Memphis Democrat
February 11, 2008

Yeah! It’s my turn to write the Memphis Democrat column! (This is Alline).

The retreat is over. But the second half is looming, right around the corner.

Kurt is recovering nicely from a respiratory ailment that had us meeting new friends at the hospital emergency room at 2:00 a.m. His voice is even deeper now, and he is in that delightful stage between sounding like a frog and sounding like 70’s crooner Barry White. At our community dinner on Friday, Amy and BJ entertained themselves by having Kurt repeat suggestive phrases in his oh-so-sexy voice. “Say ‘hey baby, I’ll go put my tool belt on’” they demanded. “Say baby” rumbled Kurt in response. They howled, Kurt blushed, and I rolled my eyes. We are so easily entertained.

I am sad to report that we have lost one of our most faithful and charming canine friends. Maya, loyal companion to Tamar for many years, passed away last week. Known for her incredibly soft beige fur and ability to con anyone out of a snack, she is sorely missed. Nicknamed “the Princess,” she spent many afternoons napping on a second dog bed we installed in our house just for her. I always loved her ears best – they were big and pointy and reminded me of the Sister Bertrille character played by Sally Field in the 70’s TV show The Flying Nun. Just a long way of saying that I miss Maya and her ears. Our sympathy goes out to Tamar, whose thoughtful and tender care bought Maya many extra years.

Valentine’s Day has become Validation Day at Dancing Rabbit, and we're preparing for the holiday. Jan and a few talented helpers have crafted an individual card for each person here at DR. This week we’ve all been taking spare minutes and writing a note in each card, a “validation” for each person. These cards are absolutely lovely to receive – tiny notes of appreciation from people with whom we interact each day. I enjoy having the cards as a forum for feelings not often shared in day-to-day life. A sweetheart on Valentine’s Day isn’t necessary here at Dancing Rabbit to get that “aw, shucks” warm and fuzzy feeling.

The Land Use Planning committee continues to meet and work on opening the new neighborhood. We have several new members just itching to put plans and dreams of a home of their own into action – as soon as the details on drainage and placement and clustered housing are pounded out, big things are going to begin happening.

One of the priorities to come out of the first part of the retreat is the construction of roads with proper drainage. In the second part of our retreat we’ll discuss whether or not we can muster the time and finances necessary to get this huge job done. Those of you who have been to Dancing Rabbit know that we try valiantly to keep Main Street and West Road heavily mulched, in order to keep down the mud and make travel along these main thoroughfares easier. However, the rain has other ideas, and we are constantly reminded of the concept of Angle of Repose. The mulch really wants to be down hill, at the bottom somewhere, often in a pile at the front door of Sparky’s house. I’ve been researching permeable roads – something other than traditional asphalt – that will work with rain and absorb it, to direct it in a way that is less destructive to the surrounding area, keeping valuable topsoil where it belongs. Crafting a village from scratch has many challenges and opportunities, and this is just another example. We can’t call MODOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) to come on out, and there isn’t yet a DRDOT. Even if we did have a DRDOT, I imagine it would simply be a bunch of folks on bicycles.

Dave and Meadow chaperoned the kids (and Baloo, our golden retriever) at a skating party Sunday afternoon, resulting in lots of pink cheeks and frozen smiles. Over a steaming cup of hot chocolate Toren, in his enthusiastic six-year-old manner, tried to explain the very cool black and white bubble designs in the ice – I didn’t quite get it, so will have to venture out there myself to check it out. (Although as I write this it is 7 degrees outside, making it a bit difficult to drum up the motivation necessary to look at even very, VERY cool bubbles).

The babies are all healthy, happy and growing like weeds. In slow moments during the retreat it was fun to watch people making faces at Adam and Zane, hoping for that great moment of payoff when they actually smile back and the world becomes a brighter place. And Aurelia is full of mischief, fully her own person at a mere year-an-a-half, zipping around, smiling her dazzling smile, and keeping her parents on their toes.

We hear from Tom and Tereza occasionally. They are spending the winter in Arizona, lounging in hot springs and taking it easy. We miss them, and look forward to their return when the temperatures get back to realistic numbers.

In closing, I am happy to report that the ginormous snowball that Tony mentioned in his last column is still sitting in the courtyard, measuring a proud 5’ all ‘round. I took a photo as Nathan, Ted, Matt, Morgan, Duncan, Bear and Thomas rolled the growing orb down Main Street but it was so cold that I could not hold the camera still enough to focus. I wonder if Ansel Adams had these problems.

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