Memphis Democrat
July 17, 2003

The big news this week is the two storms that raged through. On one night we had over 4 inches of rain. Then the next night the wind was so strong the trees were all sideways. There was quite a bit of damage here and there. Trees came down, houses leaked, tents got flattened, and the roof came off a shed. But the big scare happened at Skyhouse. They had just dug a hole for a cistern two days before. They had already poured the foundation and were going to lay the block walls the next day. No one expected the 30% chance of rain would turn into flooding. The hole filled up with water and the edges began to cave in. Digging this out would have been bad enough, but the hole was close to the house and eventually the caving started to compromise the foundation of Skyhouse.

The good news is there was no permanent damage, thanks to all the help from other rabbits and our neighbors. We all felt sorry for their bad luck, but they seemed to have weathered the storm (so to speak) quite well and are back to work finishing their house.

Things like damage from storms can be quite stressful. Luckily there are Happiness Fairies living at Dancing Rabbit. No one know who they are or where they came from, but in the morning, there are often gifts and notes waiting for people who had been having a hard time. Thank you Happiness Fairies for spreading a little joy.

A bunch of us went to the Scotland County Care Center. Cecil and Penn played the guitar and the banjo and the rest of us just sang along. I couldn't believe all nine of us fit in the cab of our truck to get there, but somehow we made it.

Alline and Kurt headed west to California. They are visiting Alline's parents and leading a Sierra Club trip. But we still have plenty of people around. Maggie has arrived to help build Skyhouse. She just graduated Kenyon College in Ohio with a degree in art. I can't wait to see photos of her sculptures. Jeffrey's father Andy, who is a professor in Chicago, visited for the weekend. Maikwe's guests Jason and the kids returned from their travels. And we have plenty of visitors coming through. I think the co-op is cooking for thirty these days, plus there are the folks who cook on their own!

The Dillavous have been very kind to us, giving us all sorts of donations over the last year or two. But Clayton gets a very special thank you this week for finding me a microscope, making it easier for me to pursue my studies at home.

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