It looked like rain today, and thus I decided to leave off the world-map gig and began the day at home. This entailed reading a bit further in Joseph Conrad’s caricature Heart of Darkness, writing a letter, cleaning the bike, and playing guitar. I’ve been practicing more of late, something that has been a great boon for many reasons. Usually I just play the tunes that I’ve written, but there is great satisfaction derived from playing this or that phrase correctly, and well, of another. "Heart of Darkness" is quite the read. V.S. Naipaul referred to it constantly in his writings on Africa, and for that reason I decided to pick it up. It seems appropriate to read about the deep end of “trade” in Leopold II’s Congo, while living in a former colony. Further thought as to how often the lofty talk of fireside conferences fall prey to the baser desires of man. While the story is fiction, given the epoch it refers too, the line between fiction and reality is blurry. I have yet to reach its conclusion; the language too is eloquent and evocative – the darkness described is palpable.

Yet, as the day wore on it quickly became apparent that the afternoon would be ideal painting weather. Well, there’s nothing else to do as I’m here in town and the map is there on the mountain. Perhaps tomorrow will yield a beautiful day from the start and no question as to go or not will remain. The map’s completion has been delayed consistently by rain – today I didn’t wish to hike two hours only to work for one. In any event, things that I wanted to do have been done, and this has been good. Mostly it’s been nice to take it easy; my body seems to have returned to normal after visiting home, and a slow morning allowed me to relish this fact.

The construction of the bread oven began last week, and may be completed this Saturday. With promises of food and beer (mind you, not enough to adversely affect the oven’s final form) I’ve enticed several folks to work and, if I ready most things this week, we’ll be well on the way. Interest has been expressed in constructing other ovens. Of course, at the onset this always happens. I figure, build this one, bake bread for those interested parties, then we’ll see. If interest is still high, let’s do it! This project fills a deep need of mine to create and sustain positive change – change, at this point that is basically individual. If I can help give that to others as well…then my purpose here lies fulfilled. Freedom is most easily found in the things that one can do for one’s self; if it is something as simple as a loaf of bread, that then is freedom.

Now to the post office, market, so on and so forth. I have a few tomato and cucumber shoots in the garden to boast of…this too is freedom! Let freedom ring!