Tending The Garden: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Tending The Garden: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Time stands still for no one, and that is certainly true at Dancing Rabbit. Liz here, describing the ebb and flow of life at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. Spring has definitely sprung. The whole landscape is turning green and the first bulbs are beginning to flower. We have had mild temperatures, rain and cool winds, which is typical of spring weather in northeastern Missouri. Often, when I’m exchanging pleasantries about the weather with my village friends, there will be the inevitable warning not to get too used to it: April often has surprises in store. We had snow for a few…read more >
Braving the Weather: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Braving the Weather: A Dancing Rabbit Update

We’re all affected, every day, by the arrest of one of our community members several weeks ago. Liz here, with the difficult and delicate task of writing about life at Dancing Rabbit. While I could use this column to express how it has affected me, it seems pale in comparison with how it has affected some community members more directly, so I’ll take a page from my midwestern neighbors and talk about less tender subjects. Frost glistening on last year's Queen Anne's lace. Since January, I have been commuting to Kirksville twice a week, taking my daughter to classes at…read more >
Living on the Edge: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Living on the Edge: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Since I moved to Missouri from California almost two years ago, I have had a tendency to look back and compare my experiences with each turn of the season. Whenever I can recall a memory of Dancing Rabbit instead of California, things feel a little easier. Liz here, with an update on the new year from Dancing Rabbit. Liz's proposed permaculture project site, with her friend the silver maple tree, and a view of Dancing Rabbit's Old Pond Last winter I traveled back to California three times for various reasons and it was hard being split between two homes. While…read more >
Two Arrows: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Two Arrows: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Winter is in full force right now in the Midwest. Liz here, with the latest from Dancing Rabbit. Friends back in California are surely thinking I’m a fool for moving here and Rabbits who have lived at DR for a while are surely thinking I have yet to see the worst of the winter weather. I wondered as winter approached whether I would feel blasé about snow and cold temperatures now that I’ve lived here through one winter. But then nature showed off last weekend and dropped four to six inches of snow with winds up to 25 mph in…read more >
Cross-Pollination: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Cross-Pollination: A Dancing Rabbit Update

I have a sense of time marching on as the season shifts gears from late summer to fall. Liz here, checking in with the latest about Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. This week we had several rain storms, including one loud thunderstorm that kept me up for hours. I am grateful after these storms that my little, straw bale house stays snug and dry in this weather. I haven't felt the need to fire up my wood stove, which is how I heat my house, but a nip in the air is telling me it won’t be long. The village feels quiet…read more >
Living As My Authentic Self: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Living As My Authentic Self: A Dancing Rabbit Update

What does it mean to live an authentic life? Liz here, observing the effects of passing the one year mark of living in alignment with my values, intentions, and purpose. What I remember of my former, urban life (as it fades into the mists of time), is that I experienced considerable tension when thinking about the state of the world and my opportunities to do anything active or meaningful to improve it. What I have noticed since moving to Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is that I have relaxed internally, with greater joy and happiness, now that these two things line up.…read more >
Facing Life Head-On: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Facing Life Head-On: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Graham and I have tried to implement as many permaculture concepts in Cob’s vegetable garden this year as time has allowed. One concept that really caught my fancy was to plant perennial flowers and certain veggies in amongst the veggie beds to attract pollinator insects (e.g., cosmos, nasturtiums, zinnias, daisies, borage, and dandelions) and to discourage pest insects (e.g., onion, garlic, leeks, basil, radishes, and marigolds). Liz here, in awe of the beauty of a permaculture garden in the fullness of summer. The summer bounty is beginning to come in at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. It’s been a dry summer and…read more >
Shine Light on the World: A Dancing Rabbit Update

Shine Light on the World: A Dancing Rabbit Update

I've been fascinated lately reading about forest baths. Doctors in Japan prescribe walking in forests for their patients to combat anxiety and depression. When I moved to Dancing Rabbit, I was struck by how good I felt, kind of like after going on a camping trip or a hike, but 24/7. There is more oxygen in the air when we are surrounded by greenery, but it goes beyond that. There is something that feeds the human spirit when we are surrounded by rustling leaves, changing, growing landscapes, flowers of different shapes and colors, birdsong, and bees humming. Liz here, with…read more >