The last tours took place on Sunday, and the last visitors left on Monday. At Dancing Rabbit, it’s a season of winding down, but not one of giving up.
Christina here, bringing news of good questions, swapped clothes, tomato sauce, and new possibilities.
One of my favorite parts of the visitor sessions is answering questions. Yes, I like to feel useful and help people get the information that they need, but I really love questions that help me clarify my own views on tricky topics. At last week’s visitor Q and A, there were two questions that stuck with me. One, about areas where we feel that we are not living up to our ideals, got me thinking about money and sustainability for days. The other was about what we do when we find ourselves in a rut.
My favorite answer to that question wasn’t mine, but I realized that it described life here so well. The answer was that living seasonally helps with that stuck or routine feeling.
What living seasonally means to me here—and everywhere—is food. We harvested the sweet potatoes this week after a frost “burned” the leaves. We also quickly snatched up the rest of the eggplant, peppers, and jalapeños. I have reluctantly realized that I likely won’t eat a fresh tomato for another nine months. But I also decided that we’d waited long enough to open the first jar of canned tomato sauce. And we’ve even cooked a few meals over the wood-burning stove.
I also have some new clothes, courtesy of the recent clothing swap. Like many other aspects of life here, getting new clothes isn’t quite the same as it is in the outside world. We met on Saturday night in La Casa, the dance studio. Kim from Red Earth and Tereza stood on the mini stage in front of piles of clothes, which they auctioned off in a whirlwind style. They held up pieces, gave them a quick pitch, and then threw them out to whoever raised their hand first. I now have a bunch of new-to-me fall clothes to wear.
It’s a new season of homeschooling, and our homeschool co-op is going really well. I even got the kids to write poetry last week! I was amazed by what they could do.
And of course it’s always about the weather at DR. It’s finally started to feel like fall with cold nights full of bright stars. For me, the crisp air feels like a renewal. There’s so much that we wanted to do that we didn’t, but next year we’ll do all the things that we didn’t get done or didn’t do the way we had hoped.
A new season also means a chance to get it right next time.
I’m also excited about getting some new residents here this year. Dorothy just arrived last week, we might have another family as soon as a few weeks from now, and there may be one more resident arriving before winter sets in.
Two other questions that we frequently get in the visitor Q and A are “What is the best part of living here?” and “What is the worst part of living here?” If I were to answer both of those questions truthfully, my answer to both would be “the people.” More people means more possibility for conflict, more norms and expectations to take into account, more people to bother with my barking dog or my yelling kids or my overly enthusiastic personality.
But more people also means the possibility for new friends, for more cooperative ventures, for new dishes at potluck, and for more positive change.
I guess that I’m ready to let go of summer. I’m excited about what the new season will bring.
Want to learn more about creating a more sustainable life for yourself, but haven’t been able to make it to Dancing Rabbit in person? Check out our online education series “How to Live like an Ecovillager,” where Dancing Rabbit teachers cover topics ranging from creating a carbon-efficient kitchen, to making your home and lifestyle more carbon-conscious, to building skills for cooperative culture! Learn more here!
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.