Memphis Democrat Column Week of 9/14/09

Hi friends. This is Alline with the news from Dancing Rabbit.

BUT! Before I go any further, make note of this date: Saturday, September 26th, 2009. This is the day of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage’s Open House. Tours begin at 1:00 p.m. and depart every 15 minutes or so through 4:00 p.m. Tours last approximately one hour, and will cover several buildings, a garden, information about natural building, alternative energy (solar and wind), our ecological covenants, our decision-making process and what community life is REALLY like. If that all sounds too serious, we’ll also have snacks and crafts for sale, and the Milkweed Mercantile General Store will make its Open House debut. So rain or shine, we hope to see you then. And please keep your fingers crossed for a sunny day!

Whew. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can go on with the rest of our business.

We have all been enjoying the glorious fall weather. Just like the baby bear’s porridge, the temperatures are just right – not too hot, and not too cold. The sky is a beautiful shade of blue and the clouds are big, puffy and spectacular. Fall wildflowers are in full bloom, and since many of them stand 7-8’ tall they seem to go on forever. Life is good.

The Ultimate players are getting in three games a week, and are loving it. Thomas’s family came for a short visit on Sunday – it was a pleasure as always to see them, and to be able to show them around our little part of the world. All of our new residents are settling in; Dennis and Sharon are making plans to stay warm for the winter, Jen continues work on Ma'ikwe’s house, Lily is building up her online Latin business, and we just heard that Dave will be spending the winter. Peter continues to work diligently on his sea kayak, which is constructed entirely without nails. It is tied and pegged together, and is absolutely beautiful (see photo). We’re hoping that he’ll take us all on a test cruise somewhere warm and glamorous – perhaps Baja or Hawaii?

The tomatoes that we feared would never ripen are having the last laugh, and are coming in in record numbers. Cob is delighted with his new solar dehydrator, completed just in time for the fall deluge. And Mary Beth, a desperate look on her face, appeared at my door the other day holding a basket containing 40 pounds of red, yellow and orange tomatoes. It seems that there is only so much salsa and tomato sauce a girl can can in one short lifetime. I was happy to have the opportunity to purchase them, and made many more quarts of salsa for our pantry. Tom and Tereza have been busy canning beets; we all agree that their bright pink color is the BEST, as is the really cool squishy feeling when, after boiling them and then plunging them in cold water, one ooches off the beet skins. While my mother would probably say “simple pleasures for simple minds” I feel sure that we’re living the good life. Tom and Tereza have also been experimenting with growing all sorts of plants that weren’t meant to grow here in the Midwest. They’ve brought in a small but fabulous crop of both sesame seeds and quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”), a grain native to the Andes and normally grown at an altitude of 13,000 feet.

Some of the best parts of the day for me and Kurt are spent at our kitchen table, which looks out onto Main Street. As a pedestrian village, the kids have full run of the road; this week both Aurelia and Zane have been practicing on a miniature 2-wheel bicycle with training wheels. Aurelia is absolutely delighted with her new-found skill, and we hear her laughing ecstatically as she peddles up and down the road, again and again and again. She has become rather cocky, and has challenged any and all takers (mostly adults and the older kids) to races. She wins almost all of them. Hmmm…

Zane turned two on Sunday, and was thrilled about the Tonka Fire Truck he received. He adds it to his collection of earth moving vehicles, with which he rearranges the gravel on the road with great concentration and dedication. Bear and Alyssa are assured of a comfortable retirement, as Zane is destined to be a heavy equipment mogul of some sort.

Jan’s house is completely baled in – she’s had a lot of help from Keri, a work exchanger – and it looks fantastic! Bear and Alyssa have dug the foundation for their house, and Jeff has constructed a beautiful curved entryway to his. Thomas and Ali continue to work on the delightful Mirth Lodge. Ma'ikwe and Jennifer are making great strides on their homes; both are looking grand. Our grass road test patch is growing well; it is a wonderful change from hot sizzling asphalt.

Oh, there is so much more to tell. But we’d rather show you. So mark your calendar for the 26th (in two weeks) and we’ll see you then!

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community in Rutledge, Missouri practicing ecological sustainability. We offer tours 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month through October. Our next tour is our Annual Open House, which will be held Saturday, September 26th from 1:00-4:00 p.m. No reservations are necessary. For more information, check out our website at www.dancingrabbit.org.

P.S. Happy Anniversary honey!