ANOTHER EMAIL FROM SARA KATE, IN SPAIN TIL LATE DECEMBER

SARA KATE AND HER TWO PALS ARE WORKING ON ORGANIC FARMS THAT ARE PART OF WWOOF (WORLDWIDE ORGANIZATION OF ORGANIC FARMS)

Howdy all!
We are working here, but not very hard. Today I've been working at clearing a garden terrace above the house, tearing down pampas grass, rose bushes, and assorted other plants. It's actually quite enjoyable work just to let go and tear something to shreds. Therapeutic, really. I just wish we had better tools - it's hard to decimate a 10-foot bush with a pair of hedgeclippers. I'd give anything for one of the scythes from our other farm.

Yesterday I took a hike up into the mountains with one of the dogs, all the way up to the main roads. There are grape orchards everywhere and I stopped to pick the sweetest grapes I've ever tasted, as flavorful as apple cider. From the top of the vista I can see the sparkling blue Mediterranean in one direction and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada in the other. Scampering down the rocky road I heard myself say out loud, "I'm so happy right now it ought to be illegal!" It surprised me to say it but I thought about it and it was true, I was very happy. Writing in my journal last night I came to a realization: that my moments of most greatest happiness almost always come from interactions with people I love or from intense experiences outdoors. So often being outside brings me a moment of overwhelming joy or emotion. It's exciting to realize that. Now what to do with the knowledge?

SK