Memphis Democrat
June 26, 2003

We've been having so many visitors it's been making my head spin. The Bartells, a family of five, visited us again and seem to be getting serious about coming back for good. Jay and Nicole, of New Mexico, are also seriously considering coming back to stay. Joe biked in from Rockford, IL for a week. Maikwe's partner Jason, his two kids and one of their friends are staying as guests of Maikwe for awhile. Former intern Nicole is here for one week as Thomas' guest. And we have two new work-exchangers. Audra is working in Don's garden for the summer and Liberty is helping build the common house.

Speaking of the common house, this week they poured the slab. They had about ten folks out there moving cement, smoothing it, etc. They mixed iron oxide into it to make it a nice terra cotta color. Now they are cutting grooves into it, to make it look like tile. This must be the week for floors because Skyhouse also started in on its first floor. Their floor is insulated with strawbales and then covered with roadbase gravel. Eventually it will be an earthen floor, made of natural materials which feels like a cross between linoleum and concrete.

As we were pouring the slab, we got a call from Bob Hunolt. They got a piano donated to the Rutledge school and wanted two or three strong backs to help move it. It was a bit chaotic but we were able to send Alyson and Chad to help. People are so kind to us, it's nice to give back now and again.

Speaking of kind, Lorraine Kapfer called us up to offer us the extra gooseberries from her gigantic gooseberry bush. Several of us went to pick and enjoy Lorraine's stories. Folks have also been picking wild mulberries and black raspberries on our land and along roadsides. If anyone has more fruit than they can pick this summer and don't want to see it go to waste, call us and we'd love to come and pick it. Our fruit trees are growing, but we still don't get nearly enough fruit to satiate our appetites and fill our root cellar.

We may have had lots of visitors around, but not many members. Alline, Tom and Susan (also known as Tereza) went to the Midwest Renweable Energy Fair up in Wisconsin to sell books and spread the word about Dancing Rabbit. Penn and Andra went to visit Andra's family in Kansas City. Sara and Ted went to attend several weddings of friends. To make up for it, we have an addition to our group. Jacque has been visiting us on weekends and breaks from teaching for a year. She has decided to make the leap and join us as a resident for one year. We can't wait until she moves in and we hope she decides a year is not long enough.

We are happy to announce a new addition of another sort. We are the proud godparents of a family of kestrels. Kestrels (also known as sparrowhawks) are nesting in the box we built for them just north of our houses. If one is patient and lucky, one can see the parents bringing food to the young birds, or the nestlings sticking their heads out of the box for a view. I think that even though kestrels are our smallest local bird of prey, they are magnificent. And they keep the rodent population down.

The more I think about it, the more I realize has happened this week. Bluestem Co-op has been busily constructing the parts of their walls and roof for weeks. Over the course of two days, they raised them and now there is a building where there seemed to be none before. Thomas has been building a cob oven. It is made of earth and heated by making a fire inside of it. When the fire dies out, the heat is trapped in the earthen structure. Then the ashes can be cleaned out and the bread put in to be baked.

And last but not least, Cecil has been playing bridge with a club in Kirksville for a few years. He has been learning as he went and this week he and his partner came in first. We wish him many more.

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