Memphis Democrat
August 18, 2008

Hi. This is Alline with this week’s happenings at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage.

Just a short week and a half ago it was so hot I felt like my brain was melting and that I was swimming through the heat and humidity as I plodded from one place to another. Unable to do much but sit in front of a fan, I began to doubt the sanity of my decision to move to rural Northeastern Missouri.

But it’s a new week now. And the weather is absolutely, utterly, stupendously glorious. The days are no longer stifling like a bread oven; instead the sun feels like a friendly warmth on my shoulders, and the bright blue sky is filled with puffy white clouds. The nights are cool and lovely. It is that spectacular time of year when, standing on my front porch admiring the blazing full moon, listening to the hoot owls, crickets and cicadas, I cannot tell where my body ends and the air begins – they feel like the same temperature.

It is also the time of year when gardeners (and their friends) celebrate their hard work. We’ve been eating our fill of sweet corn, peaches, and tomatoes, the juices dribbling happily down our chins. Then, of course, there is the canning. At least half of the village members have been sterilizing jars and listening to that cheerful “pop, pop, pop” of jars sealing after being removed from the hot water bath. Tom and Tereza tell me they’ve been “canning themselves silly,” putting up (among other things) Peach Salsa and Peach Butter, Annie, BJ and Matt canned 26 quarts of peaches, Meadow has been putting up sweet corn (leading her to wonder aloud in a meeting “hmmmm, I wonder if I turned off the heat under the pressure canner?”), Liat, Jeff and Brian put up a ton of tomato sauce. And speaking of Liat’s tomatoes, I am awarding her the 2008 Alline Prize of Perfect Tomatoes. When she showed me one of her fuzzy “peach” tomatoes, I was smitten. What beauties they are!

Speaking of sweet corn, this week reminded me once again how much I value being a part of the Northeastern Missouri community. Becca from Hopkins Lumber called to tell Kurt that something he had ordered was in. Since I answered the phone, we got to talking about canning (we are all a little food-obsessed). I asked her where she got her sweet corn, and she laughed and rattled off a phone number. By the next morning I had eight dozen ears of just-picked, perfectly ripe and delicious corn waiting for me. And if that weren’t enough, she also gave me a recipe for apple pie filling that practically makes itself in the jar. I always knew that Hopkins provided stellar customer service, but this was the icing on an already fabulous cake.

Brian’s new Work Exchangers Dan and Danielle arrived Tuesday evening just in time to caravan to Sandhill Farm for our weekly potluck dinner. They’re great fun to have around; just last night they were pickling milkweed pods (nicknamed “mil-kles”). When it’s time for them to return home we’re considering letting the air out of their tires and telling them that Kansas no longer exists.

Believe it or not, there actually were events that did not involve food. Thomas and Ali both celebrated birthdays this week with a work party. Thomas had chosen a warren (residential lot) that has a large pile of debris. None of us remember all of the details (and many Rabbits were not here when it was dumped oh so many years ago) but we think the rubble came from a building on the corner of the Memphis square that was demolished years ago. The birthday celebrants sorted useable bricks from detritus better suited for land fill, and hauled wheelbarrow load after wheelbarrow load to our landfill area. Thomas and Ali provided periodic entertainment and, of course, lots of food. A great time was had by all, and Thomas now has a rubble-free warren.

Genevieve presented a harp and voice concert of original compositions to a Standing-Room-Only crowd on Saturday night. I’m told the audience was delighted and entranced by the lovely (sometimes bawdy/sometimes humorous) songs.

Tamar, Dan, Mary Beth, and our friends from Red Earth Farms Mark, Alyson and their daughter Cole attended the Kahoka Bluegrass Festival. Musicians and singers all, they had a fantastic time.

Closing out the week on Sunday night was a residency forum for visitor Megan, who as applied to come back and join us next spring. And so we grow!

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