. Most of it is going up in the hayloft. Next week, construction starts on the fences. I am chasing down the electrician and the cable company.