Building a garden….
Monthly Archives: June 2012
Out and about in May
We welcomed many new friends at Bethany House this month, starting with a Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday, May 5.
On Thursday, May 17, Covenant Presbyterian Church hosted our Vespers Service.
On Saturday, May 19, we helped with the rest stop for the 2012 Trenton Bike Tour.
On Thursday, May 24, Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church hosted our Vespers Service.
Last, but not least, Grant Wadley joined us as the newest resident of Bethany House!
June 7th – Nassau Presbyterian Church
We had the pleasure of having many members of Nassau Presbyterian Church join us Thursday for a tour of the house, a tour of the new garden and Dinner (Which one of their members GRACIOUSLY prepared).
I never leave feeling lacking in anyways, physically or emotionally, after Vespers.
Myself and Amy were the only residents in attendance as Jamie, and Elizabeth were in Tennessee at the national conference and Grant teaches at Mercer County Community College every Tuesday and Thursday. We were very happy to represent all the residents at this dinner. It was quite amazing to be able to show Nassau Presbyterian Church around the house as they were a major part of making this house happen.
Amy and I shared our stories about how we found our selves to be in Trenton and at Bethany. We were very happy to answer their questions and get to know everyone there. We very much hope they come back again and continue to play a role in the lives of the residents of Bethany House. I personally was asked to come and talk to their Youth Group regarding my experience as an Americorps/VISTA, WHICH I LOVE TO DO.
Thank You again to Nassau Presbyterian Church for taking the time to come out on Thursday and spend sometime with us at The Bethany House.
-Erin
Unintentional Conversations
Thursday Night aren’t the only time we residents engage one another and others in spiritual conversations. The mire act of living together facilitates such conversations to occur on an unintentional level. That is something I love about this house and this community. Whether it’s cooking dinner, doing laundry, sitting and reading or a random walk by quick conversations all these acts have the potential to lead to amazing conversations accidentally. I know the other residents would agree that we don’t always start conversations with one another with the intent to dive deep into our spirituality and life; it organically happens sometimes. THOSE are always the best conversations. Over the past week I have had some of the most interesting and challenging conversations about religion, social justice and spirituality that I have ever had in my life, all occurring randomly with my roommates and some of their guests. None of those conversations started as an intentional ” lets sit down and talk about deep spiritual things”; each conversation started in an organic place and naturally led to these awesome places of growth and questions. I do think that being in this house with its intentional spiritual community that it is, helped those conversations along and lent these conversations a”safe” and welcoming environment to happen.
I feel blessed and lucky that I found myself at Bethany and with my roommates. Had I been in a one bed room apartment randomly somewhere in Trenton I know for a fact my connection with the community and my fellow AmeriCorp members would not be as strong . I would not be as effective as I have been working in Trenton; I also know I wouldn’t be having such intense spiritual conversations as often as I have been. Bethany House has given me so much and I thank God I am in tise space with these people all the time. We may not agree on somethings but myself and the other residents work together and quickly find ways to intentionally be together.
It will be very sad when we all go our own ways but for now I will enjoy these last few months, having these amazing unintentional conversations, and being with my fellow first residents of the Bethany House of Hospitality.
-Erin
Our other Housemate…Guster the rabbit
Its Erin again
I know many of you have been over to the BHOH but have never met Guster…
Guster is my English Spotted Rabbit; I was lucky enough to be able to bring him with me to the house when I moved here from Upstate New York.
I realized I should have done this a while ago but better late than never so everyone met Guster
He is 2 years old and his birthday is 11/29/2009
He is a larger than life bunny weighing in at 7 & 1/2 pounds ( thats a big bunny haha)
I got him from the humane society where I worked the summer of 2011.
He is very friendly and I would love to have him meet people whenever anyone visits.
-Erin
* Pastor Karen reminded me to mention that I am training Guster to be a therapy rabbit. In essence it just like a therapy cat or dog , he is just a bunny; so I training him to be around loud noises, many people and be handled a lot*
The Beginnings of BHOH’s Community Garden
Just in case you didn’t know, The Bethany House of Hospitality (BHOH) now has the beginnings of a community garden.
This was made possible by the support of many community partners (that I will add it to this post once I make sure I have everyone.)
