What a celebratory week! Tereza here, starting off with just a bit about the weather, then moving on to news, mostly about parties, and food. Enjoy!
We had some not-unusual-for-spring cold grey weather this week, but by the weekend the sun came shining out on all the lovely growing green and new bursts of flowers. The tulips and daffodils are showing their stuff, brightening even the greyer days with their color.
In Ironweed kitchen we’ve been enjoying lots of walking onions, garlic chives, and asparagus from the garden, not to mention the oodles of shitakes sprouting from the ‘shroom logs—mmmm, so lovely and tasty! And a cooking tip disguised as an exclamation: Who knew that simply cooking green onions (or garlic chives) with plenty of fat and salt could taste so divine?!
There was a showing of Fiddler on the Roof on Tuesday night in preparation for the arrival of Rachel’s mother, who regularly over the years has helped us put on a musical. OK, not an entire musical, but we learn the parts to a handful of songs before she gets here, then spend a few days learning choreography and polishing the numbers, and finally perform them to great acclaim. This year’s pick is Fiddler, and the showing was to re-familiarize (or, in some cases perhaps, acquaint for the very first time) folks with the numbers so they can be thinking which they might want to perform before the crowd of appreciative Rabbits and neighbors. I’ll be missing the fun this year, but hope that Meadoe will finally realize her lifelong dream of doing some Tevye solos!
A celebration was held for Bri’s birthday and consisted of a dance party in the Casa with an eclectic mix of many kinds of music, including plenty of blues. When I asked Aurelia the next day what she liked most about the party, she mentioned stealing Bri as a highlight. She was referring to a fun game in which one person starts dancing with the honoree, then someone else “steals” them from that partner, by taking a hand during a turn, or turning them from behind so they end up with the new partner, or, for the less graceful among us (i.e., me) simply grabbing an arm and gently dragging them away from the other partner. This goes on throughout the song. It’s fun to have lots of different partners, and a nice way to show affection or appreciation for someone. Bri seemed to enjoy it, too!
The weekend brought more celebration—Sandhill Farm’s May Day and Anniversary party, and Clint’s birthday party. It was the 40th anniversary of the day Sandhill bought their land, and a number of folks from the very early days were there to celebrate as well. There was story sharing about the community, a Maypole dance (according to Bear one of the nicest braiding jobs he’s seen), a potluck, sweats, and much socializing and merriment. Most Rabbits bike, walk, or carpool over for the festivities, making for a very quiet home front.
How do I know how quiet it was? And why did I have to take Bear’s word for the Maypole? Because I finally succumbed to an unwelcome guest-bug I’d been successfully fighting off for several weeks, and wasn’t feeling well enough to attend. Here’s where I sing the praises of living in community: Ma’ikwe stopped by beforehand to wish me well and ask if I needed anything, Bear and Alyssa offered to chauffeur me over and back just for the potluck if I felt up for it (unfortunately not), and several folks offered to bring me food—Nathan dished up many yummy treats for me and Jennifer delivered them during a shuttle run back to DR, which also gave us a nice chance to chat.
I felt very well cared for, especially given the lovely card I’d found in my mail pocket a few days before. A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with an eye condition and had been feeling pretty scared and sad about it. The handmade card, signed by so many kind community mates, didn’t make everything magically better, but communicated the caring and support of my community in a way I very much appreciated.
And last, but certainly not least, as I write this, Clint is celebrating his birthday with cake. Lots of cake. I didn’t count how many times the word “cake” appeared in the email announcement of the event, but it was a lot. And not just any cake. Alline-crafted Tres Leches cake. And if you, like me, don’t know exactly what that is, rest assured I will look it up for us both. Thanks to Wikipedia we now know it is a sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. Wow. What a tasty & light dessert. Thanks, Clint for having a cake-focused birthday!
The cake-eating will be followed by musical performances by Nevada Greene and Bob Bucko Jr. in the Casa. I am hoping that the piece of cake (cake!) I ate will cure me of my lingering illness so that I can attend the festivities, but whether or not it does I can take joy in the connection and celebration of my community.
Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and nonprofit outside Rutledge, in northeast Missouri, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. We offer a free tour to the public at 1 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month, April through October. Find out more about us by visiting our website, reading our blog, or emailing us.