Memphis Democrat
April 6, 2006

Juan here, nursing a cold that seems to have made the rounds of Dancing Rabbit this past week. Must be the changing of the seasons.

As I look back on the happenings of this past week, I've realized that it's truly Spring - in the motivations of rabbits if not always in the weather. As the temperature jumped from the 30s to the 70s, those who've seen a spring or two here have kicked it into high gear, while some of us newer folks have been a tad slower, confused by snow and heat in the same week.

Perhaps one of the largest pieces of news is the creation of our newest food co-op, Sunflower. Sunflower has taken on the daunting task of feeding our visitors this year, but they seem to be ready for it. Here there be food. Much food.

Speaking of visitors, we've had our first groups coming through for tours and short stays this past week. Students from various educational institutions in the area came by for a day or two, temporarily doubling our population. These folks jumped right into DR life, helping cook, clean, collect firewood, and play Ultimate Frisbee. You can never have too much help on the Ultimate field, I say. We've also had a couple of groups of one or two people show up for short stints. It's only been a few months since last visitor season, but I'd already forgotten what it was like to have a dozen or two new people around with lots of energy and interest in what we're doing. It really makes me feel good to see how many of these students were inspired by what we've accomplished so far, and excited by what we're planning.

On an altogether different note, our Common House boiler has been in the process of being replaced for a week now. Within the next day or so, we shall enjoy a much more efficient system for heating our rainwater than we've ever had in the Common House. And those who shower or do laundry in there will know hot water again.

On the entertainment front, the Common House's great room became "Dancing Rabbit Cinema" a couple of nights this week. Eddie Izzard's stand-up comedy once again made us laugh loudly on Friday, while Monday saw Yojimbo, an old black-and-white Akira Kurosawa movie entertaining us with its quirkiness. This past Sunday night also saw a few of us get together for a poetry reading. Hearing people read their favorite famous-or-not poems was an experience for me matched only by hearing the original ones people had written.

It's starting to get so busy around here that I can no longer keep up with all the great stuff going on. I'm sure I've forgotten at least one really cool event that happened this past week. I think I'll use my cold as an excuse.

Back to list of Memphis Democrat Columns