Hello again, dear readers. Lucas here, excited to inform you all of this week’s developments at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage!
New life and new ideas are swirling around the village this week. Even during the breaks between tours, events, and visitor sessions, the village is staying busy!
Three of our own recently returned from the Climate Reality Leadership Corps course held in Cedar Rapids, IA. I had dinner with one, Illly, just yesterday. He had an amazing time. I can tell his level of motivation and his breadth of knowledge have skyrocketed! Al Gore not only made an appearance, but apparently did a significant portion of the training. It is wonderful be in a community that thrives upon education and social engagement!
Seven kittens (AKA little balls of squee) were rescued from a precarious perch in the machine shed. Folks, I am a cat person; I long ago quit trying to hide it. I don’t know why that is, I never had a cat or a dog growing up, but I’ve always preferred the former.
The stray mother cat chose a terrible place to keep her kittens, and they had wandered far and wide while she was away. Most were also struggling with eye infections. I happened to be walking by just after their initial discovery, and got to take part in cleaning and caring for them.
We placed them in a box large enough for the mother to be able to feed them in, and within a few minutes, we watched as the mother surveyed, approved, and hopped in with her little ones. So far the healthiest, and most friendly, kitten has been dubbed “Big Head”. They will soon be ready for adoption, and I’m hoping some of them might find homes here at DR so they can have real names!
Members of the goat co-op are now proud “parents” of two more baby goats! They join “Cream” and “Sugar” for a total of four so far this year. Both males, they are happy, healthy, very colorful, and adorably playful!
As for me and my partner, Brooke, we have just moved in to a home we’re renting here at DR, Bluestem. We couldn’t be more excited to have so much space! Until now, we have been living in a room just large enough for a bed, two desks, and a dresser. Though we have been cultivating the garden adjacent to Bluestem since March, we feel like we are now getting our roots into the ground here– much like the seedlings we have been coaxing in the greenhouse. It feels great to have a place to plant our metaphorical flag. We are poised for growth; the sun and nutrients are here, with enough space to feel comfortable.
Now, if I can just get the rabbits (the non-human type) to stay out of the garden! I now know how Elmer Fudd felt. “Wascally”, indeed. Eleven lettuce starts…nibbled down to the nub. We already lost our peas a few weeks ago. It was a sad sight to behold.
I didn’t see any rabbits for a few days afterwards, and had hoped they had moved on. Then, while moving some hay, I stumbled upon a nest of barely-haired, shaking babies. I gathered and moved them out of the area, but I seriously doubt that will solve the issue. They appear to be smarter than the traps, the fence, and, ultimately, the Lucas. Or at the very least, more determined. I am grateful that they are so selective in what they chose to eat; most of our garden has remained untouched.
The struggle is real here at Dancing Rabbit. It is most certainly a labor of love from my perspective, and I suspect many (if not all) others’ as well. It is our hope that through all our different efforts we can foster more abundant, sustainable lives; lives based on mutual respect, peaceful resolutions, and environmental sustainability.
We seek to demonstrate that possibility to not only the rest of the world, but to ourselves as well. Whether we are becoming climate leaders through education, or providing our own sources of food through gardening and animal husbandry, or giving our time to community tasks, we are all, in our own way, working to create a world of new life and ideas.
• • •
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.