Memphis Democrat
April 20, 2009

Greetings from Cob at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage as the seasons progress swiftly from Spring to Sunblock. I'm clearly still adjusting to prairie weather. The advent of a lake-effect 2" blizzard out of a clear blue sky doesn't faze me, but a thirty degree temperature swing from one week to the next sure does! After a chilly damp weekend in the low 50s, the forecast is calling for abundant sunshine, highs near 80 degrees, and decent chances for some big thunderboomers. All the better to water our seedlings I guess.

If those rains hold off, we might dry out sufficiently to get our long awaited road building project underway. We're all still rushing to get materials delivered while we still can, because we'll only have a day or two of notice before the digging begins. We'll have another short window after the gravel roadbed is in place, but then will have to stay off the road completely while the grassy pavers are installed and the grass seed is planted and nurtured. It will certainly create opportunities for more work parties to move lots of heavy stuff from the front entrance to individual warrens!

And what better way to introduce our first group visitors? Woo hoo! Bring on the manual labor! As much as we joke about the hard work, it lifts the spirit to have so many folks who are just passing through show such willingness to pitch in...even if only for an hour or so. Not only is your work appreciated in the moment, but you have truly helped to build this community and have contributed in a meaningful way to our demonstration project. Thank you!

Living in such a highly visible and open way is an incredible experience, but it also has its challenges. Jan and Liat organized a rabbit pep rally and party to get us "in the mood" for the start of visitor season. With a rousing speach reminding us of why we do this, and a special training session in empathy and compassion with "coach" Nathan, we're ready to answer a bazzilion questions and handle inconvenient interruptions gracefully.

In another impressive display of community, our visitor coordination team has been pushing for a completely filled volunteer sign-up for the entire season. All twelve weeks of visitor related workshops, cook shifts, social events, work parties, and discussion groups has been posted in the common house, and few gaps remain. Go team!

Walking around the village this past week, I was impressed with how much each individual has accomplished as well. Liat's greenhouse addition to Aubergine looks nearly done, Ziggy has completed the finish plaster on the exterior of his house and has transformed the rest of his warren into impressive garden beds, Thomas has finished the flashing on his soon-to-be living roof, Dan and Marybeth have built additional trelisses for their wisteria and grape vines and have begun an extensive make-over of the outdoor showers next door at the swimming pond.

The Milkweed Mercantile is a bustling hive of activity and the wrap-around porch decking is nearly complete, though I haven't dared get underfoot just for the sake of getting a peek indoors! In the new neighborhood Jeff has moved out of the winter quarters of his incomplete earthbag dome and into Thomas' old army tent, clearing the way for further work on his house. Ma'ikwe and Jibron now have a large army mess tent on their new building site as well, and I suspect its exact capacity will be tested in the coming weeks with various work parties and social gatherings.

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is definitely back in full swing. Not only have we resumed our biweekly Saturday tours and visitor program, but Ultimate Frisbee is back on the regular weekly schedule as well. Work hard, eat good food with friends and neighbors, play hard, sleep deeply, repeat. Ahhhh, life IS good.

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