The Village Tales

...and the award goes to....

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 23:31:00 +0000

Us!
We were delighted to be recognized!

Hi there you person who is interested in our Blog! Welcome! Below is some information about the Sustainability award we just won. (YAY!) We thought we would stick it up here your you to enjoy... and also to update our posts. Yes. It is true. Our blog is a...well... a tiny bit out dated.

Not because we don't have news to share, but because life here moves so quickly and joyfully that we've sort of forgotten to write about it. We'd love to show you for ourselves. Please be in touch and we'll arrange a tour. If you would like to live here you'd best come soon as we are selling out very soon.

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yarrow wins!!

Congratulations to Yarrow Ecovillage - Groundswell Cohousing Development. This year marked the 19th Annual Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, where wonderful local companies are recognized in a variety of categories. The Yarrow Ecovillage was nominated for a "Sustainability Leadership Award" - The City of Chilliwack and the Chamber of Commerce are pleased to recognize outstanding contributions via sustainable initiatives. The recipient of this award has actively implemented, integrated and promoted sustainability into the workplace. They are recognized for their outstanding contributions to community sustainability through economic, social and environmental excellence and have demonstrated a visible commitment to sustainable business practises."

After answering a number of probing questions directed at how the Ecovillage manages its resources and encourages better practices, plus an in person interview and tour of the site.....The Ecovillage gratefully accepted the award.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Ecovillage you may like to know the answers to:

What is an 'ecovillage'?

The definition of an ecovillage, according to the Global Ecovillage Network is: "an intentional or traditional community using local participatory processes to holistically integrate ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainability in order to regenerate social and natural environments." Basically, we are a group of people with the desire to work with each other within the village, as well as connect to the larger community, developing positive relationships and fostering care for our planet and its resources.

How did you get so many houses in one spot?

The ecovillage is 25 acres. Some people have pulled land out of ALR to subdivide into half acre lots; if our 25 acres were treated in that way, it would have resulted in fifty homes.

Over a number of years of negotiations with the City of Chilliwack, we jointly created an ecovillage zoning which allowed us to preserve 20 acres of ALR, build 33 homes to date on 2.5 of the acres and leave room for a 2.5 acre commercial/apartment development.

How did you do the septic?

We did not put in a septic as the size of the septic field required would have significantly encroached on our farm land. We did work with a professional company (Arden Consulting) to develop and install a wastewater treatment system that finishes in a series of constructed treatment wetlands that we planted with native vegetation. These wetlands filter our wastewater resulting in the discharge of clean water, and are also providing habitat for birds and amphibians.

What is so sustainable about those houses? They look huge!

Our homes are smaller than an average house in Chilliwack. Of the 33 homes, 3 are a bit over 2000 sq feet, 16 are approximately 1000 sq feet and the remaining 14 homes are about 1500 sq feet. As all but 2 homes are multi-family (duplex, triplex, 4 and 5 plex) we have used less materials in the construction to begin with - less siding, roofing, concrete bases and so on, plus, we have less heat loss overall due in part to the shared internal walls. The 2 single family homes are the 'beehive' or dome homes, unique structures in themselves.

What religion are you?

We are not a religious community. Our community is comprised of diverse people with diverse beliefs and world-views.

So do you all work at the Deli or on the farm?

No, the Deli is privately owned and run by the wonderful people who work there. The farm is leased annually, by acre, to organic farmers who sell their products at the farm stand, through a Community Supported Agriculture program, and at local Farmer's Markets.Many of the farmers do live here, but a few live off site.

What kind of jobs do people have there?

Well, this is a broad question, but we have project managers, professors, teachers, systems administrators, scientists, directors, tradesmen and consultants, to name a few. Business owners, farmers and retired folk too. Many of us work offsite, telecommute or both.

If you would like to know more, have a look around, or get involved, please contact us online.

We host pre-booked tours every other Saturday.

yarrowecovillage.ca

welcome@yarrowecovillage.ca

Dick Clegg's Owl Talk - Mar 2 @ 1pm at Yarrow Hall

noreply@blogger.com (ann) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 05:17:00 +0000

Photo - Dick Clegg

Valentine's Eve is big around here

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 05:09:00 +0000

I can't believe how excited I am!

The kids are in bed and I'm just waiting for Paul to get home so we can put the final touches on our Valentine's surprise. This year is going to be amazing! What do you do for Valentine's day? Wait until you see what happens here.

Millie on our Valentine's walk through Yarrow
Photos are all taken by Vivian

Okay. So I can't know for sure that it will happen again, but let me tell you what happened last year. Last year Valentine's day got out to the normal "shout the kids out the door to the bus" routine until we opened the front door. We stopped flat.

There was the beginning of what turned out to be a magical day. A simple box of chocolates with a poem written out on yellow paper. There was one at every door in the village. That simple box of chocolates was like a portal to a magic place. I suppose everyone opened their door that morning and found the same thing I did. I suppose it did the same thing to every heart what it did to mine. I cracked right open.

It must have had that same effect on us all. Had to. By the end of the day I had a whole table of choclates and cookies. Poems and pictures. A red lamay door knocker still hangs on our bedroom door from that day.

Yarrow Post Office

It wasn't just our village. The whole of Yarrow had been decorated. Each store had a special display gifted to it by some unknown folks that cleaned it up as fast as they put it out. I remember walking Millie down the street. Looking at each magical installation. Noting different styles for sure.

My front door half way through the day

The village sort of fell in love all over again last Valentine's Day. Winter can be a tough time in community. We see each other less. The work part stays and the fun part dwindles. We do our best, and those that have been here longer know it is part of the ebb and flow of this place. Valentine's Day last year felt like a renewal for me. People walked around with the biggest smiles. Our hearts were full.

