It wasn’t a day that I envisioned, but nevertheless, it was a very good day. I first went for a long walk with Pete, the dogs, Signy, and Hrimmi. Then I cleaned the goat pen. Then I gave the horses their grain. Then I ate lunch.

As I was eating lunch, Leah, our gardening consultant, called and said that she and her partner Nick were on their way over to our place. They were coming by to drop off manure buckets and to pick up some more manure. As it turned out, they also wanted to go horseback riding. So we quickly got Raudi, Signy, Siggi, and Tinni ready for a ride. We then took off (with Rainbow and Jenna following) and did what I call the Swamp Romp.

Nick grooming Raudi

It was late afternoon, getting chilly, the sun was low in the sky. I was quite glad to be out and about, and to have all the horses out. Had the others bypassed riding, I would have had to take them out by myself. I don’t mind doing this, but it’s a nice change, going out with others. And the horses seem to think so too, because it’s at these times that they seem a bit more energized.

After, we came back inside. Pete made dinner – kale, potatoes, salmon—and homemade cookies. And we all continued to talk. I know from experience – talking with creative and imaginative people tends to generate ideas. And this is what happened. Talk about bread baking lead to talk about our starting a church, and calling it The Church of Bread. (Gluten free, non-denominational.) And talk about books lead to talk about our starting a book reading group. So, naturally, it transpired that the book reading group would be under the auspices of the Church of Bread.

There was considerable talk about what book to read. The unspoken rule seemed to be that it would need to be a book that none of us had yet read. As I said, this was somewhat nonsensical because how would we know what book(s) to suggest if we hadn’t yet read them? Finally, after considerable conversation, talk about the book Collapse lead to my suggestion that we all read Guns, Germs, and Steel. So be it.

The next question was, who do we ask to join us? Many, many names were tossed about. The determining criterion was that we include as many diverse types of people as possible. It was then that Nick had the idea to make and post a poster, so that these diverse types might have a shot at being a part of our group.

As it stands, the poster will ask people to submit, in writing, their reasons for wanting to be a part of the group, and for wanting to read Guns, Germs, and Steel. There will be a screening process because you never know who will come out of the woodwork.

Being around Nick and Leah was a great deal of fun. It was a reminder that being around young people is a good thing. They have their whole lives ahead of them, and for this reason are willing to try new things – like get their own church going. Our first meeting is going to be December 1 – and I’m already looking forward to it.

Next: 322. 10/28/12: Friends Visit