Weekend UpDate

This past weekend I had the pleasure of bringing my mom out to SuBAMUH so she could see first hand just how beautiful the land was and so she would have a better idea of what I am doing with my internship! We actually went out to help Michelle load some stuff into her car, but by the time we got there all the help she needed was moving three tires into her truck! Instead of working we ended up going for a short hike down to the creek and followed it all the way to the pond. I went with my friend Kat Clement, who is doing a photo project on SuBAMUH, and her mothers, so I spent a lot of time telling them about SuBAMUH...or at least all the history and information I have learned in five weeks! It is always interesting to hear the different questions people ask. Older people (using that term in the kindest way) are most often interested in the financial aspect of how the women on the land support themselves. My mom was also very surprised that the Girl Scouts in the area didn't utilize the camping facilities more! I know if Troop 818 had known about SuBAMUH back in the day, we would have been down here hiking, camping and learning...at least if my mom had had anything to do with it. It was beautiful weather and felt very good to get outside and get some exercise!

We all had a very interesting discussion about living on SuBAMUH land. It is something I know I could never do for an extended period of time, although it doesn't seem like a bad idea if you needed to take a "time out" from life and clear your head. My mom brought up that the living situation is not conducive to a heterosexual lifestyle, especially for a woman who wants to start a family. Besides not being able to take being so "disconnected" from the creature comforts I've grown to know and love, I don't think I would be able to live in an all-women community either. I love the idea of women being able to support themselves and live outside the patriarchy, but I also greatly enjoy the presence of men in my everyday life. I don't know why I feel almost ashamed as a feminist to admit that I just don't think I could take living in a women's community! I suppose that is why SuBAMUH has attracted and become a more lesbian friendly community. Kudos and many applause are due though, to all the women who have worked so hard for so long to make SuBAMUH work....more on that in my next post, when I will write about the amazing interview I had with Mary, one of the founders of SuBAMUH.