I need that full heart again. Lord knows this winter has felt long and cloudy for me. I have barely held on until now- but here I am! Valentine's Eve! Falling in love with the village all over again!

Yarrow IS special.

- Paul's home.... Gotta run. See you tomorrow! ;)

Ann's addendum

noreply@blogger.com (Beverly) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:22:00 +0000

Addendum---

Since finishing my book page report blog, I printed out page 220 and left it lying on my dining table to allow for further digestion.

I’d like to add more to my Book Page Report comment that

“ we too, are not expecting all these qualities all at once, in all our villagers or village-wannabes.”

Diana has this daunting list of suitable qualities for successful villagers…

1. Someone who doesn’t ‘need’ it.

2. Someone with a healthy sense of self

Etc

It’s a useful list for us to aim for, but an impossible list for any of us to truly achieve.

And within in the paragraphs that follow each one on the list, Diana expresses a realistic and compassionate attitude of optimism… For example

Diana writes about #4

4. Someone with a sense of connection to people and an interest in the well-being of others.

Obviously, a socially confident person who likes people, will enjoy community, but people who are shy or natural loners can have difficulty at first. They can be insensitive to other peoples’ needs and have no idea what’s expected of them. But with enough ‘high willingness’, such people can use community as a learning opportunity and become fully contributing members.

I can relate to many parts of this. I have always had a high need to feel connected and supportive of the wellbeing of others. In some ways, I’m socially skilled, and yet in others that I’m not aware of, I can still create disconnection when that’s not my intent at all.

I’m a not-shy introvert with very apparent needs for alone time. I’ve become ‘famous’ for leaving any party, at 9pm without saying goodbye – regardless of how good a time I’m having. If I had the social energy to go around to folks and say farewell, seeking out the host as well, I would do that. And that’s still me being insensitive to the host’s needs for appreciation and closure. Imagine if everyone just walked out of a party when they were done!! Gives me horrors to contemplate.

I’m telling you my story in this book page report, because I want to you to have a glimpse into one aspect of the rock-polisher effect. I can certainly tell you more of the ‘yikes’ part, but there is gentle learning too… with plenty of polish.

How lovely it is to live here and be oneself! Or at least to be on the way to that true self. There’s great wonder in the feeling of smoothness as I slide happily out of a party when I need to, knowing that my friends accept me for my oddity. The perfection of being imperfect. Ahhhhhh!

It's going to be a different book report when I tell you about the insights about introversion I've gained from reading 'Quiet" by Susan Cain. (A snippet of that Niblet is --- I asked around this village. Two-thirds of us here are introverts, when it's the reverse in the non-cohousing world. Interesting, eh?)

And another Nutshell Niblet about the rougher 'yikes' parts of ' rock-polishing' is on the way, too.

Please prompt me, if you want to, with a topic you'd like to read about. It might be me who replies... or someone else. We're flexible that way! :>)

Ann's book report

noreply@blogger.com (Beverly) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 04:33:00 +0000

Nutshells Niblets

Feb 2013

My Book (Page) Report

Author- Diana Leafe Christian

Title – Creating a Life Together- Practical tools to grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities

Publisher - New Society Press

Status- Highly recommended book. You can get it from the library.

My report is on a single page - 220 about ‘Who does well in community?’

My report’s title --- Hey there iPig!

My daughter surprise gifted me with an iPod. And thus also endowed me with an addiction to pinterest. But already, I digress. :>)

I think the device’s highest and best use is for me to doing some writing --- hence this book report.

Diana’s book Creating a Life Together has been a household companion of mine for the four years I’ve lived here. It follows me around the house. I dip in and browse randomly through it and find insights on every page - the kind that are of practical daily use - about seeking peace using good communication, learning lessons from other cohousers, crafting agreements that prevent conflict and much more.

In an intentional community like this, we’re not expected to be able to cope with its life-complexities alone. When one is ready, there are resources of all kinds around available- including books like Diana’s. And I’m most keen to share this one with you! :>)

Say! That reminds me of emoticons. I mean this kind :>) and this <3 … and seldom this … :>( I have never done this one… :>$ And I think this makes a cute mouse <3~

Now when I’m signing a quick card or a note I draw my happy faces sideways instead of upright. Go figure!

But I digress. Sigh. I seem to have the attention span of a sand flea.

Diana Leafe Christian is the author of two books – Creating a Life Together and Finding Community and she’s the editor of Communities magazine

http://communities.ic.org/

There you’ll find articles to read online. I suggest that you do that right now instead of reading my comparative drivel. Look on the right side for her ‘most read articles’. My current fav is ‘Busting the myth that consensus-with-unanimity is good for communities ‘

And also scroll down the middle panel to find Vivian Viallant’s article about life here in our village... ‘Creating Ecohousing’.

Hey! You’re still stuck reading me.

Nice.

Back to the book -- page 220 - Diana talks about the qualities of people whose lives demonstrate they can get along well with others --- Who does well in community?

1. Someone who doesn’t ‘need’ it.

2. Someone with a healthy sense of self

3. Someone who is open to and able to see other points of view

4. Someone with a sense of connection to people and an interest in the well-being of others

5. Someone willing to abide by group agreements

6. Someone willing to speak up

7. Someone wiling to be quiet and listen

Diana has more to say about each… but you get the drift with the titles.

I hasten to add that Diana … and we too, are not expecting all these qualities all at once, in our all villagers or village-wannabes. That’s what we have the rock-polisher for. Since that’s on page 221, you’ll have to read about that yourself. Suffice to say it’s about everyone’s rough edges being polished smooth by contact with others.

Sorry.

There’s no escaping the rock-polisher here.

Yikes!

