Memphis Democrat
December 9, 2004

In the days between all this wet and snow, Ironweed co-op kitchen (Sara, Tamar, and Ted) has managed to sneak more of their roof up. Hopefully, this coming week will give them a little sun to finish it up.

They took advantage of one rainy day to do some food preserving. They harvested most of their Chinese cabbage, and with help from Stefanie, made five crocks full of kimchi. It's a whole lot like sauerkraut, only a bit spicier. I'm sure it will be delicious and give everyone a much-needed vitamin c boost this winter.

Speaking of food, I would especially like to thank Joe Neese for passing along his recipe for cranberry salad. Jacque, Stef, visitor Dana, and I bumped into him at Zimmerman's the day before Thanksgiving.

We had a wonderful holiday over at Sandhill. Jess, Cedar, and Skyler were among those visiting. It was a delight to watch Skyler and Dana's son Egon play together. They even danced-- along with Stan-- to music played by Jeffrey, Andrew, Penn, and Tamar.

Before supper, we circled and held hands as we often do. It provides a time for reflection and to see clearly the people we are so thankful to have in our lives. We sang "Simple Gifts" together-- a beautiful song for remembering that the real blessings in life are, indeed, simple.

The next evening we enjoyed more companionship by playing board games in Skyhouse. I hear Jeffrey is quite a Monopoly strategist. (You wouldn't expect it, would you?) A fine time was had by all.

We were all concerned about Irene Mayfield's fall, but very glad to hear that she is doing fine now. I know I am looking forward to seeing more of the folks in Rutledge as the winter season gets underway. Maybe we plan a time to sing some Christmas carols.

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