Work Party: Week 2!

This week (8-14) was even more full, even more busy, and even more fun than our first week! Who knew? (and next week- I can only imagine...). We had a influx of people- including several people who happened to be in machias and stopped in, folks who came by for the night, and people who had planned on being here all along, too!



We had out first Ballroom Dance lesson at the grange. Before the lesson, we all had dinner- and dressed up!










Edith showed us all kinds of cool dance moves- and it was the first dance on the sprung floor (for me)! It was great- the entire building moved with us!




We had snacks- of course.


Cutest. Ever.





We went through a walk along the bay after dinner one night, and ventured into a little grave yard. We totally told grave yard stories- I got to tell people about the Ridges- and missed home.


After the walk stopped in Jim's Books- a little book store up the road from the grange- in Jim's garage.



In the grange, there is a wood stove. Like- a wood oven- for cooking. And the whole surface gets hot. It's very cool. Erin and I woke up super early to make crepes for everyone, and Ben started up the stove for us!


You have to make a lot of crepes to feed 20+ people- but it was fun!



We started doing lots of wood projects- like making a railing for the ramp to the grange and building a second stage.


This is the unfinished second stage for the Blackfly Ball! It's in the Bad Little Falls park, right next to the grange- and will have really cool music on it all night- so people can dance outside and take a break from the bound-to-be-hot-and-crowded grange hall.



We played the drawing game and came up with really ridiculous sentences based on other peoples quick drawings. So silly.


Dudes making dinner (a delicious dinner).


Mat worked hard to finish rewiring the Grange- so now we can have electricity up there without using extension cords, and it won't catch on fire! Great!




Josh stomped Tyler in a game of chess. I tried to watch to learn how to play- but got pretty distracted.


Folks continued work on the Patch Quilt- an elaborate quilt that has the Beehive patches displayed, with pockets that can be filled with patches for other people to get!


We had a little session in the studio to talk about the PPP poster, beehive methods, and general storytelling.


We started painting the fire escape. It had been painted the year (or two?) before- but it was pained in the rain (what?), so it didn't last long and was looking pretty poorly.


Evan hung up old clothes from a trailer (story to come at a later date) outside to air them out. There are some really crazy dresses, hats, and lots of fur jackets around. Best dress up ever (some clothes are too fancy for dress up- and we'll try selling).


We worked on an archive project. The beehive is 10 years old (whereabouts) and have NEVER strategically archived our story. So, we've been organizing all the photos, newspaper clips, articles, scetches, and whatever else into binders and things so people can look at it later.


Some of us know how to play pianos- so we got to put the ones in the Grange to use!




We worked on nailing images into tin cans to make lanterns for the ball. They are going to blow you're mind when you see them- so detailed and cute!


My Mom sent me shortbread cookies, it was so cute and everyone loves them! Then, about a day later she sent me HUGE box of them- to help out with Blackyfly Ball baking. Love my mama.



We volunteered one day to help out another Grange- and did some work around Whitneyville. We trimmed bushed and such back about 5 ft around a corner so cars could see when they went around it.


We helped clear the brush around the fence line at the graveyard in town.


We took a lunch break under a tree in the Graveyard, and Nate told us all kinds of stories about growing up in the area.


After helping clear brush, we went to Nate's garden and he let us pick lots of vegetables- like corn!


We also picked the BEST green beans ever- Blue Lake Beans. So amazing.


After we had been in the sun all day and picked vegetables, we were shown a new place to go swimming. The river was so warm and deep and lovely!


Having dinner on the porch of the Grange.



On Friday, we had another skill share. Erin did more photoshop sharing, and Ran showed us how to make icecream.


Best friends making icecream. Awwww.


Sam showed us how to make a camp stove out of two beer cans, 3 nails, fiberglass insulation, and JB weld. Who knew? Amazing!


We had too many people with too many cool skills to share- so on Saturday Christine lead another one- on womens health. We learned about moon cycles, fertility charts, contraception, and generally had a good conversation.



The Greenhorns came to the Grange as part of their chautauqua- a series of workshops, films, presentations, and visits- to support young farmers and encourage new ones. They ended in the Grange and had a few events there Saturday night- including sharing a GREAT dinner with us!



Between sessions, we played a game of simon says! I lost pretty quickly.