And there is such good news,too. (Perhaps you see it already? We haven’t accomplished this wonderful village on a farm or enjoy each other’s company this deeply, without some well-earned smoothness. Oh! the joy of having polished off even a little roughness! In fact, I don’t think I can live outside cohousing now. And I hear this sentiment echoed in others, too.)

I sign with contentment --- at last I’m the twenty-first century. I have a life in an ecovillage, a hand-helpd* device and a bungee-jumping attention span.

* a hand helpd device. Did you notice my typo? Don’t you find those wiggly red lines under words draw your attention to funny or insightful things? Isn’t it a delight?

But I digress. Again. :>)

I’m noticing more things I’d put on Diana’s list. ‘Someone with a capacity to learn’ and how about ‘ Someone who can laugh when things go weird’ or another useful one… ‘Someone who can ace an iPig’

Have I told you yet why I have an iPig not an iPad?

Because when I’m typing … sorry keyboarding… with two fingers from my monkey hands** and not looking at the screen, the cursor( curser) jumps all over the place and then starts autocorrecting its own spelling. One day I looked at an email I’d sent and it had autocorrected its own signature to call itself an iPig. What can I do but laugh and go with the flow?

(Monkey hands** -- these are my artist hands. I just watch them doing things--- jumping around. Making stuff.)

As I said, life here requires a certain je ne sais quio.

So in summary-

Read the book. Creating a Life Together

Look at Communities magazine online. http://communities.ic.org/

Both are good.

Love,

Ann

Sent from my ipig

PS… Quoi ? Why didn’t it correct my French … je ne sais rien?

Vedder Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (Beverly) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:14:00 +0000

Photo by Cheryl Catton.

Woolly Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Beverly) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:03:00 +0000

Photo by Ann Clement.

Woolly Wednesday can be a little wild. At one of their weekly gatherings, Lea decided to learn to knit, and Ann decided to teach her, and I don't know WHO decided that it would be reasonable for her very first knitting project to be a hat on intimidating-looking circular knitting needles.

The reasonable way to learn to knit is the following:
#1 Have your grandmother teach you a charming little rhyme to keep the steps straight in your mind ("Stab him / Hang him / Push him off the cliff," is what my grandma taught me when I was eight.)
#2 Practice squares and rectangles for approximately 30 years.

Maybe I'm ready for an Ann knitting lesson :-)

Photo by Ann Clement.

Barn Owl Presentation March 2, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Beverly) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 07:57:00 +0000

Dick Clegg, a local veterinarian, is a defender and champion of barn owls. He'll be doing a presentation at the Yarrow Community Hall on March 2 (important details such as time to be added soon).

Here are some pictures from 2010 when he did a small presentation in our heritage barn to teach us about our owls.

Community Supper Secrets

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 20:34:00 +0000

Breaking Bread together is possibly one of the best, and most important part of community life. I am proud to say this is something we have always done very well in Groundswell Cohousing. (The multi generational cohousing community at the Yarrow Ecovillage).

Recently a new friend over at Creekside Cohousing in Courtney emailed asking for more information on how we manage 3 community meals per week with no common house. (Wait till you see what we do once we get that commercial kitchen!) As I was writing the information out I suddenly realized how proud I am of how we manage to hold together these integral meals together. I thought I'd share.

Question:
Do you try to have the 2 people on the cook team come from different families? Or is it sometimes a husband & wife team like you and Paul?

Some people like to cook with spouse, others like to mix it up. For me with small kids to tend to I prefer to do all the cooking and then Paul cleans after dinner. It works for me. Others prefer to always work with someone else. We've also considered adding pre teen to the team for clean up etc... because they eat so darn much! I like the idea of having the kids learning from adults in their community. It is important to me that the kids still have opportunities to contribute.

Something else we've considered is adding a second rotation just of moms for kid friendly food to be available each night. This for two reasons: 1. Kids are picky and need kid friendly food. 2. It seems more financially fair to the single people who don't have kids. In this system I would cook once per rotation on the adult meal, and once another night I'd check in with the cooks and augment the meal with a complementary kid dish... Mac and cheese, cut veg, something kids can be sure about.

Do you cook vegetarian only? If not, have there been issues with people finding it unfair to pay the same rate for a meat meal as vegetarian?

The rule of thumb here is cook what you want but you have to be able to feed everyone. So... If you do chicken- have marinated tofu for the vegetarians. This ultimately means we all end up cooking vegetarian... and more rice than noodles due to this unfortunate wheat belly craze. No matter though. We all could eat more beans and less steak. Paul and I eat meat on our non community nights and we've survived. You could also instate one night a week to be a "meat eaters" night. The vegetarians just don't sign up for that night in the rotation leaving a little room for the meat eaters to be catered to.

Who does the groceries and do they have a budget?

Whoever is cooking does the shopping and pays for that meal. For us this feels important. You can kill community suppers very quickly when you begin making the whole thing about the money. For us- people give what they can, cook what they want to serve, and the whole thing feels very abundant.

In my experience most meals for about 20 adults and a few kids (not every one is signed up for every night) ends up costing about 50-65 dollars. No money changes hands. Some meals are cheaper- other are more expensive. At the end of the day doing it this way allows people to "get a deal" on cook day because they aren't doing a whole receipt calculation. There is also something to be said for ease. My god if I had to keep every receipt and nickel and dime every time I cooked I would just quit. THIS MEANS: People MUST approach community dinners from a place of abundance. Of pure giving and receiving. People MUST treat others as they wish to be treated. So if you are cheap and you just want to work out the cheapest thing to make, and that is all you ever cook- your dinner rotation will surely teeter off. If you put hear and soul in? You'll surely fly!

How do you handle sign-ups? How early do people have to sign up?

