Hi friends! This is Alline with the latest and greatest from Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage.
The biggest things to happen here at DR often seem to be the small things. It made me very happy to be in our weekly Sunday meeting and see that so many people have returned from their holiday travels. Sam & Kody, Mae, Ben & Althea, Thomas…all home safely. Of course, this week a whole new batch of folks hit the road, but then they’ll come home again, too.
Speaking of small things, 10-month-old Abigail, daughter of Dave and Nani (and sister to Elle) is walking. Now in meetings all we see is a streak of red hair as she dashes back and forth. It is sometimes hard to concentrate on the meeting itself when we’re giggling at Abi, but we persevere and do our best.
Every Monday this winter Kurt and I have been joining the Bobolink food cooperative for dinner. We host a meal every third week, and enjoy it a lot – since opening the Mercantile we miss having meals with smaller groups of our community friends. Another bonus is that we learn a lot. Last night we learned about portmanteau words. A portmanteau is a word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two different words, as chortle, from chuckle and snort.
Aaron, who was a participant in last summer’s visitor program and who is moving to DR in the spring, spent a week visiting friends here. It was great having his help with Mercantile chores (so much firewood to be hauled!). Inspired by Aaron, a few of us held informal brainstorming sessions about creating online businesses here at DR, which we promptly nicknamed the Sustainabilibuddies. (This is, of course, a portmanteau.)
Dancing Rabbit builders and gardeners (and B&B owners) are all gearing up for the coming summer and thinking about Work Exchange and Intern positions will be offered. We so enjoy the energy and enthusiasm that summer workers bring with them, and look forward to finding the next group! Stay tuned for updated information on the DR website soon.
Now that it is winter (and theoretically “slower”) we’ve been able to schedule a weekly sewing night. Held on Wendesday in the Milkweed Mercantile in front of the fireplace, it’s a nice time to gather, chat and see what everyone is working on. Aurelia is learning to crochet, Ted mended a few holes in a beloved wool sweater and then worked on a mobile (we’re not very strict on the “sewing” aspect of sewing night), Bri continues to hand quilt the quilt she pieced from gorgeous fabric collected when she was in Africa in the Peace Corps, and I worked on crocheted potholders. Who needs TV when you have potholders?
This past week, out on the frozen pond, there were broom ball games (exactly what it sounds like, only on ice skates) and ice hockey. Sometimes I think that our winter activities look like a Road Warrior version of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Every Thursday evening is pizza night at the Milkweed Mercantile. It’s always fun to see who shows up – everyone is welcome, including all you folks from town! To entice you to come, in addition to the handcrafted pizza, we also have 26 kinds of craft beers. If you’re not a drinker we also carry some of the best soft drinks you’ve never heard of.
To end your meal on a sweet note we always have a delicious (homemade and decadent) dessert.
It’s time for me to go pour over some of those colorful seed catalogs that keep arriving in the mail. Stay warm, and come see us soon!
Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and educational nonprofit in Rutledge, northeast Missouri, focused on sustainable living. Our free tours start up again in the spring. Meanwhile you can find more information at www.dancingrabbit.org, read our blog at blog.dancingrabbit.org, or give us a call at (660) 883-5511. You can also find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/DancingRabbitEcovillage.www.dancingrabbit.org