My first - and sadly last - entry.

Unfortunately, the first time I have been able to put up a blog post is a mere two days before I leave Heathcote! However, I can share what I have done in my internship and what it has been like. And hopefully I can pass this blog along to the next willing intern! Let's see. A lot of what I have been doing is gardening: planting, watering, mulching, weeding, harvesting. We built trellises for drooping tomato plants, harvested bags and bags of greens, planted seedlings, experimented with direct broadcasting, prepared beds, trained cucumbers up onto twine, mulched potatoes, brought in delicious shell peas, and cleared out poison ivy and mile-a-minute. We've worked in the forest garden (spreading compost around fruit trees, planting lobelia), cleared out some trails through the forest, and neatened up the solar shower. I have helped build a rustic bench, peeled logs for a new greenhouse, attended a budgeting meeting, and helped with marketing for educational programs. We've picked wild black raspberries and made jam; me and Eric, another intern, have hiked through the woods and identified plants; I've been to movie nights and bonfire nights, birthday celebrations and a Zegg forum; one night, Kat (another intern) and I took on cooking dinner; I participated in a social permaculture workshop, helped cook for PDC design presentations, and sent out emails to advertise the course; I've had jams and sing-alongs, read books from Heathcote's great permaulture library while lying in a hammock by the stream; I've slept in the meditation hut every night, hung out in the mill kitchen with others in the community, had fun with the other interns, and learned about how Heathcote functions as an intentional community. One night we (four interns) went to a fantastic party at a neighboring farm. Last night we went out to ice cream in New Freedom. I've played with the kids and had many a good dinner conversation; I have enjoyed getting to know community members; I have been very grateful to be so welcomed into life here. There have been good days and bad, fun work and tedious work, but my internship has really been lovely. Living in community is a blessing, and being able to be outside every day, eat good food, and enjoy time with others is wonderful. It's an invaluable experience to spend a month in a place like this!