A Couple Things

1.
Since my hubby and I own a church - AND have considered structuring our business entity housed in it as a church to reap exemptions - I found my new water bottle exactly what I needed!
My friends at BlueQ come up with the funniest stuff!


2.
From where I was standing when turning to grab the days diaper bag and head upstairs ~ that birthday hat on the shelf was on my head! Gave me a good 'out loud' chuckle.


3.
Soft opening of my Atelier at Alchemy Initiative on Thursday evening during the screening of Meryl Joseph's City Farmers. Movie starts at 8pm shop from 7 til 8
40 Melville Street in the heart of Pittsfield, MA 012o1

Pittsfield Hosts a Green Panel Discussion

Come see what we have in store!  My hubby Chris, of Cesco Plumbing and Heating - the Biodiesel Specialist, myself and a couple of other Berkshire Greenies have been invited by Pittsfield's Green Committee to be panelists on Thursday afternoon at the Berkshire Museum.  I am excited to have an opportunity to talk about what we are doing at Alchemy Initiative and spread the message of scaling back our consumption.  Once I have my talk finished I will post my notes here.  

If you are local come by and participate!  After the discussion Pittsfield's Third Thursday festivities will be in full swing.  I will have a table in front of Dotties where you can stop by and buy my latest wares or just have a chat.

Also we are having a Summer Solstice Garden Party on Friday evening.  There will be live, old thyme, bluegrassy music and dancing beginning at 7:30pm.  Bring a picnic to enjoy on the lawn of our urban farmhouse!  $10 donation will pay the bands.

Co-op Retreat, Fairy Houses

Last weekend I participated in the board retreat for The Berkshire Food Coop. It was a lovely stay at 9 Mountain Retreat and Workshop Center with true remote quiet, tastey whole food, and lots of wilderness to 'get lost' in. Once we got our work accomplished, we carpooled back to culture. I got home and CRASHED before the girls were in bed! All the serious, deep, collaborative thinking had seeped into my energy reserve and wiped me out.
Now that I have had a chance to recover, I am more intrigued than ever with the coop business model. Which enters into other aspects of my thought - Alchemy Initiative is in deep discussion around business structure with all our forward motion set aside until we can decide and pursue the structure that makes the best sense to us all.

It is imperative to do deep collaborative thinking in a Fairy House!

Wow - My head is spinning!

This is a picture of me and my sister Sofia. Good for grounding my current state of an extra full life!

Not a lot of time to post right now but did want to pop online to let you know I am still out here breathing air!

We are heading to Ireland for nearly three weeks in nearly three weeks. Biggie, the girls and I will be flying from JFK to Shannon with my parents' luggage. We will get there a week ahead of them and spend time getting their summer digs in order.

We have a 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom apartment available for rent in our Urban Farmhouse. Alchemy Initiative will be graced with new contributors which is exciting. Space available June 1st. (We will be out of the country.)

I am working on a new line of Sweatshirts! No, they are not wool! I am wearing the first of them in the picture above which was shot at Alchemy Initiative's Earthday kickoff event.

Looks like we are buying the convent across the street. It is a visual shambles on the outside ~ the inside is structurely sound. A boutique hostel is in the works for this property.

An internship program will get underway here this summer. Applicants should send their resume and letter of interest to me at crispinaffrench@gmail.com.

Chickens and Bees are coming soon! First week in May.

The girls are growing and so much fun to be with. Ben is a fine and healthy young man of 16.5 years. He just got his driver's permit and needs to practice driving.

Chris and I are good. Ireland will give us some time to share and relax.

The rest of the year's worth of workshops will be posted online soon! Stay tuned!

thanks for contributing to the general good of this planet! Seems to be commonly accepted as the way to behave these days. A refreshing new paradigm is unfolding.