Memphis Democrat
October 23, 2003

I can hardly believe the weather. For a few days it felt like October, but then it became shorts weather again. Everyone is getting in their last warm weather frolic. Plus it has been great for construction. Bob put up the weatherproof skin on his greenhouse-frame-that's-temporarily-home. Bluestem co-op got their cistern. Ted and Sara have been making great progress on the frame of their house. Thomas has been gathering tall grass and began thatching his roof.

The common house was often packed with 8 workers at once. I don't know how they got stuff done in there with out hitting each other accidentally with boards or tools. And Skyhouse has been putting up drywall on the first floor lickety-split fast. And whenever he can, Jeffrey has been putting another layer of cob onto the stove/bench in Skyhouse. I can't wait to sit on the heated seat on a cold winter day. Everyone is working hard getting things done before winter.

The weather was also perfect for our Stream Team activities. We tested the chemical and biological characteristics of our stream. We found the water quality to be pretty good, despite the snail's pace flow right now.

We were visited by a class group from KU in Lawrence. They are in a class called Sustainable Development. After their tour, they joined several of us for a stream cleanup. There's a draw on our stream that we call "Dead Car Draw" after the Chevy that is in it. The class hauled many bags of trash out of the stream bed and sorted it into recycling and landfill-bound. We had a contest for most interesting find and the little toy tractor that had working wheels won. After dinner, folks made baked goods and drinks and hosted a coffeehouse and open mike for our student guests. Then for the night owls, there was a bonfire.

Chad had to travel suddenly to Michigan to his grandmother's funeral. We send our condolences and well wishes to the Knepp family.

Nicole left us this week to return to New Mexico. We appreciated her bright positive presence here this summer and wish her many successful adventures.

Brian and Julie are visiting us from Oregon. They are bicyclists and provided their own pedal-powered transportation to and from their flights in Kirksville. Kate, Brian and their little Luna visited from Wisconsin. We are all constantly amused by Luna's gravity-defying hairdos. Both sets of visitors have been great help with cooking, building, gardening, etc.

We also have tours the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at 1pm until it gets too cold. Please call before coming by, 883-5511.

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