The Beehive gave some history on the Grange we were in, how it's a part of us, what role Granges played, what work went into it, the current state of affairs, and of course- a little bit about our graphic campaigns.


On Saturday afternoon, a couple of us went to Jasper Beach.


We flew kites, it was really cute, fun, and relaxing.






A failed attempt at carrying me off the beach...


We picked berries- mostly blackberries but a few raspberries were around, too. Favorite.




This upcoming week, we have to finished all things Blackfly Ball- because it's this Saturday! There's lots to still do, and the weather is not being friendly, but it will come together and before we know it- it'll be blackfly ball time!!

books

i was recently asked to come up with a book list for a friend. so here is what i have:


lost mountain by eric reese
a nonfiction account of the life and death of a mountain. it starts with a mountain who has just been permitted for MTR mining and follows it through that process- to its death. It also has some great naratives about folks living with that mountain. this book is why i care about mtr if that tells you anything.



assatta by assatta shakur
an insanely amazing book about assata shakur- who was a black revolutionary and was involved with the black panthers. it is one of those books that makes you question everything you ever read in a history text book and really opens the door to black struggles, especially within the 'justice system.' it's really accessible and easy to read, it's written like someone talking to you, not someone writing you a manifesto.






the monkey wrench gang by edward abbey
this one is fictional and about a group of folks out west who pick up monkey wrenching (sabatage) in the name of environmental protection. its good stuff, not 'educational' but a fun read and one that sort of lets you delve into issues of justification of our actions.


doris (anthology) by cindy crabb
a complication of zines and its so great. the way its written is frank and lets you think about things alot and reflect on your own life while hearing adventures and trials of someone elses life. really good (and an easy one to read a few pages at a a time, or read all night long with a cup of coffee).








nonviolent communication by marshall b rosenberg
this one is sort of akward to start reading. its written in a 'self help' way (or so i imagine) and at first was a little much for me. but the content is really great and i think i took a lot out of it. i think it would be best to read with housemates or friends so you could all practice together, because its such a different way of communicating i feel like i would have benefited from doing that. but even with that sort of awkward not very positive sounding note, i really do suggest reading it.


fighting back in appalachia edited by stephen l fisher

this one is a compilation of essays/articles about resistance in appalachia. i haven't read all of it, but have really enjoyed some of them and feel like its really applicabale and there are lessons to be learned from it. my favorite so far was Racism and Organizing in Appalachia which brought up some really powerful ideas of never avoiding hard topics and always confronting and working against things like racism, even when the cause we're working towards might seem unconnected (because really- it's not).




strange as this weather has been by ann pancake
a really wonderful fictional story that feel very based in reality (and i'm pretty positive it is). a story of a wv family dealing with mtr, and the personal struggles that take place in that process. this book for real made me cry, like really hard.




soil not oil by vandana shiva
vandana shiva is one of those people put into the hero category, so i'm a little prejudice. but, this book takes the time to connect issues of food production with climate change while focusing on environmental justice and the solutions to both climate change, food security, and poverty.







the vulneravle planet by john bellamy foster and the bridge at the end of the world by james speth
both of these books look at the global economic system and how that is leading us towards an ecological collapse beyond our control. ultimately, they both make the case for drastic overhauls of the world as we know it, in order to preseve the possibility of life in the future. they're both really good, and i couldn't decide which one to focus on, so i just went for both. (vulnerable plant is shorter and maybe more accessible)



democracy matters by cornell west
i find cornell west's language a little hard to digest and had to take some time reading this one. but he's an insanely smart guy and really lays out the need to go back to a better and more real democratic way. when i read it, i was also reading assatta, which was a great counter balance.




making things and doing stuff edited by kyle bravo
this isn't really a 'reading' book but a compilation of diy guides. in a way, these are things you can probably find online- but some of them i would never think to look up- and its nice to have things in print. everything from making beer, book binding, shoe repair, dildos and tips for traveling.





there are a lot of things here that are missing. you can see a pretty clear theme- environmental issues- which means that many things are missing. I feel like women/gender, native american and latin american issues are big holes not being addressed at all here. hopefully i'll get better at educating myself, and my post graduation reading list (which is still in the works) can be a good resource to delve into some readings on those issues.