Memphis Democrat October 25, 2000

Greetings from guest correspondent Alline Anderson. Dancing Rabbit's usual columnist Rachel and her partner Tony are out of town for a few weeks. Early Friday morning they boarded the train out of Quincy on their way to Detroit. There they'll visit Tony's family and attend his 10-year high school reunion. Afterwards they'll each attend a professional conference - Tony in Ann Arbor and Rachel in California.

The week before her departure Rachel was a regular whirling dervish. First her mom, JoAnn, came to visit for a few days. JoAnn is great fun - in addition to sing-alongs and puzzle marathons, we were treated to some of the Katz family jokes. Rachel got her dad (minding the home fires in New York) on the phone, he told the jokes to Rachel, and she relayed them to us (when she could stop laughing). We're looking forward to the next time one or both of the 'elder' Katzes visit us.

No sooner had JoAnn pulled out of our driveway when Rachel's friends Denis and Casey arrived. They are aspiring filmmakers, following their star and moving to Los Angeles. They had time for a late dinner, a film preview, a quick night's sleep and a potato pancake breakfast. Then they were back on the road. Whew!

Jeffrey continues to spearhead our unofficial campaign to have an Amtrack station in or near Rutledge. When the President of Amtrack was on National Public Radio's show "Talk of the Nation," Jeffrey called in and got on the air to ask about train service to small towns. Go, Jeffrey!

Minna, our newest intern, attended church again in Rutledge last Sunday and continues to be delighted by the open friendless of everyone there. Just one more reason we love this area.

Interns Mark and Tim are hard at work getting Kurt and Alline's house ready to plaster. Right now they're filling the gaps between the straw bales with 'cob.' Eric and Susan (enthusiastic visitors from Colorado) help, too - everyone loves playing in the mud!

Member Jess and interns Debra, Minna and Laurie put the finishing touches on the temporary straw bale structure that they'll call home this winter. Affectionately known as the bunk house, funk house or punk house, the name occasionally changes to "skunk" house when the dogs get too rambunctious and corner one of the black and white critters. Peeeeuuuuuwww!

Speaking of dogs, Jess' golden retriever, Baloo, has finally lost his last remaining tennis ball. I always thought that retrievers RETRIEVED, but...In it's place he's been carrying around a (deteriorating) hedge apple/osage orange, trying to convince us that it is really a tennis ball and that we should throw it for him. I like optimism in dogs, but still don't want to touch that thing. Anyone have any old tennis balls? Baloo obviously needs more practice, and none of us are going near those hedge apples...