NEWS
Our Shared Table
December 8
Dear Friends,
Oto here. I am continually blown away by how this community of people makes me feel. Every week I think to myself, “I don’t know what I’d do without them right now.” Our meetings have become something sacred for me, no matter where we are or what we’re gathering for. I hold deep gratitude for every single member. You each bring something unique and powerful to our shared table; it wouldn’t be complete without you.
I hope this week has been full of cozy gatherings, deserved rest, and maybe a cross-country ski or two. We know that y’all are busy people, especially this time of year. Despite that, we hope you’ll make some time for these upcoming events! Shout out to Sam for hosting us this week!
Wednesday, December 11, 7pm
For anyone who may be looking to become more involved with local politics, join the High Peaks DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) on Zoom for their year-end meeting from 7-8pm. Send us an email to request the Zoom link.
Thursday, December 12, 6:30pm
Gather at 6:30pm for a potluck hosted by Sam. Bring something warm to share! Keep an eye out for a Google Calendar invite with the address.
Friday, December 13, 7:30pm
Meet at St. Bernard’s Church at 7:30pm for the Northern Lights Choir Winter Concert. Suggested donation of $15. Anna is a member of the choir so let’s show up to support her!
Saturday, December 21
Keep an eye out for details about a solstice-themed gathering!
As always, reach out to us if you’d like to host, have an idea for a meeting, want to contribute to the newsletter, or connect otherwise.
Anna and Oto on behalf of Second Wind
Welcome Home, Winter
December 1
Dear Friends,
May your first week of December be full of peace, love, and gratitude. Hot tea, fires in the wood stove, candles, books, homemade bread, skiing of all sorts, close friends…Winter magic. Time to honor the soothing practice of winding down and embracing Winter after an energetic Summer and a bountiful Autumn.
This week, we continued the Second Wind conversation by considering the places that feel like home, what our cells crave, and our dreams for our lives. What are the things that tug on your heart, your wildest dreams, the things that crack open our sense of yearning and move us to act? For me, Anna, those things are food, friends + neighbors who make up the collective, and music. For that reason, I put together a Spotify playlist to welcome home our beloved Winter. Feel free to listen, save, share, and tell us what you’re listening to these days. I’d love to hear. I’ve also been practicing yoga quite a bit these days, and would be happy to have friends to practice with and to attend classes with. Feel free to let me know if this could be you.
Our Thursday gathering this week will be at the Adirondack Center for Writing. We’ll meet there at 7pm. See details in our event listing below. If anyone has questions or trouble finding the ACW, feel free to email us at SecondWindADK@gmail.com, or you can text or call Anna at 732–865–1312.
Our group has so many beautiful ideas, so we’re sending a friendly reminder to fill out our Google form for break out groups. This form gives all of us a chance to put our heads together and bring some wonderful collaborations to life.
We’ll leave you with a list of upcoming offerings, and the exciting prospect of seeing you all again soon. As always, feel free to email back to share any events, creative offerings, ideas, or greetings.
Thursday, December 5: Meet at the Adirondack Center for Writing at 7pm. This event will feature a reading by Lori Brand (Anna’s mom!). It is free, but please pre-register.
Friday, December 6: Light Up Saranac Lake — From 6–9pm, the Village is hosting a parade, tree lighting at Berkeley Green, and a visit with Santa… very exciting. :) There will be a bonfire, cookies and hot chocolate, and Christmas caroling with the Northern Lights Choir.
Saturday, December 7: Lake Flower Landing is hosting author/activist Bill Ayers to talk about his new book, “When Freedom is the Question, Abolition is the Answer: Reflections on Collective Liberation.” Free and open to the public — doors open at 5pm and the event begins at 5:30pm.
Friday, December 13: Meet at St. Bernard’s Church at 7:30pm for the Northern Lights Choir Winter Concert. This event requests a suggested donation of $15. Anna is a member of the choir so let’s show up to support her!
Warm Wishes,
Anna and Oto on behalf of Second Wind
So Much to Share, So Much to Be Thankful For
November 24
Dear Friends,
It’s been a fulfilling week in the world of Second Wind. How wonderful it is to see a project come to life through new connections, shared ideas, and the mysterious spark that brings people together.
Part of what Second Wind sets out to do is create a web of purposeful, interconnected people. We believe that each one of us is inherently creative and has something unique to bring to the table. Our gifts are meant to be celebrated with the collective, and our decision to share them enriches our human family and helps us to nourish our own inner worlds. Is there something that you love deeply, a special skill you have, or an area of life that interests you more than anything else? Perhaps it is a spoke on the wheel that is Second Wind.
This week, we gathered on Thursday night and talked about projects that we can make happen with just a bit of collaboration. Take a look at the first link under the “Relevant Links” section of this newsletter and consider talking with us more about projects such as an open mic night, writing groups, a community garden, skillsharing workshops, local politics, and more.
On Saturday, we were blessed to have a friend of the project come and assess our barn. Read more + see photos here.
