The Bolivian Workers are here, arriving early-bright. There is a stated goal, arrived at in a mixture of languages generally characterized as Spanglish. Lately it has become a common tongue at Refuge Farm. We also believe we have general agreement on the proposition that will have the extended new porch and associated roof on the Bunk House complete before supply chain issues and the recession make completion unlikely.

Prior planning in perilous economic times is important. As you know, sitting around the Fire Ring in the rain can hamper constructive conversation. This approach, we are confident, will enhance productivity through the end-to-end process of earnest discussion and proximity to both hot and cold beverages depending on the hour.

The Bolivians may or may not appreciate the significance of the holiday coming up on Monday. There is controversy about that as this 4th of July beckons. As with everything these days, there is partisan dispute even on the simple stuff. Marlow wrote the Fire Ring a note from his Coastal Empire retreat regarding a new poll released for the news cycle yesterday. It claimed only about 38% of Americans were proud of their nation as this holiday approaches.

That naturally caused a stir. We took our own poll here this morning, local, of course, but only included Bolivians who were certified as landed immigrants. We are all proud of America. To celebrate, we do not anticipate pyrotechnical displays. Instead, we have commissioned the emplacement of stout load-bearing pillars, roof beams, and the necessary extension of the deck to comfortably extend legs while sheltered from torrential showers, or later in the cyclic romp around the sun, punishing snow

That is how we are spending the Long Weekend. It will involve many features requiring attention, discipline and dedication. Thankfully, not by us but by skilled contract laborers. We have mastered the path from porch to kitchen already. And we will hoist the new flag- the one in which the red stripes glow bright, the white of stripes and stars unblemished, and the blue field on which they fly is rich, unsullied and proud. That is the style we prefer at The Farm. In fact, we think it makes getting out of the rack in the morning a positively grand thing!

Copyright 2022 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com