We, the residents, are lucky to have the chance to help out with some building, organizing and planting. Jamie was able to help build the Pergola, a beautiful structure that stands in the garden. This past weekend, Myself and Elizabeth, were given the opportunity to help Dave, Linda, and Rev.Karen pack the beautiful raised cedar beds (where the actual plants will go) with wheel barrel after wheel barrel of compost. This was back-breaking, sweat inducing work that wont have to be repeated at that intensity ever again haha. It is amazing to know that next year when re-planting occurs Dave, Linda and Karen will tell stories of that first year, that first weekend that we planted and the work that went into it. That’s the most amazing part, that our work will sustain to the next residents.We also helped Dave with the placement of the plants. Our hands were black and brown from all the compost. We worked most of the day Saturday and Sunday. When we put the last plant in the compost it started raining hard, it was amazing to look back at the work we just did and how beautiful it looks; while getting rained on (haha).
We still have some work to do to replant some grass and are in need of something to go under the pergola to make it more of a community hang out space; for example some outdoor furniture, that we could move easily in order to put it away after we use it to ensure nothing sprouts legs and walks away (haha).
All us of residents are taking turns watering and caring for the garden for now and hope to get some more volunteers to assist; We are very excited to see what grows and comes from this garden. As I said before we still have a long way before it’s totally finished but we have also come a long way from the initial idea and design; thanks to Dave Byers and his expertise as a landscape architect and the hard work of many many people we now can see the beginning of something truly great.
-Erin
**( The attached images were taken by Me/Elizabeth with my phone; other better quality and better composed photos were taken by Dave and Linda)**
- Newly planted (Closer view)
A Funny Story
How I macgyvered my way out of my bathroom
Saturday Morning, 2 weeks ago, I was all set to take a shower, a quick shower at that, and like a normal person I closed the door behind me, I then realized I forgot something and again like a normal person I went to open the door to then go to my room and get what I forgot…but oh no no a simple task like opening a door and exiting a bathroom became a circus. I went to turn the handle and low and behold the handle fell off in my hand…WHAAAAA???? oh yea now I cant turn the handle. I then realize that the handle on the other side was on its way off the door as well. It then hit me that my roommates are ALLLLLL GOOONE and the one that maybe back before Monday night wouldn’t be back, at the earliest, until Sunday morning/afternoon. I momentarily began to panic I’M STUCK IN THE BATHROOM WITH NO WAY OUT UNLESS SOMEONE COMES HOME!!!! I then realized that I don’t even have my cell phone to call for help, I was like huh I wonder if this is what older people feel like when they fall down and there is no one to come get them; I should get one of those life alerts things ( haha); BUT really WHO BRINGS their cell phone with them to take a shower so that was a bust. I then began to figure out what to do; I can wrap my hands in my towel and push the glass part of the door out and free myself but that wont work because 1. I can’t push through solid glass and 2. that would be a huge mess…..BUST #2!!!
I took a deep breath and looked around at what I had in the bathroom to help free myself. I saw one of my roommates had left a mug and spoon on the ledge of the window and realized I may be able to turn the mechanism that opens the door with that BUT I needed to totally push the other handle out of the door; if I did that and this didnt work I would TOTALLY helpless, so I told myself if that happened I can just scream out of the open window at someone and get help.
I was MOST worried about my rabbit not eating I was fine with me not eating for 24hrs but not my rabbit; there was also enough towels in the bathroom for me wrap myself and NOT freeze over night. I then decided to just go for it. I knocked the other handle totally off the other side by pushing an old tooth brush through the space where the part of the door handle I had in my hand normally belongs. I heard the handle drop and SHOVED the spoon handle into the hole and twisted
THANK GOD I heard the door click, I threw the door open and THUS Macgyvered my way out of my bathroom
Lesson here ALWAYS bring a spoon or your cell phone into the bathroom with you if you live in a house older than 100years and the door handle falls off often.
I was THIS CLOSE to just giving up, crying and waiting but I refused to be that person who locked herself in a bathroom and was on the news because the fire department had to come and free her; that motivated me to FREE MYSELF.
Thank you for all those years as a girl scout and not always having what I need thus learning to be VERY RESOURCEFUL!!!
Hope I made someone laugh
I know I am
-Erin
**( the follow are pictures I took after the event, with my phone, and in the process of fixing the door nob)**
Bethany House of Hospitality 