Happy Holidays Y’all! 🙂
Yep, that’s right, Katherine here as your Happy Rabbit, ready to regale you once again with this week’s village shenanigans.
Before we get to the shenanigans however, I would love to make a shout out to my awesome fan from “sunny Arizona”! Thank you for the video, which I enjoyed very much. I definitely recognize some of those dance moves from my own parties and drum circles.
Speaking of just that, Bagels and illly (yes, these are names of two young men who reside at Dancing Rabbit) hosted a drum circle/jam session in the common house on Saturday night. Boasting of good music, great voices, and the beating of our collective heart, the Rabbits came together in “bass”-ic harmony.
Earlier this week found us celebrating (or not) Christmas in a variety of ways. The Mercantile hosted a movie marathon on the Eve, consisting of such classics as Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Die Hard. Yes, Die Hard.
For those who didn’t realize, this 1988 action thriller starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman is set in downtown LA at a Christmas party, thus dubbing it (at least in Uncle Kurt’s eyes) as a holiday must-see. I don’t know about y’all but there’s somethin’ real special about watching this movie and then going straight off to Midnight Mass at the Catholic church in nearby Edina. Now that’s what I call juxtaposition.
I have not attended a Catholic Mass in many years and I am not quite sure what it was that was so special about this time. I gathered friend and family to accompany me to St. Joseph’s for a beautiful evening. While I was a little rusty with my scripted replies and “Amen”s, it was truly the singing that captured my heart and reminded me of the community outside of my own. Singing songs of olde with a few hundred other folk, I felt that feeling of togetherness that can be so rare in a room of strangers.
I am thankful for this time of year when, no matter what race, creed, class or sex we may happen to belong to, love may transcend all boundaries for those who will allow. (For the other Grinches and Scrooges out there, right on y’all. It takes all sorts and there’s always room at my table for a little diversity.)
One aspect of Dancing Rabbit that I absolutely love is our array of spirituality. Some members enjoy praising the land with moon rituals and solstice celebrations, some attend services at local Mennonite and Baptist churches. Some spin dreidels and kiss under the mistletoe, while feasting with atheists and ordained ministers alike. Rabbits may celebrate anything or nothing with equal opportunity and gladness. We may also exercise our freedom to stay in for the evening with a good book or board game. With a village of roughly 60 people, the opportunity to entertain is never in lack.
On the topic of gatherings and back to village news, Alyssa hosted a “low-impact social time” with a “hand work hangout” at her house, Lobelia. Mica was seen toting over her hand-dandy lightweight loom for rug making with lovely scraps of fabric that will soon grace the halls of Sandhill Farm, three miles down the road from Dancing Rabbit. When it comes to rugs, our people really know how to put their “sole” into it.
While I was not able to attend this little shindig myself, I was proud to complete some of my own knitting projects including a water bottle holder, potholder, and __blank__ for my mom. Since I have been late for everything since the day I was born (a week late), it is no surprise that I still have not sent my parents down in Texas their winter box of goodies. (Hi, dad!)
Maybe I can use the excuse that the winter blast hasn’t hit the midwest yet and thus my timing is a bit off. While I truly appreciate the sun that graced us twice this week, I do enjoy a good snow that sticks around (which we’ve been lacking). In fact, the snow ninjas that I last wrote about have taken off their masks and are about ready to begin gardening again! Maybe it’s not that extreme but I will tell you, the grass is definitely growing again in my yard.
Those couple days of sun were just enough for my tiny solar system to drink its fill and provide me once again with a reading lamp at night. It had also been a hot minute since I was able to charge my computer at my house in order to work late into the night. Working for our non-profit, Dancing Rabbit, Inc., and separately for the Village Council, keeps my brain-wheels turning, from database entry to annual budgets to dog population policy. This week alone my email inbox has seen a bit of each topic, which makes life at the village very not boring.
Dancing Rabbit takes all sorts to figure out these very different numbers, while also getting the gardens weeded and the animals fed. Without each Rabbit, still here and gone away, we just would not be the village that we are. I thank you all for supporting our mission in whatever way you have seen fit. Some of us live in rural Missouri, others have joined our (totally awesome) Board, and still others (some of whom have never even met us) have shown their support with donations of money, goods, or time.
My favorite part of being the Development Assistant for our non-profit is getting to thank our donors with a personalized note. Over the years that I have worked I have seen many donor names come across my desk. As I begin to recognize names of folks that I have never met, I feel happier in my job that is not so nameless as it may be faceless.
Just this week I was introduced to some donors who wanted to put a face with the name. Thank you for that! What I want to yell is, “It is I! *Katherine* Happy Rabbit that appreciates you so! I am here, I am real, and I care!”
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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.