The forecast said 70% chance of rain. But it seemed it would wait for the later part of the day. The plastering crew arrived around 9:15 am, smiling and bringing an air of excitement to the place. The sky was cloudy but pretty clear. I took my daily picture of Cerro Pedernal and loved the pattern of clouds and blue sky. But there was a feeling in the air.
I smiled when I saw someone from the crew place a bale of straw next to the adobe dirt and the mixer. Adobe dirt, straw and water comprise the first of three coats that will be applied to the adobe walls.
The mud was shoveled from the mixer to a wheelbarrow and then to 5-gallon buckets. The crew used these little backward shovels to scoop the mud out of the bucket and onto a large square trowel. Then smaller rectangular trowels were used to apply the mud to the walls. The guys did this so gracefully it looked like they were dancing. One guy was up high on the scaffold and the other directly below him. Talk about trust!
What a great start of the day. Everyone is smiling, having a good time. The first side of the building is just about done. But could we beat the oncoming storm? I walk off to attend to other things. After a while, my phone starts buzzing in my pocket and then I hear someone calling my name. "Rick, Rick, there's no more water!" OMG. Could it be that the cistern is out of water? Our 1,170-gallon cistern is out of water? I rushed over to the water spigot. Turned it on and off and there was nothing. No water! I hadn't checked the level for some time, since my last trip out here.
What am I going to do? We are racing against the clock as it is. A delay could really leave us in trouble. I call our water delivery person, thinking it's going to be OK. They live just at the bottom of the mesa. Could I get him to make a quick delivery? I find his number on my phone and make the call. No answer! Voice message. I leave a message explaining the situation and in my best calm but desperate voice, I say, "Please give me a call". I try a second time thinking maybe their phone was just out of reach. No answer. I look at the time and see its quarter to twelve. OK, maybe I can be saved by lunchtime. They have to take a break. That might give me an hour to get water to the mixer. I call our main general contractor and explain the situation and used the phrase, "I think we might be xxcked!" He says to me, "Wow, I didn't think you used that kind of language". I replied that I save my F-bombs for special occasions just like this! I tell him I'll keep trying to get water here.
Then I figure, OK, maybe I can carry water from the neighbor's spigot. I ask how many buckets of water are needed for the rest of the day. I'm told 10 buckets and I think, "Well that could be do-able". I go to the neighbor's and ask for buckets and permission to use their hose. The answer is "of course".
As I am carrying the first two buckets about 200 yards across the street, my phone rings. It's the water guy! He got my message. "Give me a half hour", he says. We've been saved!
What am I going to do? We are racing against the clock as it is. A delay could really leave us in trouble. I call our water delivery person, thinking it's going to be OK. They live just at the bottom of the mesa. Could I get him to make a quick delivery? I find his number on my phone and make the call. No answer! Voice message. I leave a message explaining the situation and in my best calm but desperate voice, I say, "Please give me a call". I try a second time thinking maybe their phone was just out of reach. No answer. I look at the time and see its quarter to twelve. OK, maybe I can be saved by lunchtime. They have to take a break. That might give me an hour to get water to the mixer. I call our main general contractor and explain the situation and used the phrase, "I think we might be xxcked!" He says to me, "Wow, I didn't think you used that kind of language". I replied that I save my F-bombs for special occasions just like this! I tell him I'll keep trying to get water here.
Then I figure, OK, maybe I can carry water from the neighbor's spigot. I ask how many buckets of water are needed for the rest of the day. I'm told 10 buckets and I think, "Well that could be do-able". I go to the neighbor's and ask for buckets and permission to use their hose. The answer is "of course".
As I am carrying the first two buckets about 200 yards across the street, my phone rings. It's the water guy! He got my message. "Give me a half hour", he says. We've been saved!
425 gallons later and with the end of lunch we are back in business! But the clouds are rolling in. I send Elisa this picture.
Pretty ominous. A few large drops fall on our heads. The crew keeps working. I go to a place inside where I surrender and have faith that everything will work out. Stephen and I actually get in the truck and drive to Cafe Sierra Negra for lunch. As I eat my dahl, I am looking out the window. A few drops, but then it seems to stop. I go to my quiet place inside again and I feel a wave of gratitude.
We eat fairly quicky, then stop at the Family Dollar across the street from the restaurant to buy two boxes of cookies for the crew. We drive up the mesa and the road seems dry. We get to the site and work is progressing. People smile when they see the cookies. All is well. By about 3:15 pm the four sides of the building were complete. A slightly different product will be applied to the upper gable ends. That will be done the next workday. It is complete. Coat number one is complete. Amazing!
The crew drives off. We are doing other tasks and about an hour and a half goes by. A few large drops. More drops and then the sky opens up. It rains hard for about 20 minutes - really hard. But I know that the mud on the building is OK. It is set and the roof has overhangs and there are two more coats that need to be applied. The rain cooperated.
After the storm subsided, we completed other tasks and were eventually ready to drive off. Down the mesa, onto Route 155, we got to a place where the road was closed due to flood damage during the year of the very first Sun-Moon Dance that we did in 2015. The acequia (dry bed where rainwater runoff flows) was raging. I had never seen it like this before. The power of it. The intensity. And this was a good hour after the rain had stopped.
The crew drives off. We are doing other tasks and about an hour and a half goes by. A few large drops. More drops and then the sky opens up. It rains hard for about 20 minutes - really hard. But I know that the mud on the building is OK. It is set and the roof has overhangs and there are two more coats that need to be applied. The rain cooperated.
After the storm subsided, we completed other tasks and were eventually ready to drive off. Down the mesa, onto Route 155, we got to a place where the road was closed due to flood damage during the year of the very first Sun-Moon Dance that we did in 2015. The acequia (dry bed where rainwater runoff flows) was raging. I had never seen it like this before. The power of it. The intensity. And this was a good hour after the rain had stopped.
May this day flow like the rain down the acequia, back to the river and then off to the Cosmic Mother Ocean. May this day end with each of us returning to the Vast Ocean of the Self. May all beings be happy. May all beings be free.
This last image is a closeup of the wall - with mud and a little straw visible. A-ho. Thank you, Ancient Ones and thank you, Lord of Love. For the mud. For this day. For the gift of life. For the gift of faith.
This last image is a closeup of the wall - with mud and a little straw visible. A-ho. Thank you, Ancient Ones and thank you, Lord of Love. For the mud. For this day. For the gift of life. For the gift of faith.
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