Julia and Ingrid have mastered this. It is a fancy google system that requires a diligent person to go around once every rotation with a clip board. I don't understand it completely but I know that once every six weeks or so I get a visit from "the clip board lady" and she asks how many night I want to come per week and which nights. If you sign up for tuesdays you cook and eat on tuesdays. We haven't worked out how to have people just eat whenever and cook whenever. We like this system because it is predictable. My kids KNOW that thursdays is our community supper night. We used to do three nights a week but with after school programming and homework once a week is the best we can muster. Some families do all three nights. They then cook one night per number of nights they eat per rotation. Did that make sense?

We are planning a trial of cook teams whereby one of our two weekly potlucks would be replaced by a cook team meal. I DID suggest a limited time trial, but the response was pretty unanimous that they want it to be indefinite with opportunities for feedback and adjustment along the way (YAAY!).

I recommend you check in after two full rotations. The clip board lady usually ends up tweaking things as she hears feedback too. Life is a constant flow of coming and going. Remind people that the meal should only replace a typical home meal... We do a ton of soups, curries, and casseroles. It should be almost as easy to cook for 20 as it is to cook for four. This took me a long while to get used to but I now do my whole meal in 1.5 hours and then dishes.

I also wanted to invite you to share a recipe with us. Something tried and true that you could recommend we use to increase our chance us of success in our early days. Perhaps you could also give us a few pointers on how to prepare this meal - timing etc. Many thanks if you can do this - and I look forward being able to reciprocate in future!!

Winners around here:

-Pancake supper: pancakes, eggs, bacon (on the side for meat always works) grilled tomatoes

- Any hearty soup and home made bread. Especially in winter

-Lasagna... one meat and one veg... but only on nights with no wheat or dairy concerns.

-Fried rice and veg with marinated Tofu

-"Assemble your own" tacos, salads, pasta bowls (Have different noodles, and sauces)

-Dahl and rice

-baked potatoes with chicken thighs, marinated tofu, and baked veg

-Channa Masala with rice, grated carrot and beets, and yogurt (one family makes this every time they cook. Some people like the routine of it. I would personally like to see families at least have one recipe in rotation for every night they attend dinner to allow for variety and fairness.

The trick is that no matter how much I make- it ALL gets eaten. I now cook and take out a rubbermaid container or two before I serve the meal. If someone shows up late it is there for them. If not- I have lunch for us the next day.

When eating in groups- people will always eat 40% more than on their own. As you do more meals, people will self correct and begin to eat less. At the end of the day it will all work out.

My favourite thing about the dinners is the ritual of it. We ALWAYS do a gratitude circle. Before we eat, every one stands together and shares one thing that they are happy about from their day. Mine this week was that my ear was on the mend. Paul's was that his latest batch of beer turned out. It gives us a way to keep up with the rest of the group. We also sometimes close by signing Sophie's little song...

"Thank you! Thank you! Boy it tasted good!

Thank you! Because of you I'm eating as I should!

Thank you! Thank you!"

Your group will of course come up with its own routines and rituals. I'm convinced they make every meal sweeter.

The Game of Life.

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 09:51:00 +0000

I have never laughed harder. A group of us are sitting around the table after a long week. The kids are in bed, child care provided by fellow neighbours, and the wine and beer flows freely. We’re playing the new game that is taking the ecovillage by storm.

Our usual game repertoire is full of complex and fun board games like Catan, Dominion, and Carcassonne. You’ll often see a chess board out on a front porch. This game is not what I would expect to be a competitor to these sophisticated thinking games. Our new game is a morph between Pictionary and Telephone. It is a riot… and it has a lesson to teach us all.

The game begins with a group of people, and a stack of paper for each person equal to the number of players. Everyone either writes a phrase, or draws a picture of something they are thinking of. We then pass the whole stack to the right. When you receive the neighbour’s stack, you decipher what you see, turn the page, and either draw what you’ve read, or write what you think you see. Then you continue to pass to the right. When the stacks have made it all the way to the original owner, we share the metamorphosis of our original thought…

… and then we laugh. We don’t just laugh. We howl.

We laugh as we see the logical progression of “Hit and Run” to “Chicken on a Bench.” Each picture justifies the writing. We see where the story goes wrong. We laugh and we offer our compassion to the poor sucker that had to draw the “franken- bride” that was supposed to be “John Travolta” and the “volcano” that also does look EXACTLY like a “wizard hat”. We understand when “surf beach” is generic to one is a detailed paragraph describing the “the sun is out, the man is surfing, and the woman is puking her marguerita”. Some people are just far more descriptive than others.

People don’t always see me as a deep person. Especially not when I’m drawing “cars running over eggs” and “vampires licking cherries”. But I had to sit back for a minute as we all sat there howling with laughter at the simple and understandable miscommunications between us. Sure I saw a “corn dog with a bite out of it”. But I also can see how it could look like “a man stealing a bite from a corn dog”. And I get how that can morph so quickly to a “a man running from an angry carnie”. I get it.

And I actually think it is the best game to call the official game of the ecovillage. It certainly reflects the nature of our life here sometimes. Life in Community can sometimes look like a big game of Telephone Pictionary. Something you hear or see can be interpreted so quickly to be different than it was intended. We turn the paper in the stack and react to what we “think” came first. One reaction so easily causes another.

I suppose it is human of us to interpret what we see to the best of our ability. To me, the game is a simple reminder of just how human it is to interpret differently from one person to another. If we could only hold up each stack of paper to see the progression of some of our interactions at the village, we’d remember far more easily that important part is not how we’ve drawn, or written… but how we choose to play the game. When someone misinterprets your hamburger to be a UFO… Do you get upset? Or do you choose to howl with laughter?

