Mudsouri School of Journalism

I'm working on long-form story about people who are living an off-the-grid lifestyle. This will take me off the grid for three upcoming weekends. Today was my first day of immersion.

My hosts were kind and welcoming and the conversation was pleasant. I told them that I wanted to participate in the activities that they had planned for the day. This got me four hours of applying mud plaster to a hay bale wall (with a lunch break in between).

I got mud on my clothes and skin, in my hair and eyes, and on the wall too. When I had the urge to pee, I went to the outhouse where my waste went into a compost bucket and the informational sign on the door directed me to add a few scoops of sawdust. I washed my hands under a thin stream of water that flowed from a spigot at the bottom of a bucket. For lunch, I ate mushrooms that my hosts had grown as well as store-bought foods.

When the day's work was done, I scraped the mud off my arms and I bid my hosts farewell until Saturday.

More to come ...

Mama and the pink pearls

I had a visit from my mother this weekend. It was perfect. We went for a walk and then spent most of the day in bed reading: I read my text books and Mama read for fun. We snoozed when we got tired and ate chevre, heirloom tomatoes and crackers when we were hungry.

We also were tempted into buying apples named Pink Pearl.

They didn't look particularly pink, though.

A reminder that looks can be deceptive.

Bed bound, but not alone

I've been spending lots of time in bed. For one, I have a pile of books to plough through. Moreover, I've diagnosed myself with a stress fracture in my foot which makes it difficult to walk around.

Luckily, sometimes I have company.

Leo telling me it's time to take a break and scratch his ear.

Keeping up

"Let 'er roll."

Lucy and Ethel diligently wrap chocolates. The belt speeds up and they move a little faster. Lucy misses a chocolate and so does Ethel. Suddenly, there's panic in their eyes. They abandon their wrapping efforts in favor of hiding evidence of failure in their bras, hats and mouths. 

I thought of this scene several times during the first week of school. I've joined Lucy and Ethel at the conveyor belt.

 

The Afterglow

I'm back in Missouri and today is the first day of school. Yesterday, I welcomed 125 reporters into the newsroom where I will be editing their work over the next semester. I'm afraid that this may prove to be a very busy fall. In an effort to hang on to some of the calm and joy of the summer, I've compiled some of my favorite scenes. Hopefully, their afterglow will carry me through.

Summer's end

Right now I am traveling by train and will arrive in Penn Station, New York City, just a few minutes. Tonight, I'll fly back to Missouri. It's been a whirlwind of packing up and saying goodbyes to Vermont friends and teachers and Adirondack family and friends.

I am grateful for a lessened summer workload and anxious to tackle the upcoming semester of coursework at the University of Missouri.

Bread Loaf campus, a sight I will miss

My tanned face after a summer
of outdoor reading and hiking.

Finishing the Loaf

My work Bread Loaf work is done for the summer. Here's a review—14 books read along with more supplemental articles than I care to count, five papers written, and two presentations presented. This afternoon I finished a final reflection paper, but the fun and relaxation really started yesterday afternoon when I turned in the 10 page research paper I had been working on all week.

This is more or less how the afternoon went ...

A trip to Bristol Falls where I jumped off the high cliff

Followed by a stop at my favorite ice cream parlor and
a goodbye dinner for one friend who made
an early departure

Ending with my signature hand and foot
goodbye wave after a celebratory bottle
of hard cider

I have two more days of classes and will stay on Bread Loaf Mountain until Saturday to serve the graduation dinner. I plan to pack as much fun into the next week as possible, so there will be more good times coming your way.