This evening we held an Open House for our nearby neighbors. We wanted to thank them for their patience with the noise and disruption of our construction project. More importantly, we wanted to build community with them. Jeanine’s good friend, Barbara, helped us prepare the gathering of about twenty. I have been struggling with a kidney stone for the last 36 hours but have been managing with an alternating combination of ibuprofen and Tylenol. The party and preparation for it have been a good distraction from the pain.