Memphis Democrat
January 29, 2004

Hi everyone. This is Alline for Dancing Rabbit.

First of all, I'd like to apologize for missing last week. With our Retreat wrapping up on Monday, I got confused. For some reason i thought that Tuesday was Monday and so completely missed the deadline.

But the column is back now! A bit of belated news from last week: Our retreat went quite well. We met for three full days, with one day off in between. We had our meetings in our new Community Building, which was warm, sunny and comfortable. We all took turns presenting topics, facilitating the meeting sessions, taking notes, and being MC. Sara and Alyson did a great job of putting the whole thing together, Tony spent a lot of time thoughtfully preparing our Year-in-Preview (fondly called the "YIP"), Cecil presented our budgets in a way that was entertaining (always good when discussing a potentially dreary subject) and thorough. Arjen rang the bell so we wouldn't be late, and also started a fire each morning. Kurt brought in firewood, and Stefanie provided delicious treats. There were so many individual contributions that I can't mention them all here - just know that a cooperative spirit prevailed, even during emotional, difficult topics.

Now, on to this week. Susan and Erik have begun to bring their furniture out of their storage unit. Their futon was one of the first pieces to arrive after painting the ceiling and walls in their home. Susan invited us all to "stop by to sit on our futon and admire our ceiling." We're big believers of celebrating even small steps in the building process!

In other news, Sara and Ted's chickens continue to lay eggs. In our meetings Arjen continues to work on some fabulous-looking thermal shades for the home he and Stefanie share. Jeffrey's happily nose-deep in a new computer job. Finding him lately has been a lot like that book "Where's Waldo?" but it makes a Jeffrey sighting all the more delightful! Chad's having a really good 2004 so far - his parents are coming for a brief visit this weekend, and we're all looking forward to meeting them. A group of Rabbits went skating on the lake again - I THINK the group consisted of Jacque, Cecil, Chad, Tony and Arjen. However, this is just a rumor. Remember, you heard it here first.

Speaking of skating, a new game is being developed by the ice-skaters here at Dancing Rabbit. I think it's a potential Olympic contender. It looks a lot like ice hockey. The only difference is that it's played with sticks and a basketball, and involves a lot of laughing. Yesterday Tamar, Chad, Cecil, Tony, Alyson, Jacque and Arjen were out on the ice again. It's worth the price of admission!

Tamar arrived home on Saturday, after having taken the train home from Framingham, Mass. Oh, we want so much to like Amtrak - but they make it so difficult! Originally scheduled to arrive in Quincy at 10:30 p.m., the train finally pulled in around 1:00 a.m. Fortunately, Jeffrey brought along his computer and was thoroughly entertained while waiting. While in Massachusetts Tamar took a Wildlife Rehabilitation Course where she learned how to make a 'Pigeon Popsicle.' We were relieved to learn that, while it sounds like an Antarctic after-dinner treat, it is simply an effective way to hold a wounded wild bird while treating it.

But the excitement doesn't end there! Saturday night we gave Andra a Dancing Rabbit send-off by having one of our world-famous (what? You haven't heard?) Dance Parties. Music ranged from 60's classics to Beastie Boys to techno. Dance styles ranged from talented to wildly enthusiastic. Penn was our DJ, and did a great job. We held the party in the Community Building, which was warm, cozy and conducive to dancing. We were also pleased that it is so well insulated. Not only were we warm but the sounds of the music stayed inside, and didn't disturb the neighbors. Yippee!

Our week ended with a celebration of Alyson's 35th birthday. Once again in the fabulous Community Building, Alyson shared her Russian student and teaching experiences. She showed slides, a video (featuring a very cute section of her 10-year-old Russian students singing "I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly" in English), shots of what life is really like in small Russian villages, and the warmth and hospitality of the Russian people. We drank tea and ate chocolate cupcakes (a Dancing Rabbit, not a Russian tradition) while admiring some of the Russian crafts that Alyson had displayed. A great evening!

We're still looking for comfortable, clean arm chairs and couches with which to furnish our Community Building. Anyone with furniture they are willing to donate or sell inexpensively, please call us and leave a message for Alline. I'll get back to you soon!

Dancing Rabbit is a non-profit organization demonstrating ecological sustainability. For more information, please see our website at http://www.dancingrabbit.org . We will not be hosting tours until the spring. Our phone number is 660-883-5511.

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