Lastly, please browse our upcoming events and relevant links below. Your words and your wisdom are always welcome — email responses are encouraged! We hope to see you all again on Tuesday.
Upcoming Events and Gatherings
Tuesday, November 26: Meet on the Berkeley Green at 6pm (this will replace our usual Thursday gathering). Bring a mug; we will provide hot tea for everyone.
Saturday, November 30: Meet at Ampersand Bay at 10am for a cold plunge
Thursday, December 5: Meet at the Adirondack Center for Writing at 7pm. This event will feature a reading by Lori Brand (Anna’s mom!). It is free, but please pre-register.
Friday, December 13: Meet at St. Bernard’s Church at 730pm for the Northern Lights Winter Concert. This event requests a suggested donation of $15. Anna is a member of the choir so let’s show up to support her!
Relevant links
*Google form for break out groups:* Please select all that apply, but only select projects that you are willing to help make happen. We’ve included an “other” write in category so that you can share new ideas with us as well.
Idea doc: Even if your idea isn’t fully formed, add it to the list!
Network doc: If you have any contacts (groups or single people) who might be helpful partners, please fill out this table as completely as you can.
Project plan: This document is only viewable. If you have feedback, please email us.
Medium Account: A place for any member to share writing, stories, links to content, and more. You can find an archive of our newsletter here. This will always be linked in the bottom of our newsletter next to our website.
As always, if you have anything to include in the newsletter (events, thoughts, writings, etc.) or if you want to host a gathering, please email SecondWindADK@gmail.com by Friday.
Our sincere thanks for the uniqueness and the life force that lives in each one of you.
With joy,
Anna and Oto on behalf of Second Wind
A Welcome, Some Food for Thought, and a Little Gratitude
November 3
Good Afternoon Friends,
Welcome to Second Wind ADK! For weeks now we’ve been gathering around tables, food between us, sharing ideas and energy for this project. Now, it’s time to take those ideas, that energy, and turn them into something tangible. Our newsletter will serve as the space for announcements and updates about Second Wind, as well as for story sharing, inspiration, and connection.
We hope you all had a wonderful Samhain/Halloween! This coming week on Thursday, November 7th, we hope you’ll gather with us to keep the momentum going.
Updates: A friend of the project has agreed to help assess the state of the barn and what renovations are needed. This is a big and vital first step towards a space for us all, and we’re very excited about it! Stay tuned for a date of the site visit: we would love for as many people to be there as possible so we can all dream together.
Food for thought: One of the biggest things we’re working towards right now is the transformation of the barn on Anna’s property to a usable kitchen and sanctuary space for creatives of all kinds. Oto is interested in getting a food share started with our small group, enabling us to practice some of the concepts key to the project's success, prior to the barn renovation. Details of what this could look like (“could” being the key word: everyone’s ideas are welcome here, we’re building this together) will be talked about at our next gathering. Leading up to that, please consider the following questions:
What foods do you keep in your house as staple items? What foods do you wish you could make (think baking, fermentation, canning) but don’t have the time, or the knowhow? Where are you lacking in kitchen knowledge? Where do you have skill?
Alongside this request to contemplate, Oto here with an offer — I’m currently overrun by homemade fermented dill pickles, sauerkraut, and apple vinegar. If anyone would like to take some off my hands, please respond! I will bring your goods to the next meeting to hand it off (with a sigh of relief, and excitement for the newfound space in my fridge.)
As the alchemy happens, food is shared, and ideas crystallize, it feels right to share one of the many meanings behind “second wind.” Here is a bite-sized excerpt adapted from a document Mary, Oto, and Anna are putting together to describe the history of the land and neighborhood, goals for the barn, and possibilities for the future:
“All those who now steward Second Wind [the property and creative entity] have been working to breathe new life into the historic home and barn, giving the property its second wind. As we make the house livable once again, share with others the significance of the healing legacy in Saranac Lake, and convert the barn into a dynamic community space, the people of the project just might find we’re catching our second winds, too. Guided by creativity, curiosity, and reciprocity, we seek to create a space for education, nourishment, and renewal for mind, body, and spirit.”
Thank you all for your energy, ideas, and contributions. If you have anything you would like to include in next week’s newsletter, please send it in via email by Friday evening. Feel free to forward and share our newsletter with anyone who might be interested in the project.
In gratitude,
Anna and Oto, on behalf of Second Wind
Moments before Alpenglow in Lake Placid
Sunday Greetings
November 17
Dear Friends,
We hope this week’s newsletter finds you somewhere cozy, enjoying these crisp fall days leading up to the heart of the holidays. I (Anna) have thoroughly enjoyed the past couple of weeks I’ve spent with family and friends in New Jersey, and at the same time, I’m greatly anticipating my return to the Adirondacks and our weekly gatherings. This coming Thursday, November 21st, I’m happy to host! I’ll have some light snacks, and you’re all welcome to contribute anything you might want to snack on, too, if you’d like.
