[Oe List ...] MOVING ON

Thu Sep 2 08:31:59 CDT 2010

Thank you for your love and care of those western edges.  Thank you for this
delightful geology lesson and your story of the gifts of gratitude.
Blessings as you go forward to a new location to explore and care for.  Keep
us posted.    Lynda Cock

  _____  

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of David & Lin Zahrt
Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 9:51 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] MOVING ON

George, [I debated whether to send this to you alone, or send it to the
whole list serve. I decided to send to the whole list serve.] 

After we were here for 2 years I said to Lin, "We moved a lot, but we were
always meeting new colleagues and friends. Now we're 'planted'. Let's have a
B&B and have our friends and colleagues come to us." At the time she was in
charge of the County Public Health Department. She said, "Alright, you do
the cooking."

We discovered that we had a steady trickle of people interested in a Century
old house, and the Loess Hills  <http://pubs.usgs.gov/info/loess/>
<http://pubs.usgs.gov/info/loess/>. Because it was a steady trickle it
didn't become work. And because those interested in our B&B or the Loess
Hills, or both, we found ourselves meeting a new set of colleagues and
long-term friends.

We were the first B&B in our county: Monona County with a population just
under 10,000. Shortly after we opened the B&B I was asked to be the speaker
at the local women's group called "Christian Women after 5". It was a dinner
meeting and I was the guest speaker. Once I finished the presentation I
entertained questions. The first question was, "How can you stand to have
strangers in your house?" 

Quietly. inside myself, I asked "If these are Christian women after 5, what
are they before 5?"

Of course I had my own set of short courses for our guests.
o I insisted that we live on the 'West Coast' of Iowa. If you looked at the
URL above, you can see the hills are a thin strip of windblown soil just
east of the present Missouri River. Looking west out our picture window we
see 15 miles across the Missouri flood plain to Nebraska. Within 2 football
fields east of our back door the Loess (Deutch for windblown) Hills rise 250
feet.
o I insisted that Cole Porter's song, DON'T FENCE ME IN was written about
the hills because in the Chorus he says..."I want to ride to the ridge where
the west commences..." 
--The Yucca grows naturally on the west edge of the Loess Hills and it grows
naturally in Arizona/New Mexico. There's botanical evidence that this is
"the ridge where the West commences."
--Audubon Society tracks the migration of raptors in the Alleghenies and
they get 15. They come out here and get 18-20.
o My last point was that Cole Porter is dead and he can't contradict me!

We have a player piano so after I did my short course I would take them into
the Living Room and play/sing Don't Fence Me In. Some would join in, some
would simply listen.

I think I've already shared the short course I gave at the breakfast table.
Having read David Steindl-Rast, GRATEFULNESS, the HEART of PRAYER.
Steindl-Rast writes that he sees people going through life looking for a way
to be happy so they can be grateful for their lives. But, he says, it isn't
happiness that makes you grateful, its gratefulness that makes you happy.
When I read that I looked into my own life to discover where gratefulness
comes spontaneously. I realized that the meal time is one of those times
because I'm on the receiving end of things, and with family or friends. Then
I ask to share the things for which we're grateful, and conclude by saying,
"Let's eat and be grateful."

We've had some EI/ICA visitors. When I shared that table grace with Dick &
Amelia Kroeger they immediately sent us the book, A GRATEFUL HEART: Daily
Blessings for the Evening Meal from Buddha to the Beatles, edited by M.J.
Ryan.

I'm not certain what a Witness is any more. Maybe I've just shared one.

David

PS.
We'll be co-habiting with my sister, Christy, and her husband. Chris started
a Sangha more than 20 years ago in the Carson City area. I thought I would
email Larry Ward to see if he is in synch with Vipassina, and if we could
talk with him about doing a retreat in Carson City. The email address I had
bounced. Do you have Larry's current email address?

On Sep 1, 2010, at 7:23 AM, M. George Walters wrote:

Lin and David

For many years on my "bucket list" was breakfast with you guys at your B&B.
Guess I will have to go a little further West.

Carol and I wish you all the best.

With kindest regards.

M. George Walters

Resurgence Publishing Corporation

4240 Sandy Shores Dr

Lutz, FL 33558

USA

Tel: +1 (813) 948-7267

Fax: +1 (813) 333-1787

Mob: +1 (813) 505-9041

URL: www.ResurgencePublishing.com

Professional Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mgwalters

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of Isobel and Jim Bishop
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 22:56
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] MOVING ON

Dear Lin and David,

We wish you good health, and good travelling as you " Journey on, Journey
on..." the Aboriginal song we often sang... " Future is waiting for you...."

We remember your visit here a few years ago now with such pleasure.  Our
Peter was such good mates with your dear Jay, and Pete was so pleased to
meet you both again at that time. 

Take good care,

Our love to you both,

Isobel Bishop for our family.

On 28/08/2010, at 10:53 PM, David & Lin Zahrt wrote:

Dear Colleagues,

One of our major considerations in returning to the family Homestead was
care for Mother and Dad. Shortly after we returned to the Homestead we
opened the Homestead House as a B&B and engaged in prairie
restoration/protection.

Mother and Dad are gone, we are that age, and no one in the family is
returning. So my sisters and I have sold the Homestead. The INHF has
purchased it and will lease it to Monona County Conservation (MCCB) and DNR
while they are raising funds to finalize the purchase.

We think there's a strong chance that there will be a Nature Center
established in the Barn complex. If you have the opportunity please
encourage Doug Kuhlmann, MCCB Director, to do so.

We will have an on-site Auction on Sep 18 to dispose of antiques,
collectables, and 150 years of miscellaneous accumulation. Y'all come! We've
found that you can't get enough of what you don't really need! Here are the
URLs.

http://www.mccallauctions.com/auctions/1113/

http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/auctionlist.cgi

Lin and David will be moving to Carson City, NV to be closer to family. 

New email addresses as of Sep 30

David <mailto:David%E2%80%944deezee at gmail.com> -4deezee at gmail.com

Lin <mailto:Lin%E2%80%944linderz at gmail.com> -4linderz at gmail.com

David & Lin Zahrt

-- Doorway to the Loess Hills -

Where a change of pace is as good as a vacation, and a sense of place is
soothing to the soul.

<chbnb at netins.net>

Skype <loesshills>

David Zahrt 
-- Doorway to the Loess Hills -
Where a change of pace is as good as a vacation, and a sense of place is
soothing to the soul.
<chbnb at netins.net>
Skype <loesshills>

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