The only word I can think of to sum up the day is 'gratitude'
By Agnes Montano, Interim Caretaker
It was foolish of me to believe that the intense yellow, orange, and red hues of Friday’s glorious sunrise anticipated a serene day at Meher Mount.
It was a perfect day to enjoy the fresh air on this sunny, crisp 47-degree morning.
WINTER SUNRISE at Meher Mount. (Photo: Juan Mendez, November 2022)
The Day stayed beautiful, but it was not serene
The day stayed beautiful, but it was not serene.
The day’s work agenda was clear. A crew from Environmental Site Maintenance (ESM) was expected at 7:30 a.m. to install straw wattles, straw blankets, and a silt fence to control erosion on the slopes and ridges created during the drilling of the new well.
Long-time volunteer, Dusttin Paren was expected an hour later with an electrician to fix several electrical issues in the Visitor Center/Caretakers Quarters.
ESM’s crew arrived on time, and I proceeded to show the project manager the site and the areas where the erosion control materials were to be installed.
STRAW WATTLES, straw blankets, and silt fence installed to prevent erosion on the hillside below the new well. (Photo: Agnes Montano, November 2022)
The soil was still moist from the two-day rainstorm that hit Ventura County earlier that week. Little did I know that the remnants of the bentonite slurry — created when MDRILL used the bentonite to help stabilize the well when it collapsed — were dangerous.
The dried slurry had become very slippery and sticky, almost like a lubricant, after the rains. All it took was one step in the bentonite mud — my right ankle rolled outward, and the knee followed.
I Found Myself Sitting in a Puddle
I found myself sitting in a puddle of bentonite mud that felt like ice with my right knee and ankle turned outward.
The ESM employee offered to help me get up, but I declined the offer until I figured out if something was broken. Straightening the right leg was difficult because the mud was so slippery and sticky. Attempting to get up was even harder.
The mud attached to the soles of my shoes was at least two inches thick, and my hands were equally muddy. I could not pull myself up from the mud.
My husband, Juan Mendez, came to my rescue. He had me remove my shoes so he could pull me out of the puddle. Despite the sharp pain in my ankle, I was able to stand up and walk out of the situation with some dignity. Back in the Caretaker Quarters, I changed out of the muddy clothes and wrapped the ankle for support and to minimize the swelling.
By then Dusttin had arrived with the electrician Alan. It took them three hours to decipher the electrical layout of the Visitor Center/Caretakers Quarters, but that’s a story for another occasion.
THE VISITOR CENTER at daybreak when the caretakers are getting everything ready to greet a guest like you. (Photo: Luis Marroquin)
help Keeping Meher Mount Open for the Day
I had to go to the ER to have the knee and ankle checked but it was a holiday (Veteran’s Day). I feared the ER would be packed, and I wouldn’t be able to be back at Meher Mount in time to greet the day’s visitors.
That meant that Juan and I couldn’t just leave Meher Mount unattended, and I couldn’t drive myself downtown because the injury was on my right ankle.
Not opening Meher Mount to Baba’s visitors was simply not an option. It’s in situations like this, I’m grateful to be able to reach out to other volunteers.
THE RECEPTIONIST LIZARD needed help in greeting guests for the day. (Photo: Robert Turnage)
We called on Geremy Graham, a young Meher Baba follower residing in the Ojai area. We had met him only a few weeks earlier. He was the first visitor at Meher Mount when the Visitor Center reopened to the public on October 27, 2022. (It had been shuttered due to the pandemic.)
Geremy immediately said “yes.” Because he rides an electrical bicycle when he comes to Meher Mount, Juan drove to Ojai, picked him up and brought him to Meher Mount after he dropped me at the ER. It was a relief to be able to open Meher Mount’s gate at the posted time.
I was seen immediately at the Ojai Valley Community Hospital. X-rays showed it was just a bad sprain. They put my ankle in an air cast brace, gave me crutches, and I was ready in no time to return to Meher Mount.
At the End of the Day, I Felt Gratitude
SUNSET over Baba’s Tree, the Channel Islands and the Pacific Ocean. (Photo: Juan Mendez)
At the end of the day, the only word that I can think of to sum up the day is “gratitude.”
Gratitude for volunteers like Geremy who so kindly helped us out through the ordeal. Like Dusttin who so patiently worked with Alan fixing all the kinks in the building’s electrical system and then waited for Juan and Geremy to return, so the center would not be left unattended.
Gratitude for all the donors that made it possible for Meher Mount to install erosion control measures at the new well site.
And of course, gratitude for Beloved Baba’s love and for looking after me when I fell, allowing only a sprain to occur when it could have been so much worse.