Hello folks! The daylight hours each day are getting fewer now, and rabbits all around the village are squeezing every minute of productivity and fun into what are still very long days.
This is Sam, by the way, with my view of the news at Dancing Rabbit. My personal projects are taking shape and getting back into shape with the help of Dave and his crew. They’re building a garden shed in what will be garden space for rent down in the Osage garden area. It’s gone up in a flash and left me feeling so grateful that there are people in the village who have building skills, so I don’t have to learn to do everything myself. I’ve always prided myself on being independent and able to learn new things, but there comes a point at which there just aren’t enough hours in a year to get everything done all by myself and still lead a sane and happy life. Hooray for specialization and division of labor!
Dennis and Sharon erected the last of ten half bents at their home site. All ten of these bent raisings have been accomplished with lots of neighborly assistance. They showed their appreciation for everyone’s help with a little chorus line rendition of “We’ve Got Verticality” to the tune of “You’ve Got Personality.” Dennis, Sharon and the work exchangers who work with them put in a ton of time being fastidious and hands-on with the construction process. They have been building their home with mindfulness, patience, and the strong values of DIY and self-sufficiency.
It’s still hot, but it’s been getting cooler at night so we can open the windows to let the cool air in to lower the temperature of our indoor thermal mass, then trap it in during the day by closing the windows and drawing the thermal curtains. Now that we have our big solar arrays (since Spring) some folks are choosing to run air conditioners to keep indoor moisture and temperature down. Our electricity isn’t cheap by the kWh, so those folks are helping to purchase the wind turbine the power co-op will probably install next. Still, it’s a cultural shift toward consumption that not everyone is comfortable with.
It rained this week. Once. It wasn’t nearly enough to bring the pond up enough to float the dock, and those who’s sustenance and/or livelihood depend on plants they’re rearing are still working hard to keep those roots wet. We’re starting to enjoy the fruits of our gardening labor despite the dryness. Cucumber sandwiches and cherry tomatoes are some of my favorite parts of summer and I’m very happy with my lunches lately. Mark from Sunrise Farm, located outside of La Plata, who you might remember as having brought us a couple truckloads of seedlings a few months back, brought us a truck and trailer load of produce this week. Some of us got enough to put some up for winter, others just enough to enjoy and share fresh, local and spray-free food until our own gardens start coming in more fully.
We’re moving right along out here on lots of fronts: We’re making progress toward our new decision-making system; Infrastructure is being added to the energy co-op so more homeowners can hook in their outlets and solar panels; Residents are going through the joining process; Gardens are being built and improved; Homes and other structures are in all different phases of construction and planning; Work on the new common house design goes on, as well as fundraising efforts for that building. The atmosphere is nose to the grind stone, with plenty of self-care and community support.
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 the second and fourth Saturday, starting promptly at 1pm from
April-October. For more information you can visit our website at www.dancingrabbit.org, “like” us on Facebook, or give us a call at (660) 883-5511.