strawberries, i'm home.

I’m finally at home. Gita Nagari is magical. Nestled in between thriving Mennonite and Amish communities, she holds her own as a religious place of pilgrimage and refuge. The Radha-Damodhara temple here is the most beautiful temple I have had the opportunity to worship in. Simple yet elegant, her giant windows spill in the morning sunlight and illuminate the otherwise invisible waves of incense hovering above. Today I washed these giant windows and was practically out of breath when I finished.

Gita Nagari has a down-home, comfortable, family atmosphere. The Sunday feasts feature the finest in vegetarian, home-baked soul food, infused with loving devotion. One is surly blessed to experience the honor of tasting Mother Kaulini’s curd and zucchini sabji. The two cows we milk every day provide the temple with an abundance of fresh yogurt, paneer, smoothies, and Vrindaban ice cream! So much for my urban, vegan aspirations.

Day and night, Mother Kaulini milks two beautiful brown swiss mothers, named Kisore and Saloni. I usually tag along and watch in amazement at Mother Kaulini’s gentle yet steady and strong milking grip. The cows are literally dripping milk and stand patiently, legs untied, while we sit on either side of one cow, harvesting their priceless donations one at a time. Evening milking is the best. Sometimes we linger and watch the eastern storm clouds roll in or observe the reddish hues of sunset illuminating the western sky. Full bucket in tow, we head back to the ashram, day well spent and ready to take rest.

I quickly plugged in here as a groundswoman. There are infinite hidden perennial beds and future gardens waiting to be discovered. I arrived just as the strawberry patch ripened up and spent the first two weeks picking strawberries early mornin' style so as Krishna could enjoy freshies for breakfast. In one week there will be a big celebration here marking the simultaneous two-year anniversary of the death of H.H. Bhakti Tirtha Swami and the completion of his samadhi memorial, being dressed in white marble as we speak. At the request of Mother Kaulini, one week gives me just enough time to finish decorating the holy dhama with as many sunflower, watermelon, sweet pepper, and tomato plants as possible.

This here is Gopa. He’s my pal. Yesterday while sitting underneath the back porch awning of the old farm house, we chanted japa together and watched the greatly anticipated rain quench the garden’s thirst. I guess I’m partial to three-legged beings. The kittens with extra toes pass as well. Srila Prabhupada compares our relationship with Krishna as that between the caretaker and the dog. The sane caretaker (Krishna) gives the dog (living beings) freewill to roam and explore, play and do what she wants, but the ultimate purpose of the dog is to obey the master’s orders. The way I figure, there is nothing more annoying than an untrained dog, so I’m getting myself potty trained.