Memphis Democrat
December 7, 2006

Juan here. Being away for two months has really brought home how much of a different lifestyle I have at Dancing Rabbit. A lot happened while Amy and I were away, and we were grateful for this column; it kept us in the loop.

My first full week back at Dancing Rabbit has been an eventful one. We came back in the midst of very warm weather. Well, very warm for the end of November, anyway. We took advantage of it and had a game of Ultimate Frisbee on Monday afternoon. The temperature was perfect and the gentle breeze was just enough to keep every throw of the disc interesting.

Our weekly Tuesday potluck dinner was held at Sandhill this week. The rain on Monday night was just enough to make the walk over muddy. That walk also brought home that the seasons changed while we were away; the sun had set by the time we got there at 6:00. Thankfully, someone had suggested we take a flashlight.

If Tuesday night implied that winter had arrived, Wednesday let us know in no uncertain terms. The temperature fell like a rock, and sleet, rain, and snow took turns pelting us all throughout the day. Our solar power levels dipped into the deep red, resulting in many folks relying on candles for light once the sun set. This continued into Thursday - and the six inches of snow that fell was definitely a record in my time here. Plans for movies or other electricity-needing entertainment gave way to board games.

Thankfully, the sun reemerged, and has over the weekend brought our power levels back to full. Several groups of people went skiing or sledding on Friday and Saturday. One group of rabbits even headed up to Memphis for an evening at the bowling lanes. The rest of us got together for our Friday community dinner and shared each other's company and stories about winters past and present.

Also, a few guests came by and spent the weekend at Skyhouse on their way to Colorado. Alex and Jen were friendly folks who helped out, but it was Jen's Newfoundland Ferdinand that made the biggest impression throughout the village...literally.

On Saturday night, in the bright, cold moonlight, our friends at Red Earth Farms held a barn-warming for the newly insulated structure on their land. It's great to know that there is no shortage of warm spaces for our neighbors.

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