Memphis Democrat
October 2, 2003

Hi everyone. This is Alline filling in for Rachel, who was last seen bush-whacking her way through the tall grass prairie she has growing in her front yard.

This week’s big news is our Open House. WOW! In preparation for the big day, we spent three hours Wednesday in a community-wide Land Clean. We did a lot of mowing, weed-whacking, and junk clearing, and filled both the truck bed and trailer.

When the day itself arrived, we had a bright sunny day and over 200 visitors. I hope they had as much fun as we did! The tours were scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. but we weren’t surprised when the first group drove up at 12:15. We all dashed to our places and started talking and answering questions. By 2:00 Whoerle Road looked like the last scene from the movie “Field of Dreams,” with lines and lines of cars stretching down country our road.

If you were unable to attend, here’s a brief synopsis of the afternoon. The first tour stop focused on our bio-diesel program, ably explained by Andra. The groups then walked up a path past the grain bin duplex and our solar showers (summer use only!) and on to one of our neighborhoods. Here Tereza was waiting to talk about some of our buildings, prairie restoration, and life in community. The tour continued along the path with a brief stop to look at the Bluestem Eating Coop building and the frenzy of house-building going on “down in the holler.” Next was the common house, where Kurt, Liberty and Tamar proudly showed folks around. Then to Skyhouse and Tony, who pointed out the reclaimed floors, natural plaster, the huge solar power system and their still-in-progress graywater system. Last stop was Don, stationed in one of our organic gardens. Thomas did an impromptu talk on the cob bread oven that he built, and applied a coat of plaster during the afternoon. Other Rabbits assisted by helping with parking, being tour guides, helping at the greeting table, and generally being around.

We saw a lot of old friends, made some new friends, and got a lot of ideas for next year. Thanks to everyone who came and made the day delightful, for your generous contributions, and your support in our building our homes here in Scotland County. We love being here and really appreciate your friendliness and interest.

The other news, though it pales in comparison, is that the Common House and Penn & Andra’s house both got plastered (oh my, that sounds like they attended a party and had too much to drink). Days and days were spent mixing and hosing on the plaster, and at the end of each day the crewmembers were wet, exhausted and exuberant. Both buildings look great, and just need one final coat.

Many Rabbits went to Sandhill’s Sorghum Festival and had a wonderful time, coming home muttering dreamily about ice cream with warm sorghum on top.

Tom and Tereza finally came back from vacation, attending family weddings and frolicking around Michigan. Tereza’s mom Joyce (and her pet rabbit) came for a few days and was a wonderful guest. She weeded the yard in front of Tom and Tereza’s house, making their home look great and their neighbors’ (me and Kurt) look like somewhere Roseann Barr would live. Ah well. It reminded me of Paula Poundstone who, when asked what her favorite beauty aid was, replied, “…my friend Kathy – she’s so ugly I look great in comparison.” Such is the state of ornamental gardening at DR, at least at this stage.

The next tour day will be Saturday, October 11th at 1:00 p.m. Please call first and let us know you’re coming at 660-883-5511. For more information on Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, please visit our website www.dancingrabbit.org

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