Many things are done differently here at Dancing Rabbit, and birthdays are certainly no exception.
Christina, here, writing about a pretty amazing week. I turned 42 this week, and I got to experience yet another new aspect of life here in the village.
Whenever Rabbits are answering questions from the public—at tours, the annual Open House, visitor sessions—we are always encouraged to remind listeners that we don’t speak for every Rabbit, that our opinion is our own and not necessarily that of everyone else.
Well, this is my highly subjective telling of the week’s events.
It was my birthday on Saturday, but we didn’t wait until then to start celebrating. The DR week sort of revolves around pizza night at the Mercantile, so that was the first of many parties. Alline made one of her famous cakes, a giant carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, per my request. Plenty of new friends, who are starting to seem like old friends already, showed up to share the cake, sing to me, and generally hang out and talk for a while.
If you haven’t heard the DR birthday song, it isn’t the regular one (of course), it goes like this: “Happy birthday to you! We’re so glad you’re alive. You’re a gift from the Earth. Bless the day of your birth.” In my former life, even the best wishing friends wouldn’t have been able to show up for twenty or thirty or fifty minutes to hang out and eat cake on a Thursday night, but since my friends here live between a two- and fifteen-minute walk away, they were able to take the time.
The cake was great, the pizza was delicious (Dan’s feta, calamata olives, and the Mercantile’s special ranch dipping sauce, just in case you were wondering), but the real party was on Friday afternoon.
I am not exaggerating when I say that it has been a lifelong dream of mine to play a giant game of capture the flag. Well, that is exactly what we did. We planned to meet at four, and as I was waiting for people to show up, I was telling my two kids, Emma and Max, that we would be able to play as long as we had six players. By the end, I think that we must have had at least twenty people playing. I don’t know why it is so terrifying and exciting to make my way into enemy territory, but it really was so much fun. I even captured the flag on the first point!
Can you ever have too much pizza? Apparently not, since when we were invited to another pizza party the next day, we happily accepted. The Critters were making dinner in the newly plastered cob oven, and when we arrived to Kyle’s backyard, we were greeted by Mae holding a happy baby Arthur and rolling out pizza dough for somewhere around fifteen people.
Toppings included homemade chèvre, duck and chicken meat, cherry tomatoes, peppers, onions, and corn—all grown right here in the village. We talked and ate pizza. The kids happily ran around delivering their handmade tiny pizzas to every willing volunteer. The sun set behind Strawtron. It was another beautiful night.
Saturday, my official birthday and the third day of the party, was celebrated with Land Clean. (Not that Land Clean was scheduled for my birthday—they just happened to be on the same day.) This is the biannual event when we all get together to beautify the village, the spring clean happens just before the first visitor session, and the fall one happens in preparation for Open House.
We cut grass, weeded overgrown areas, spread mulch. Also, there were snacks. So yes, another kind of party. It was a lot of tiring work, and if I don’t look at a ragweed plant again for the next few days that will be fine, but it was also a chance to hang out and spend time talking while we worked.
It was also great just to see everyone outside together, and while we work together on projects all the time, there is something so simple and tangible about Land Clean. As I walked around the village in the afternoon, there was a visible improvement, and it had all happened that same day.
Turned out that my cake-eating time had not ended. Toren turned fifteen on Sunday, after spending two thirds of his life here, and so it was time for another amazing Alline-made cake. This time, the party was a surprise.
We gathered in the Mercantile dressed in silly hats and costumes, and Duncan and Ewan lured Toren to the Mercantile with a promise of a free root beer. We weren’t sure how Toren would handle being the center of attention, so we decided that it would lessen the pressure on him if we yelled “Chocolate cake!” instead of happy birthday. Of course, we broke out into song right after that.
I’m not usually one to make a big deal about birthdays, my own or other people’s. And it’s not that there were any huge parties or elaborate decorations or complicated planning. But having a bunch of people who show up to sing to you that they are “so glad you’re alive” is a pretty nice feeling.
You feel loved and appreciated and just all warm and fuzzy. Of course, I am only speaking for myself here and not all of the Rabbits, though I’d guess that I am not alone in this sentiment.
If you’re nearby, we hope to see you this Saturday at our annual Open House, with tours happening every half hour from 1-4 pm! Come enjoy the tour, see what’s new, talk with Rabbits, buy village-made goods at the Village Fair, and enjoy some complimentary refreshments!
Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and nonprofit outside Rutledge, in northeast Missouri, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. Find out more about us by visiting our website, reading our blog, or emailing us.