Memphis Democrat
February 17, 2005

The snow was really beautiful and accumulated just enough to allow winter sports. It seems that everyone who had a pair of cross country skis got out for a spin on our skiing trail over the land. It's always fun to get out there, sliding over the snow and seeing all the animal tracks.

Skiing is hard work and we didn't want to be sore. So I fired up my outdoor wood-fired hot tub and several of us relaxed our muscles. It was fun to sit in the hot water, feeling comfortably warm, and watch the birds fly over the snow-covered landscape. Who says our lifestyle is rustic?

There had been some talk of how bellydancing is fun and good exercise to boot. Sara pulled out her instructional video and a bunch of us, men and women alike, gave it a shot. It is harder than it looks! Muscles are sore that I didn't even know I had. But it was great fun to see everyone try and move their tummies like the women in the video.

Jacque is a former cheerleader (and coach!) and wanted to practice cheerleading stunts. We pulled out the mats and took turns holding each other up on our shoulders and tossing each other around. The photo is of our fearless coach Jacque doing a "prep" with Tony and Tamar holding her feet. It's called a prep because the next move is to throw Jacque into the air and catch her in a basket Tony and Tamar create with their arms.

Some work got done this week, too, I'm sure. This time of year, it is less tangible. We have been preparing for our upcoming retreat, where we discuss plans for the upcoming year. I have seen a yellow paint speckled Dan walking around. And Andrew joined our friend Kent for a week, helping him with his construction jobs.

I also know that Thomas joined a crew of folks cutting wood on a dam in Rutledge. He came back with some pretty boxelder with purple wood. This has inspired a rash of wood carving. I see some handsome spoons emerging from the effort.

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