Rain has come

& snow is melting! The roof is almost bare now, my prayers continue for gentle absorption!!
I am in the midst of midwinter cleaning & clearing - washing dishes, washing clothes, 'de-thugging' (Alexandra Stoddard's term! Isn't it just so appropriate?)

I found more info on wedding brooms, handfasting customs, & the Welsh 'priodas coes ysgub' or 'broomstick Wedding.' (this third, an excerpt from the book by Mary Neasham is a great resource on European Handfasting customs!) I'd forgotten the African American connection with the phrase 'jumping the broom' & a time when it was illegal for slaves to marry, but they could still declare their commitment in this way! Poignant.

I love Mary's comments in her Handfasting guide: "It is important to remember that throughout man's history there have always been two tiers of society - the rich & the poor. Up until Victorian times, marriage was seen as a political & economical arrangement for the richer families to gain strength, but for the working class it remained a simple affair based mainly on local customs." (p22)
& "One wonders if the subsequent invasion of Germanic tribes to Britain was partly to escape the spread of Christianity into mainland Europe." (p19)

Another delightful site I discovered yesterday - Jay Shafer's Tumbleweed "Tiny House" Company!!! Wow. When I lived at Breitenbush my homes ranged from 9X19,' (about the size of hisTarleton.) Mine had a 2 burner propane stove, a wee fridge, & loft bed, but I shared a tiny kitchen & bathroom facilities with several other houses. I also spent several months in a yurt (maybe 20' d?) with sunken bathtub & a lovely compact kitchen. A blessing at the Burning Bush was abundant geothermal heat, & electricity from our hydro plant - so no utility costs! I ate breakfast at home, & made tea, but ate lunch & or dinner in the fab. Organic Vegi dining room with other staff & our guests.

I love the spare look of these rooms - & did pare 'stuff' down when I lived at BB - I so tend to accumulate STUFF!! Sigh. I loved living round - after living in "Star Song," I moved to an octagon home (also with loft) that was 17' d. There were closets on the N & S sides, one with shelves, the other with clothing bar. These are still some of my favorite BB homes - 4 octagons surrounding a shared central kitchen & bath room, also octagonal!

If you click on the Breitenbush photo gallery link, 'facilities' will show you some of the public spaces. I taught Reiki in both the room with the fireplace (N wing of the Lodge) & the building with the arched window in the door (Forest Shelter).

OK, back to the cleaning!