Memphis Democrat
August 11, 2005

This is Suzanne. Rain and cooler temperatures have been a welcome relief for us this week and for the gardens as well. It is harvest time and I have been helping Sara harvest tomatoes from the garden. Ironweed and Bobolink, two of our food coops, have been kept busy processing the tomatoes we harvest--either by drying them in a solar dryer or by making them into sauce. Tim got a first harvest of a different kind--four gallons of honey from his bees. We've been harvesting lots of okra, and sweet peppers. And eggplants and edamame (soybeans) are on the way.

It's been a week of leave-takings here. We had sad news this week--Jeffrey is leaving us, after seven years at Dancing Rabbit. While he remains deeply attached to Dancing Rabbit, he is ready to challenge himself with new people, places and projects. He is moving to San Francisco, where he intends to go to grad school for climate physics, sing in a professional choir, take ballroom dancing classes, and live on his own for the first time in an apartment--an experience he is looking forward too. Jeffrey has brought so much to Dancing Rabbit and we are going to miss him in so many ways. But, we are excited for him in his new adventures.

We said goodbye to Kurt, Alline and their dog Baloo for the season as well. They have work to do in California and won't be back until spring. (Well, Kurt and Alline have work, Baloo has some sticks to chase. Life may not change much for him but I think he'll miss the pond and playing with the kids) We will certainly miss them. Alline is going to be working on a Dancing Rabbit cookbook in her absence--in collaboration with Amy. I'm looking forward to seeing that. When they come back next spring, they have plans to build Milkweeds Mercantile, a development which is exciting to many of us.

Tom, Rachel, Thomas, Tony and Joe went on a biketrip. They left on Wednesday and came back Sunday. They biked 50 miles a day and made stops along the way in Keosauqua State Park, Lake Wapello and Rebel's Cove. Everyone had a good time. The trip marked the end of Joe's internship--he is going back to Michigan today just in time for his sister's wedding.

In the next two weeks Dancing Rabbit will be a bit of a ghost town. Amy is away for a month but she is bringing back her partner Juan so we forgive her. And Ted, Sara, Tamar, Ted, Rachel, Thomas and Nicole have all left for summer vacations. A group of them are going to converge in New York city where they are going to hang out with Vito and Johari, the couple who stayed here for "30 days." I am guessing they will be drinking some Key Lime Pie Martinis, Vito's specialty.

We had some fun visitors this week. Assya is visiting from France and we've enjoyed getting to know her (and practicing our French!) And, our young friend Maddelyn visited us again. She first visited when she was 15--she is now almost 17 and considering becoming a resident in a year or so. Maddelyn became a vegetarian after her visit to us last year and brought us delicious vegan potato salad, rice salad and sweet breads she made herself. We can't wait for her next visit. Alex and Bree came for a short visit from Twin Oaks. We had a brief visit from Scott Binkley in Oklahoma and a visit by a potter, Susan Richards. She held a pottery firing while she was here that was much appreciated.

The visitor team has seen a huge spike of interest since the 30 Days episode aired. Our visitor calendar is full for the rest of the fall and people are already wanting to schedule visits for next spring and summer. Many of the people coming to visit in September are interested in membership so I am guessing that by next fall there are going to be a lot of new faces around here.

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