Thanks to Tam and Joel for a nice night out. And welcome to buck and Sonya who draw as well as any of the rest of us. See you at breakfast with Santa at the Yarrow Community Hall tomorrow.

If there aren't pictures yet- check back. I think I'll dig through the garbage and try and find some of our art to share!

The Village Anthropologist

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:44:00 +0000

I arrived in the Yarrow Ecovillage two months ago, unsure what to expect. I'd spent about three years reading about ecovillages and intentional communities, for both personal interest and as preparation for a PhD in Social Anthropology. I'd read books on communities all over the world and from various points in history. I'd visited the website countless times, written research proposals, and spoken with community members over email and on Skype. Yet, when I arrived in Yarrow after a 4400km drive out from Toronto, I felt like I had a pretty limited idea of what an ecovillage was. I'd read about them, but I'd never lived in one.

I'm in the midst of what anthropologists call ethnographic fieldwork. The idea behind ethnography is both comfortingly simple and dauntingly complex: learn about a different way of life by living it. Anthropologists do this all over the world. Classmates of mine are - at this moment - scattered across the globe, studying a wide range of topics from goat herding in Inner Mongolia to debt consulting practices in Southern England. I chose to live in an ecovillage, in a community that practices cohousing, not only out of an academic interest, but also because the more I read, the more the idea appealed to me on a personal level. What would it be like to live in a place where people are 'determined to live as neighbours'? What does it mean to put the idea of 'community' so central in day-to-day life? What does it feel like to know everyone on your street, to eat dinner with them, to work with them, to build something with them? These were questions I wanted to explore in my own life.

I had countless hypotheses. I'm a social scientist, after all. In social science, though, I've learned that some of the most plausible hypotheses fall by the wayside when confronted with experience. Thinking about people is no substitute for spending time with people. So I'm here. Exploring. Experiencing. Living. It may take a long time to get a good grasp of life here, but I've already learned that people at the Yarrow Ecovillage are a welcoming bunch. In mid-August, they welcomed me. In late September, they welcomed my partner Carolyn. Perhaps we'll all be welcoming you soon!

November 2nd we start the next step!

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 03:50:00 +0000

Wow. That is all I have to say.

Wow.

Words can not explain to you how amazed I am at the quality of the people that are coming to the Ecovillage. We only have six units left in the multigenerational homes. Any ONE, or all of them, would make my neighbourhood a fantastic place to live. We don't have long to wait until we'll know who all our neighbours are. The coordinating committee is well at work of the exact timeline for how we'll build out the final phase of our neighbourhood.

Orange you glad to join us!

Where I'm feeling most excited is in the people coming to the big day on November 2nd for the Adult only Cohousing.

Chuck calls this "Seniors" cohousing. but thats just because he doesn't have to live in it. I have noticed a cringe in the people considering building "seniors" that I completely understand.

Who wants to build themselves an old folks home? Certainly not me! i don't feel old. I want to build a "young folks home" and never feel like the old fart I will one day look in the mirror and see staring back.

But really? I want to stay active. I want to continue to learn and grow. I never want to loose a whole day sitting in front of the TV waiting for my kids to call.

Never.

Before Paul and I moved to Groundswell, back when we still weren't "sure" about this cohousing business I remember driving back to Alberta in silence. After a long while I said, "Well at the very least I know where I want to live after the kids leave."

Its true that cohousing is amazing for kids but I think it is possibly even better for empty nesters. Think about it. Now days many grown children live miles away from their parents. Children don't have a problem making new friends. I think every kids Sophie has ever played with is her new best friend... but as adults? How do we meet new people? Really?

Elderberry cohousing is still just a dream. I am lucky enough to know so many of the people that will be coming to the meeting on Novemeber 2nd that I can't help be excited about the community they could have. Will there be enough of them? Will they feel enough synergy to go for it?

I hope so. They are all amazing.

Please do me a favour. If you've read this and you know any cool 50-65 year olds interested in community invite them to the November 2nd Focus Group. Wouldn't it be amazing if the room was full of smiling faces? Woudn't it be cool to see them build their amazing new home together?

As we near the end of the push to build Groundswell we are all ready for something new. The wetland has been dug, the last of the Groundswell units will sell quickly this fall... I think we're ready for the next step. Don't you?

Please Join Us!

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:51:00 +0000

This Sunday we're taking the village to the school gym. We'll show off some of our favorite things about the village, and introduce people to who we've managed to attain our amazingly high quality of life.

Join us for about an hour in the gym, and then a free tour to follow. We're looking for our last few neighbours. Maybe its you!

Nutshells and Niblets Community Bulletin #3231

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:36:00 +0000

The dry, gravelly voiced construction edition - with a frog in its throat

Ann's very personal, highly biased and incomplete guide to the ecovillage ... in a nutshell.

With this endless-summer weather, I’ve been disinclined to come in from playing outside, to get my bum on a seat in front of my computer and write some Niblets. But I thought I’d better jump to it, to stay ahead of the progress being achieved here particularly by trucks, diggers and jackhammers. My desire is to make some sense of all the change I feel happening around me; I had forgotten how much can happen rapidly, with a few men in machines.

Dairy farm career change

The dairy farm that once was, is rapidly being disassembled and repurposed. Starting in the early days of Yarrow, this farm raised cattle. The buildings we’ve been making good use of for storage, carpentry and common house activities, once served those cows- for milking, storing feed, providing winter shelter, ‘loafing’, and collecting manure. And now they’re on the move to serve our vegetable farmers .

A Barn for our farmers

The bunker silo is gone . The ‘loafing barn’ has mostly gone. Timbers and boards piled into stacks.