We have an exciting announcement…in the early afternoon on Saturday, November 23rd, all are welcome to come and visit the barn that will be our homebase for Second Wind ADK. As always, feel free to bring friends and collaborators! In the coming days, I’ll send a Google Calendar RSVP with all of the details for our Thursday gathering this week and the barn visit on Saturday - time, address, etc. Stay tuned!
One more piece of scheduling news: the week of Thanksgiving, we’re planning to meet on Tuesday, November 26th at Berkeley Green in lieu of our usual Thursday gathering. More details to come.
Thanks all, and for this next section of our (abbreviated) newsletter, I’m passing the mic to Oto:
This week, I (Oto) took some time to sit down with some people in my life. These were people who I felt would be interested in what we’re doing here, who could contribute positively to Second Wind and who I felt could benefit from the community. Now, these people are on our newsletter, and they’re looking forward to coming to our gatherings. This is how it works! Remember, the core of everything we’re doing here is community. Whether we are cooking, learning, creating, or just being with each other, it’s about bringing us closer together, and connecting us all a little deeper. Who in your life needs that? Sit down with them; turn towards the people you already love, and ask them to be part of a group of people who just want to take care of each other.
In love and gratitude for this growing community,
Anna and Oto on behalf of Second Wind
New Faces, More Content, & Our First Workshop
November 10
Dear Friends,
Warmest gratitude for those of you who attended this week’s Adirondack gathering. The energy you all bring gives us hope, and we can’t wait to see what comes of this merry little troop. A huge shoutout to our new faces, who jumped right into conversation with and trust in our group. Please remember to contemplate who in your individual circles might be interested in gathering with us. Share space with them, invite them, and watch the magic happen.
To all friends who span the great states of New Jersey and New York – hi! Anna here in this section. As some of you know, I’ve spent this past week with family and friends in New Jersey. We hosted a wonderful meet-up with our New Jersey creators, many of whom I’d like to welcome to our newsletter! Thanks to each and every one of you for sharing the love and taking time to be creative together. These days in my home state have allowed me to uncover gems of inspiration in neighborly faces and unfamiliar places. Along with my close collaborator, Mary, I’ve explored a handful of spots that could serve as an experimental model to hold our aspirations. I wanted to link a few of them here and let you explore, should you want to…
12 farms – farm-to-table restaurant
Forge – small batch, handcrafted goods
Ravenwood – farming, food, art, + design
We have another piece of exciting news – we’ve created a Medium account for Second Wind ADK for all members of the collective to utilize for writing, project sharing, artist features, ideas, thoughts, questions, adventures…you name it. Email SecondWindADK@gmail.com if you have something to post!
I leave you with an invitation to fill out a Google Survey. If you’d be interested in joining a Zoom call for both NJ Creators and ADK Creators, fill out this form:
* * *
Some of us may be feeling all the feels after this week’s election result. Whatever that means to you, know that you have community here. Remember that we gather around the value of reciprocity; if you need something from us right now, we are here to give it. We are here to hold each other, create space for and uplift one another, and grow as a community of loving people. What a time to gather, to take up space and state with clear and unabashed fervor that we’re not going to let the current political climate crush us. Together, we are safe and taken care of. We have each other, and that makes us powerful.
In preparation for times ahead, this week’s gathering will be workshop style, making fire cider with local ingredients.
The first image on the right shows onions, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, and horseradish. Individuals. The second shows fire cider. A collective; a concoction. Community organizing works the same way. We take individuals who are separate from one another, maybe feeling isolated, afraid, separate, and we meld them together into something that can heal. Right now, I'm scared. Our country is divided, our democracy threatened. Right now, I'm hopeful. Our community is united, our values worth upholding. I know that together we can heal the wounds opened up by the Trump administration. From raw ingredients to food medicine. From individuals to a movement. Are you scared right now? It's okay. You can be. Sit with that feeling for a moment, and then rise up with it. We're going to get through this, and heal, and we're going to do it together.
Please come to Oto's home at 6:30pm this Thursday to make fire cider! All ingredients will be provided (see the list below- if you have access to any of these goods, please let us know). Guests will need to bring their own glass jar (pint to quart sized is good). I recommend a plastic lid- the acidity of fire cider will deteriorate the enamel on classic mason jar lids (yuck! You don't want that in your fire cider). If you cannot acquire one, just let me know and I can have one for you to borrow. Pay what you can; ingredients are about $10 per jar.
Ingredients for a Traditional Fire Cider
A pungent concoction meant to boost immune and digestive function,
aiding in fighting off cold-weather illness
Garlic
Onions
Horseradish
Ginger
Spicy peppers (jalapenos, cayennes, habaneros, etc)
Rosemary
Citrus (though we will leave this out this week- we’re seeking a fully locally sourced fire cider)
Honey
See you all soon!
In love and gratitude,
Oto and Anna on behalf of Second Wind
