Summer Impressions
As soon as summer is here and school is out, the porches, pathways and village green become lively with the sounds of kids calling out to each other, laughing, riding their bikes and enjoying endless games of imagination.
A plan is developing…
… the cast is set. And here they come, the witches, wizards and fairies.
A little rest with a neighbor is sometimes also very welcome.
Front porches are the best!
The little town of Bayfield, which we are part of, with a population of around 2000, puts on quite a show on the 4th of July.
It started with a flyover! So impressive!
The Bayfield Belles showed up in their finest.
From their Facebook Page: “We're the Bayfield Belles! A group of dynamic and fancy women who bring life, good cheer and a damn good time where ever we travel to. If you ever need to add some color and excitement to an event, we're your gals.”
And of course, the Bayfield horsemen were not far behind.
There were many local businesses represented, interesting floats, and many equipped with candy but also powerful water blasters, which the crowd received eagerly. I was hot!
And at night, Bayfield had the only fireworks in the area! Most every town in the state of Colorado had cancelled their fireworks due to the drought. But Bayfield sent out an impressive list of precautions they had taken to make everyone feel safe. And, with the sanction and support of the local fire department, everyone was able to enjoy yet another impressive display this year.
At Heartwood we are able to stay nice and cool in our well insulated homes surrounded by lots of vegetation. One day in the beginning of summer I measured an outside temperature of 90 degrees at our house while the inside maintained a pleasant 68. Without AC!
Alas, those temperatures did not stay the same when a huge heat dome covered and stayed over the entire west of the country for weeks. The barometer rose to 97 degrees outside during some mid afternoons. But at 7000 feet the air cools down considerably at night, so that we were able to open our windows and still cool down the house to temperatures in the mid to upper sixties.
In the privacy of my shade-protected backyard, it is pleasant most of the time.
August brought another move in, helped by so many! A family, waiting for their new house in the Phase 2 to be completed, is able to rent a vacant house for the interim time. We are so glad they are finally here!
At our monthly work days, when every able body shows up to help with bigger tasks that cannot be handled by members of a team alone, we get to work. The summer is a time to prioritize fire mitigation. Especially this very hot season, following a winter with hardly any snow.
Many hands holding loppers join together and go into the most affected areas around the cluster of homes to cut dead branches and ground material, that would be easy ladder fuel, should a wild fire come onto Heartwood land. The material gets then shredded and distributed on the forest floor, where it will help retain soil moisture and feed the soil later as it decays.
Taking care of our village is one of the many privileges that living in a community offers. It is sometimes hard work, and not the first choice of spending a Saturday morning. But once out there, it can be so satisfying to contribute in making our homes safer and more beautiful!
A peaceful evening often invites for a stroll through the cluster of homes, especially on very hot days. Behind every door and every window I pass are people I know and care about. This familiarity provides a sense of safety hard to find other places and that I keep on being grateful for.
In community,
Nisargo
