Memphis Democrat
March 17, 2008

Cob (aka Dave) here with an update on what's been happening over the past week at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. The most exciting bit for me wasn't so much the warming temperatures, but rather the lovely effect this has had on the maple trees. Sap flows best when temperatures dip below freezing at night, and hovers in the upper 30s or low 40s during the day...and that all boils down to maple syrup! We have been collecting sap from trees here at Dancing Rabbit, as well as from several of our kind neighbors. Our friends at Sandhill have been collecting as well, and have been boiling everything down in one of their large wood-fired sorghum pans. Sugaring season is already drawing to a close, and everyone who has participated in the sap collection process is eagerly awaiting their pay-off in syrup!

You will have a chance to see some of the sugaring crew in action in Brian's next DRTV episode. Brian has been working to capture the transition from winter to spring, and how that effects our daily lives. The warmer air, longer hours of sunshine, and increased bird song seem to have fired everyone's enthusiasm for new projects. Liat is digging and removing topsoil where her bus-frame house will be located; Bear is adding a screened-in porch on Larkspur; and organic seed orders are beginning to arrive as folks work on setting up cold-frames or clearing space in front of sunny windows for seedlings. Meadow and I are nearly ready to transplant the grape vines we brought with us from New York state, and to get our gardens started as well.

Maple trees and gardens aren't the only things getting attention. Dancing Rabbit's Tree Team has been out pruning the many fruit trees located around the property. Hopes are high for a good crop this year, if we can avoid any damaging late frosts. Last year's single apple was truely appreciated when it was shared by the entire community, heightening our general appreciation for what is possible when the weather cooperates.

It's easy to take things for granted, even when your power comes entirely from sun and wind. Unfortunately for Ironweed, their wind tower developed some problems and the turbine had to be dismantled and shipped back to the manufacturer for repairs, significantly reducing their power generating capacity. At least the days are getting longer, and there is greater potential for sunshine! I'm also learning not to take people for granted either. Donna will be leaving sooner than she originally anticipated. Her humor, experience, and companionship will certainly be missed.

New resident Amy (Red) Radford and her daughters Angela and Sierra have successfully erected their tipi (who knew lashing 20' lodge poles together could be so much fun?) and are now sleeping in style. Skyhouse has been hosting old friends Lauren and Shannon for the past week, and we are glad to have them with us. One of the most enjoyable aspects of living at Dancing Rabbit is the regular influx of new people and the new ideas, perspectives, and life stories they bring with them. It looks like we'll have quite the population explosion soon, as we prepare for the first official visitor session in April. We continue to receive inquiries from potential visitors, work exchangers, student groups, and others.

Lest we lose any of these future guests in the mud, we had our first mulching party of 2008 this week, where many rabbits turned out with wheel barrows, shovels, and rakes, to resurface the paths surrounding the common house, and to fill in the worst of the muddy sections of Main Street. No doubt the rain that is forecast will wash away some of our efforts, but we will eventually reclaim our roads and paths from the muck. Clean floors indoors may take a bit longer!

Meanwhile we're making the most of the sunshine and our spring energy with a full week of fun activities planned to balance out all the physical labor we've been putting into the land. Next week's column may even provide some of the highlights from our St. Patrick's Day party, Sandhill's bonfire & potluck in honor of Gigi's birthday, Wednesday's Peace Rally in the Memphis town square (join us in town at 4:00pm on 3/19 if you want to participate), Thursday's Purim celebration, or a report on the results of our upcoming water-tasting competition where we will determine once-and-for-all whose cistern has the best rain water.

Until next time...

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