The March Hare: Winter '02
Issue 31

Winter and Growing * 2001 Interns * Member Bio * Eco to go * Winter Biodiesel * Straw Houses * O, Pioneers * Help Us

Come see our past issues for lots of Dancing Rabbit information.

Winter and Growing

Actually the first few months of fall were extremely mild. As this is being written we're having a rare day with a temperature above 40ûF. But more usual has been ice-skating and Cecil-curling on the pond. Not enough snow yet for skiing or snowshoeing, but some Rabbits remain hopeful...

Winter means getting to eat the fruits of our labor: we had a grand total of 1100 quarts of canned food, and 50 quarts of dried. Winter also means winterizing our homes. Mark and Megan prepped Kalen's house for winter and are living in it now. The outdoor kitchen is baled in for winter housing, with two separate rooms available. Quite a few folks have made insulated curtains for their houses, and both the Milkweed's and Skyhouse's buildings received lovely new blown-in insulation.

Tamar put sheetrock on the ceiling of the Timberframe, and the Milkweeds put sheetrock on their ceiling as well. Skyhouse put 15 (of a total 40) solar panels on the roof of its building, which involved climbing equipment and folks on belay and carefully pulling panels up and over the edge of a steeply pitched roof. Big fun for those who got to help.

We hosted a wonderful Thanksgiving in our living-room-turned-dining-room, with one loooong table to fit all of us and Sandhill. In December our numbers dropped with interns gone and folks off visiting family and friends around the country, but everyone returned in time for our retreat in mid-January, including former interns Ted and Sara, who offered to cook for us while we're "retreating".

But perhaps the best news since last newsletter is the addition of three new members: Susan Wright (see her Bio this issue), Erik Odom, and Tom Cowen. Don and Susan B. both became full members, and Tamar, Mark, and Megan all decided to lengthen their stays as residents. Add in our newest resident Alyson, and our total winter population comes to 16. We must be doing something right, having such great people join us. It's exciting to see Dancing Rabbit growing, in every sense of the word, even in the winter.

Winter and Growing * 2001 Interns * Member Bio * Eco to go * Winter Biodiesel * Straw Houses * O, Pioneers * Help Us