Earlier sunsets and frantic rabbits (both human and animal) seem inversely proportional as our daylight wanes, and deadlines hang in the cooling air like the last tomato signaling briefly before passing its prime and entering our stomachs to fuel this closure. We’ll need the energy. Fall crops of lettuce, broccoli, and carrots are steadily scouring the soil for nutrients while happily receiving water from their human caretakers. Part of me wonders if the Off Grid Blues weekend we’re having here will stimulate some added growth that would otherwise not be noted.
Julie here with the happenings at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage this week.
This past week, our local blues band put on their first dress rehearsal. While I was thrilled to rediscover the talents of last year’s (gorgeous, I might add) band members, witnessing the genius of new members delivered in such an evocative way was like finding a secret passageway to my inner self. Clint’s phenomenal bluesy vibrato, punctuated with refined harmonica solos had the room spinning with soul. Garnet, Sarah, and Doug all shone with brilliance during their unforgettable performances as well. This rehearsal was in preparation of 70 dancers and instructors arriving at the village for a 3-day blues dancing extravaganza that will briefly double the numbers of people residing here. I’m sure that Skyhouse community will have their hands full feeding everyone this weekend, but I think they chose well when electing to employ Nani to head this task up. Her cooking is the rave of the village, and she makes everything delectable, so I’m sure the dancers will be well fed.
Walking into the great room of the common house is something akin to experiencing amnesia. Where am I? Is this the correct address? Who am I?? The entire room has been repainted in colors that are pleasing to the eye: stucco brown, basalt blue, and champagne waltz. The south-facing wall is a gorgeous blue that draws the eye to the classy clock mounted above the freshly painted matching kitchen door. Ziggy and April found some gently used second hand high-end furniture on Kansas City’s Craigslist, and came home, in my opinion, one step above criminals with the steals they secured. Fluffy couches, old-modern-is-new-retro chairs, tables, and a wooden chest that could double as an ottoman fill the room with a feng shui that was sorely lacking previously. Upon seeing this overhaul, I had to test each and every new piece of furniture in succession. Perhaps taking a nap on one of the new couches is in order; that might jog my memory…
Gusts of wind rustle the protective tarps that shield Dan’s house as he completes his gloriously colorful and artistic home, keeping the lime plaster moist in these desiccating winds. His home is one of the first that has used more than one color of finish plaster, and is certainly the first one here to use it as a means by which to create multiple 2-dimensional designs. Plaster has been used as a medium for sculpting, but not as a canvas. I wouldn’t be surprised if by next year, I’ll be reporting that others were inspired by the beauty of his creation, and elected to decorate their homes in a similar fashion.
Scout has been painting a mural on my greenhouse, and his talent has been noticed by everyone who passes by. His rendering of the local flowers that exist in our prairies is beyond anything I had expected, and I am in love with the sunflowers, chicory, and lilies that have been given a life that only a patient, studied, and delicate hand could conjure. There is a waiting list, but if you would like a mural on your home, he is currently available for hire.
Well, I need to be off to Haley and Kyle’s cob-stomping party. Cob is a mixture of clay, sand and straw. This get-together is going to assist in the preparation of materials for the house that they are finishing up, hopefully before the building season ends. It seems that they make so much progress everyday, and are continually at the work-site, covered in cob, yet in good spirits. I plan on being indistinguishable from them in about an hour.
Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and educational nonprofit in Rutledge, northeast Missouri, focused on sustainable living. We offer free tours to the public twice monthly from April-October. For more information you can visit our website www.dancingrabbit.org, read our blog The March Hare at blog.dancingrabbit.org, or give us a call at(660) 883-5511.