As Krishna reported recently, one of its internal incarnations--- perhaps the most ancient of the rectangular barn shelters--- the “Flying Phoenix’ is sitting on wheels, ready for its trip down the farm runway to become a ‘new’ barn the back pasture.

(It’s not too late to contribute to the barn-raising fund --- speak to Tam or click on http://yecfarm.blogspot.ca/2012/08/help-us-raise-barn-for-our-community.html?spref=fb)

Farm lane and bridge

The first completed task is a graveled surface down the farm road, replacing the previous parallel–linear-mud-ponds that constituted a pseudo-road. And there’s a safer duck-along route for kids beside the parked cars, so they’re not in the line of the trucks on their way to school.

Coco (Coordinating Committee) is justly proud of a recent accomplishment. By being confident of the structural integrity of our heritage bridge over our creek, they have saved us from paying an extra $20,000 accidently-falling-in-the-creek contingency fund to George the martian wetland contractor.

Wetland marsh

Last week at the back, the stake engineers had laid out patterns of fluorescent orange sticks in a ballet of lines and shapes. I don’t know why they bothered. The back hoes have completely obliterated them by digging giant holes. I believe they are taking a certain glee in the largeness of their endeavors.

Because the actual viewing of the holes is an adult-only activity after 5pm, I have posted a little film that you and your kids are guaranteed to enjoy, to save you the trip down there--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6evADypqFks

Note- We’ve received a security warning related to the ponds. Apparently there’s a thief nearby ( in our midst??) who brazenly cuts bulrush heads and makes flower arrangements with them. My coco spy won’t reveal her identify, but also suggests that Coco could save the $20,000 cost of a security fence or closed circuit camera system around the pond, if we simply plant extra bulrushes. If you’re in favour of the second option, please show up for the work party to be announced for about three weeks time. And let’s show that thief that there’s more than one way to skin a cattail.

Synopsis --- How to a construct a wetland marsh

1. Dig up all stakes, making a big hole ( or four holes + two trenches)

Throw in some pipes

2. Fill with gravel and sand ( or vice versa - ask George)

3. Line with rubber sheets, just like those in a real ( constructed) pond

( or, put the pipes in second, with the gravel first, then sliding the rubber underneath the whole works)

4. Fill with water and frogs

5. Plant the edges

6. Keep an eye on Maureen --- floral designer.

Efficiency and synchronicity department

Next to the old loafing barn was a large underground pit/tank---still filled with ancient manure. That 'liquid gold" - quote by Nevin- was trucked to the fields at the back and distributed over the soil to grow our carrots( solid gold), which we'll eat next year. The pit - with its thick, reinforced concrete walls- itself needed to be removed - and so it was, by the” jack hammer on steroids”( quote from Cheryl ) --- leaving a very large hole. When gravel trucks drop their loads at the new marsh, they bring back loads of fill and drop those into the pit. If we weren’t digging everywhere, all at the same time, we wouldn’t have this awesome human, cow, truck, carrot and soil cycle.

Here and there, then and now, back and forth. We're becoming at one.

Haiku finale

Freshly dug wetland

An old frog tries his new jump

Frog-water sound. Our song!

The best-known Japanese haiku[18] is Bashō's "old pond":

古池や蛙飛込む水の音

ふるいけやかわずとびこむみずのおと (transliterated into 17 hiragana)

furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto (transliterated into romaji)

This separates into on as:

fu-ru-i-ke ya (5)

ka-wa-zu to-bi-ko-mu (7)

mi-zu no o-to (5)

Translated:[19]

Into the ancient pond 

A frog jumps 

Water’s sound!

cheerily,

Ann

***************************************************************

Play is the exaltation of the possible.... Martin Buber

Message from Ann

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 06:16:00 +0000

About nine months ago I, Vivian Vaillant, kidnapped the Nutshell Niblets Newsletter from Ann.

I refused to return the Nutshells to her until I received one freshly baked apple pie.

And from Ann? There was silence. No pie. No ....

Well. I suppose perhaps she was tired. Or busy. I know around here so many of us are tired and busy. There is so much living to do here you see? So many ways to overwhelm yourself with projects. I kidnapped the Niblets- but I could see Ann was happy to have them off her plate for a while.

Secretly I have missed Ann's version of the Niblets. It is so much more gratifying to READ about living here than it is to have to be the one to WRITE about living here. When I lived out of town I remember my delight in seeing a nutshells come in to my inbox. Like a letter from home when you are overseas! I would save the Niblets until I could make a cup of tea and curl up with a soft blanket to read it. It felt like home.

Writing the Niblets feels like a tremendous responsibility. So much changes so quickly here, and yet so slowly at the same time. Some news is charged with emotion. Often there is more to a story than I can possibly include and still be brief. The truth is I would rather have had the pie!

And then today- I saw this in my inbox!

Dear Villagers,

I've been known to write little village newsletters called

"Nutshell Niblets" Ann's very personal, highly biased and incomplete guide to the ecovillage ... in a nutshell.

I have one in the works, as a matter of fact.

But I have a little advance teaser that's news too exciting not to share immediately . It's not my news... it's Coco's .. and the more complete details will be revealed after Coco's regular meeting --- Thursday am- I believe (check with Beverly and/or the google calendar.)

If you've been following the saga... you'll know this has significance... Yarrow Waterworks has written the required letter to the City. It slapped resoundingly onto their desk.
We have received PLA - Preliminary Layout Approval. ( What's that you ask? It's good news ... more details to follow)
We are only inches away from completing changes to our zoning.
YES Coop members agreed to the new boundary adjustment that puts the farm with Groundswell Cohousing. (Yarrow Central Enterprises ( the commercial front two acres ) doesn't need the farm acres to assist their financing, after all)

All this is bringing strata close.

Hmmm... can you smell its breath? :>)

Ann

I might just get my pie yet!

