This is a sketch of my vision for Possums Welcome.  The space will be welcome to people who happened to drive by or hope for a getaway in the beauty of Northern California.  And when they stumble upon Possums Welcome, they will learn and be nurtured and fed.  The small menu will have delicious irresistible bites, including, but certainly not limited to, homemade hummus, some delicious veggie chili, Patatas Bravas,  spaghetti aglio e olio and teas.  The Cafe and Learning Center will serve fresh organic vegan nourishment for the body, mind and soul.  The sanctuary then becomes a safe place for people who share their stories in our Wednesday night teach-ins in the learning center and the animals who share their stories throughout the sanctuary.  We have so much to learn from each other.  Perhaps that might be another blog post.  The animals tell us stories of their resilience and about where we are today as a human society.  And the yogis will teach us to listen.  The goal is to educate people in a supported environment in the hope that people will depart Possums Welcome refreshed and with new perspective and strength to make this world more compassionate for everybody.  My desire is to expand people's circle of compassion to include animals and the environment. 

So this is a very rough sketch of the vision of Possums Welcome.  The proportions are off in this image, the space for the Community center, art studio, cafe and B&B should only take up 10% of the land.  The other 90% of the land will be a sanctuary for the non-human animals.  My first drawing was on paper.  I am sure I can find it somewhere to post on another blog.  The Cafe will have a slim menu of delicious vegan food and local organic wines and micro brews.  For the menu, I am thinking of a homemade hummus with fresh veggies, a cream of mushroom soup, a hearty seedy salad and perhaps a flat bread.  The B&B will have 5 comfortable rooms for guests.  The cafe's kitchen will be used to do our cooking demos.  The Community Center will have all the weekly teach-ins from yoga and meditation and lessons on self care.  The Art studio might have a kiln for ceramic firing.   It defends on safety of course.  And all around will be the stories, inspiration and lessons from the animals, the few ambassadors who were lucky enough to make it to Possums Welcome.  I can't wait for this to become a reality.