Memphis Democrat
April 27, 2009

Wow! What a difference 70 degree days make to the feel of our small village. Just as we saw insects from butterflies to wasps making their debuts this week, with the first frenzied gathering of flying creatures at the plum blossoms, we Rabbits were constantly in motion as well. A glance at my planner suggests there is a good reason I'm feeling so tired!

Ted here reporting on this past week at Dancing Rabbit. Our first visitor group of the year arrived last Monday. Owing in part to some delays in setting our visitor schedule for the year, we only have three visitors who were able to come. Multiple work exchangers ("wexers")have begun arriving in the village, however, so it feels like a bustling visitor season nonetheless, with work parties, social events, and talks on various topics.

Ziggy and his wexer Dan spent much of the week constructing the rocket stove and heated earthen bed platform for Ziggy's cob house. The flu pipe winds back and forth through the mass, heating it directly, before passing through the cob wall and exiting upward. I studied Chinese in high school and college, and spent some time there, and this bed recreates a common feature of homes in the cooler northern regions of that country. I envy Ziggy the toasty bed he'll be getting into all winter, and expect we'll eventually see more such installations here.

The living roof of the cob hut comes next. Dan and Ziggy spent some time Saturday digging turf from the site of Ma'ikwe's imminent house foundation excavation. This coming week I expect we'll start to see earth up there.

Thomas is similarly preparing for a living roof atop his home, and spent time this week installing the heavy mesh that will hold the earth up slope while allowing rainwater to pass through. I saw the process through multiple stages as I passed back and forth along village paths (including a pass through Thomas' yard)from my work site at Jan's house to the machine shed to find fasteners and other materials for construction.

Liat got closer to having a closed-in greenhouse. With wexer Adam she worked on the light clay-straw west wall, and with wexer Dan she started building the cob-and-bottle east wall. I'm loving the cross-pollination of wexers working on various projects, not just the ones they've each been invited here for.

Ultimate frisbee continues to heat up, with spirited running and inspired cuts and fakes by all. With three communities and their associated interns and work exchangers all participating, we've got lots of subs and fresh energy to cycle in and out. I'm exhausted but highly satisfied after each of our two games currently scheduled each week. And the pond is finally warming up enough to enjoy a swim afterward, though some among us will tell you they've been enjoying swimming for a month or more already.

Most fruit trees in the village were in peak bloom in the past week, with promise of much fruit to come. Thomas and Tamar each spent time grafting apples. The timing of spring whip grafting is challenging because frost can rupture a new graft, but you want to get the grafting done before the tree leafs out. High winds can also dehydrate the graft. The right conditions don't last long. Here's hoping some of their grafts take, and no doubt we'll be back at it with bud grafting in late summer.

Gardeners are showing that spring glow in their faces these days. Garlic is knee-high. Henbit is flowering and spurring me to some fits of weeding each time I wander into the garden. Our greenhouse is now chock full of tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings, taking up the space recently vacated by the lettuce and greens that have been planted out. Strawberries are flowering. Raspberry flowers are coming. The pears have leafed out, and the rhubarb erased the empty patches of garden bed overnight as its leaves spread. I've seen my first asparagus. The time of abundance has arrived.

Our trailer, known as Sylvia, has been with us since it hauled the founding members' belongings out of California in 1996. It has lately required some new leaf springs and a new tongue owing to consistent hard use, but reentered our realm this week and went faithfully back to work right away, as Bear and I hauled the last of the lumber home from a house we deconstructed in Rutledge, Jennifer's timber frame posts returned from the mill, and we spread a load of chip mulch on some of the village paths.

A musical performance in the great room closed out the week Sunday night. Nathan, Liat and others headed to Kirksville for the third anniversary of Critical Mass bike ride there Friday, and connected with a bunch of friends and musicians who then came out to play for us. Kyle Butz opened on guitar, and then picked up an accordion to join Ashley King's quartet with Jenn Thomas and Christina Scheperle on fiddle and cello. Ashley ran through a long set of original music and some excellent covers, and the full room loved it all. As a bonus, some of the players stayed afterward for a late evening game of Settlers of Cataan (one of Dancing Rabbit's most frequently played games).

Now for another work week, though the rain continuing from the weekend may damp down the action a bit...

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