Canadian Cohousing Video!

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 09:10:00 +0000

Trying to explain cohousing is tough at the best of times. This is a little video sponsored by the Canadian Cohousing Network. Enjoy! (Pass it on!)

Yarrow Ecovillage Community Farm: Photos from around the Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 05:27:00 +0000

Yarrow Ecovillage Community Farm: Photos from around the Farm: Well its been awhile since I posted some pictures of the farm, so here are some great shots of the current state of the farm. Enjoy :) T...

Nutshells and Niblets Community bulletin #36

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 04:34:00 +0000

Nutshells and Niblets
(The highjacked, completely biased, news and whimsy from Yarrow Ecovillage)

Testing.... Testing....

We want you to read all about us!

Do I have your attention? We are going to try something new with this newsletter. This is a Newsletter system that promises to make my life easier- and reading about the village more fun. Let me know what you think!

Okay... Ready... Set...

GO!

(first things first!) A BIG Welcome to Camille and Alex with their three children Gabe, Chloe, and Claire and a BIG Welcome to Kirsten and Rob with their two children Mimi and Orwin. You'll get to know these fine families as they blog about their experiences at the village. We are very lucky to have them in our midst. (Yay!)

10th Anniversary Camping Weekend is coming August 4-6

Are you considering moving here? Have you been a part of our history in a small, or maybe large way? Come and help us celebrate ten years of hard work, joy, learning growing and great food! Ann has the planing boards out. We're looking for people to help with the details. Soon well know exactly what we'll be up to! For now I can tell you that saturday night will be the big night. We'll be singing and dancing... and of course there will be great food. Want to join us? Come camping? Or just come saturday night. An RSVP as soon as possible would really help. Email us!

Maureen sports a bright orange demolition permit!

Only Maureen could smile in a colour this... well... orange! Okay. I'm lying. We were all smiling when Maureen found us hanging out on the Quad porch. We were already having a lovely afternoon and seeing here parade about with our demolition permit for the barns made our day even better! Yes, it is true we'll miss the barns. But we have our eye on the prize now. We see more and more of the village we are aiming to be everyday and those barns coming down are a mile stone. So Yip Yippee!

Groundswell Cohousing Represented at US Cohousing Conference

Nat and Viv headed down to California mid June for the National-gone International cohousing conference. The biggest take away? A deep sense of pride and awe at how much international attention our project has received. Our project is still learning and growing, and others are learning from us! People are impressed by the wholistic approach to community in our project. They love the farming combined with walkability. We were also the only project at the conference that is combining a seniors and intergenerational cohousing in close proximity. Something that we take for granted here was a huge inspriation for the project builders of the future. The other thing? People already living in built out communities tip their hat at our three community dinners a week despite not yet having our common house. Eating together is a pillar of community building and we take it very seriously around here.

One Mile Ale brews first batch!
Paul and Joel have bottled their first batch of test brew. The barley is in the feild. The Hops is... well the hops is the next big hurtle. The guys are determined to brew a one mile organic ecovillage ale. Want to try some? Email me with "beer tester" in the subject line and I'll see if I can get you a personal invitation to the guys testing party!

Kids and Slides

David and Denali are the proud owners of the ecovillage kids! Well- not all the kids- just the funny little white ones that like to slide down their wooden ramp. As you can see they are an ecovillage treasure and are enjoyed by all the kids onsite! Imagine the breakfast when the chickens start laying eggs and the goats are giving milk! mmmmmmmmm!

How Food should taste!

My CSA basket brings me so much joy! This week's pick up meant garlic scape pesto on pasta for supper last night. (Same as normal pesto but scapes replace basil) This pretty picture is of a swiss chard, young garlic, and roasted almond stir fry that made up my lunch last week. Why is this important? Because we're here! I remember when I first started reading the newsletters myself. Before I had even visited the village. I remember Ann wistfully discussing her hopes for the day when she could pick up her veggies from the neighbour farmers. Now we have that. And a farm stand. And amazing neighbours. And more amazing neighbours to come. We're almost there! Amazing!

Thanks to our amazing musicians at the bye bye bunker silo party!
When I counted- there were 8 different people playing instruments that night! What a rockin place we're going to be!

Nutshells and Niblets Community Bulletin number 37

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 04:27:00 +0000

Nutshells and Niblets (by Ann!)... maybe...

Ann has been writing about the village again. It seems fair to call this a Nutshells and Niblets and share it with you all. Even if I did officially highjack the Nutshells... I can share!

Our wetland marsh

The last phase of our waste water treatment system is due to be installed in the next couple of months. It'll look like some duck ponds in not very many years, but has to go through a moon-scape phase right at first, because of the heavy-equipment-operators-on-bulldozer--gone-a-muck, but-not-amok, in a careful plan of constructed wetland installation.

Peter has trimmed back the Red Osier Dogwood, that wades in the creek on the left of the bridge, to make the bridge crossing safer for the large gravel trucks that are expected. Dogwood grows with vigour--- it'll either spring back in the spring, or its replacement will. Nevin has mowed a couple of acres on the east side of the bridge, in preparation for engineers to come fairly soon, and place random sticks in the ground with sophisticated flagging tape on them.

Yonas tells me that George, a marshian installer, will be working with the flag engineers to dig a series of four holes with two accompanying very long trenches that will look like crop circles from outer space....( how appropriate that we hired a martian to install them) and will take our waste water in a 'last ditch' effort of cleansing. Cleaner than clean!

Upon request, I will undertake a drawing of the marsh flow system on a poster. :>)

Many loads of gravel will be delivered down the farm lane. It'll be graded and gravelled first, so the trucks don't get stuck . An improved road will make the farmers happier too, won't it?

