to wrap my head around and sort it all out and figure out how I feel... and the wind is howling, stirring up the snow. I don't have a clear view. Weather reflecting inner turmoil. ...so I'll blog about other stuff.
Last Friday, we were invited to visit with a Hutterite family at Elm Spring Colony. I didn't know what to expect. I know a little bit about Hutterite culture and values, but I'd never had a long conversation with one.
So we're invited into the family home. It is immaculately clean with very spare furniture. A few decorations on the walls. The mother puts a huge amount of goodies - both store-bought and home-made - on the table for us to enjoy.
When the 20 year old son talked to his mum, I was shocked by the casual disrespect... and I gave him a bit of a hard time about it... but his mum didn't. We talked about colony life and his mum hardly entered the conversation... but just when I was thinking about the oppression of women...
In walks 3 female unmarried cousins, age 16-20. One of them sits casually beside the 2o yo, flops her feet onto his lap and casually demands he tie her shoe - which he does. The girls surprised me with the direct gazes and willingness to share their feelings, ideas and experiences. It is clear that the girls and the young man are good friends - and I was surprised by this too.
And again I am reminded that life and culture and people are complex and not to be judged too hastily. In the end, it was one of the more enjoyable evenings of wine and conversation that I've had in a long time!
The other "big event" was the arrival of Aimee and her TEN puppies (which we are fostering until the babies are weaned). OMG, I am smitten. Their baby-ness overwhelms my senses and I feel the biological urges of motherhood flood me. I swear I feel milk let-down when they cry! They have baby tummies and baby toes and give baby kisses and they sound like babies and smell like babies. And to get your own baby senses flowing, here are a couple of way too cute photos.
