The severely reduced number of daylight hours are just starting to make me a bit crazy (my family is reading this saying, “just starting and just a bit”) so it is a very good thing we are turning the corner towards longer days, even if it is not always actual bright sunlight, tomorrow.

The tree is up and decorated, and the few gifts we share are resting beneath it waiting to be opened Solstice evening. We will celebrate with a (very local) chicken dinner, music, and old family tales starting with, “remember when Ian or MacKenzie...” and ending with laughter as the dog attempts to eat the ornaments off the tree.

Later in the evening, if weather permits, a big bon-fire is started outside with a small piece of charcoal from the previous years Yule log.

This is the time we celebrate our family and all the grace accumulated throughout the year. This particular year has been an assemblage of blessings along with a multitude of sorrows. Both of which have provided a battalion of life lessons, new friends, and the joy of new beginnings in this amazing community.

Good Things this Past Week:

In case you haven't seen the facebook posts and the “News” on the website, we are an official project of Seedcorn, Inc. Which at the most fundamental level means we can start accepting donations. Please visit our donations page on the website to financially support our work.

Our first youth has signed on! (no more words needed)

We will have Internet from Slic installed, in a few days.

Our space is looking more and more inviting and homey as we add books to the shelves and lights and paper snowflakes around the windows.

Help Wanted:

Please continue to spread the word. We will be open in TWO WEEKS!

Seasonal Blessings to all!

Happy Friday the 13th!  There has always been a special place in my heart for the number 13, especially the ones that land on Fridays.  Just my usual contrariness of not following the crowd or something larger guided by the universe?  Who knows, but we did close on our land on a Friday the 13th almost 8 1/2 years ago and that was a successful venture.

I am going to take a break from writing this week and offer this awesome, powerful TEDx video of Ken Danford from North Star for your viewing pleasure.  Ken offers an opportunity, or maybe it is a challenge at the end of the video.  If you take on this challenge, one more kid will have the chance to be happy.  And, we all know the possibilities that are present when happiness is part of our lives. 

Just click the above link to see the video, or go to our videos page on the website.  I have watched this twice and cried the second time.  We are so fortunate to have this visionary amongst us who is willing to share his stories and wisdom to help others create spaces for young people around the world. Thank you, Ken.

Every day I am bowled over by the number of people who are willing to help get this project off the ground. Almost every person I have approached has been overwhelmingly supportive and has gone above and beyond in offering, advice, wisdom, physical labor, furniture, monetary donations, time, skills, future classes, and their best wishes for our success.

I am going to offer these photos as documents of our progress this week. As you can see, our space looks homey and comfortable. All we need to complete these pictures is kids doing their thing and their artwork on the walls.

Now for the very long list of Thank Yous!

Thank you to Ruta at the SLU warehouse who allowed me pick out whatever I needed from the SLU discard pile and who came in to work on a Saturday to open the warehouse and facilitate loading it all onto a truck.

We are indebted to Anne Townsend, the volunteer services coordinator at SLU, and the crew of six students she put together to move all of the above mentioned furniture early Saturday morning. Not to mention the SLU rack truck she borrowed to move it all. There is no way we would have gotten that couch, large table and other multiple items up those stairs and through those (really narrow) doorways without them.

Another thank you goes to Shelli Prespare-Weston for the enormous bookcase and the time she spent helping to schlep, hoist and shove it up two flights of stairs early one very cold morning.

Thanks, to Bonnie, my mother in law, who purchased a book case and put it together, despite the instructions. And for all of her good thoughts and energy towards this project.

Thank you Sam, at the Canton Free Library, for facilitating the donation of the map stand, maps and atlases. You made one map geek very happy.

Kids will greatly appreciate the comfy barrel chairs Charlotte Ramsey donated to us.

Thanks to Val and Bill Pulver who donated a kitchen table and chairs and some money to use towards other needed items.

The mini fridge from Paul Hetzler and the old microwave from the UU church are a welcome additions. It will be wonderful to bring leftovers for lunch without carrying a big cooler and ice everyday and offering that luxury to any of the kids who want to take advantage of a warm lunch.

If I forgot anyone in this listing, please know that your generosity is appreciated beyond measure.

Open House News:

We will be holding the Open House at the Center this Wednesday the 11th at 7PM. Admissions counselors from SUNY Canton and St Lawrence University will offer information about applying to college as an independent learner. I will talk briefly about Deep Root Center and the process of becoming a member. We will all be available to answer questions during a question and answer period. Parking is in the rear of the building in the lot off of Riverside Drive. The back entrance is a white door with a Deep Root Center sign in the window.

Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested in learning more about Deep Root Center.

Help Wanted:

I am going to start building the January class and workshop calendar. If you are interested in teaching a class, please let me know what the subject/focus is and when you would be available (day of the week and time) to teach it. I would like to have at least 2-3 classes each day on a schedule to just give folks a flavor of the variety of options. Always remembering that just because it is offered does not mean that students are required to take any particular class. That is where scheduling for truly individualized learning programs gets a bit complicated, but the results are so worth it!

Onward and upward. Only four weeks to Opening Day!