Fire up the barbie! A corndog planting party may be required in the near future. Punk music will be played. Cimbungis optional, but do wear boots.

Typha

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Typha"

"Typha latifolia"
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Typhaceae
Genus:	Typha L.
Species
See text

Cattail, narrow leaf shoots
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	106 kJ (25 kcal)
Carbohydrates	5.14 g
- Sugars	0.22 g
- Dietary fiber	4.5 g
Fat	0.00 g
Protein	1.18 g
Water	92.65 g
Vitamin A equiv.	1 μg (0%)
- beta-carotene	6 μg (0%)
Thiamine (vit. B₁)	0.023 mg (2%)
Riboflavin (vit. B₂)	0.025 mg (2%)
Niacin (vit. B₃)	0.440 mg (3%)
Pantothenic acid (B₅)	0.234 mg (5%)
Vitamin B₆	0.123 mg (9%)
Folate (vit. B₉)	3 μg (1%)
Choline	23.7 mg (5%)
Vitamin C	0.7 mg (1%)
Vitamin K	22.8 μg (22%)
Calcium	54 mg (5%)
Iron	0.91 mg (7%)
Magnesium	63 mg (18%)
Manganese	0.760 mg (36%)
Phosphorus	45 mg (6%)
Potassium	309 mg (7%)
Sodium	109 mg (7%)
Zinc	0.24 mg (3%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Typha ( /ˈ t aɪ f ə/) is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan, being found in a variety of wetland habitats.

These plants are conspicuous and hence have many common names. They may be known in British English as bulrush, orreedmace,^[1] in American English as cattail, catninetail, punks, or corn dog grass, in Australia as cumbungi or bulrush, and in New Zealand as raupo. Typha should not be confused with other plants known as bulrush, such as some sedges (mostly in Scirpus and related genera).

Their rhizomes are edible. Evidence of preserved starch grains on grinding stones suggests they were eaten in Europe 30,000 years ago.^[2]

The right hand farm on the other side of the bridge--- Ohm

Nevin tells me that they've been planting the last of the fall crops---turnips. And that the farm will still be producing vegetables right through to Christmas. And it looks like we'll have some opportunities to buy them past the end of our CSA season, which is due to finish at the end of October. Nevin said something about having grown some watermelons, but I didn't really believe him. Water melons come from Mexico, we all know that. Not Chilliwack.

Nevin and Tammy, Shauna's mum, have been going to an extra Abbotsford market on Wednesday nights. It's in its first year and isn't in full flow yet. They expect it''ll be much better next year. In the meantime, Ohm's regular customer base for the Saturday market there, is ever expanding and becoming more solid. Sales have been gratifyingly big. Sort of like a zucchini on the vine.

The left hand farm- Osprey

Joel reports that vegetative life is great on the left side.

Demolishing

Krishna the finishing carpenter is finishing off the bunker silo. He and his crew of sweating teenaged slaves ( who look like they're having fun ) have made large holes all over it by peeling off and throwing down large metal sheets onto the ground. Very soon, there won't anything left

Julia is hoping that Krishna's plan to sell the structure to a neighbouring farmer will come true, so that she can schedule a commemorative community dinner in its new location on the wettest, nastiest night of the winter. It'll be awesome to still be friends with our beloved bunker silo plastic dining room wherever it goes. . Oh nostalgia! It's beautiful!

Do you remember the crowded silo dinners, the kids running around the tables, the heaters turned up as high as they'd go, with the adults ---wool-socked, toqued and huddled--- yelling and laughing because the wind was making the plastic roof heave in great noisy billows above the range of the human voice? Food has never tasted better.

And there are other hopes and plans for another wooden structure in demo-land --- very likely there will be exciting news announcements soon, when the plans land. And there will be ways that you'll be able to help the farmers with a new barn. When's there's news, believe me, they'll be sharing it with you... they are that excited!!! Is this intriguingly cryptic and confusing news?? Good! Keeps you on your toes!

The second half of our village - the new units to be constructed

We have wonderful news from our other half. Friends of the village and neighbours-in-waiting have been investing their hard-earned resources into the finances of the next phase of development in a big way. I'm looking forward to sharing more details with you soon, but in the meantime, please know how many pledges of confidence in our good development work and its management are coming to us --- bringing our longed-for new neighbours and commonhouse that much closer to reality. ( Yay!)

Farmhouse

Our friends, Dave, Denali, Claudia and Sophie - with Mimsy the pooch- have moved out of the farmhouse now, and into their new home in Garrison. Congratulations to the Mosses, in finding a good place that suits their family! Luckily, it's not far away, so friendships and connection can maintain. Much happiness to them in their new adventure!

The Farmhouse awaits its new inmates. Hmmmm.... :>) there are indications of lovely interested new tenants... hmmm! Fingers crossed!

Other random news

Drinking straw birds have been coming to sip Beverly's nasturtiums.

Paul-Julia-and-gang's chickens are now laying eggs - in two decorator colours -brown and green.

Apparently, they've been inspired by the trampoline that's next door to them and have been vaulting out of their pen. So Paul has extended their safety net to six feet. Wouldn't it have been easier, Paul, to have moved the tramp farther away so the chickens did't get so many bad ideas from watching the kids?

And in the pen, there is one fancy bird with a fluffy pillow-thing on its head ... it crows and don't lay eggs. I wonder what it's useful for?

Terry_Beebe-3.jpg

david-bowie.jpg

The Brighter Side of Solo Parenting

noreply@blogger.com (Camille Coray) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 22:27:00 +0000

Hard to know where to start as this blog has been on my list of to do’s for the last three weeks…three weeks that my husband has been away (meaning only one to go!) leaving me as a single mother of 11 month old twins and a spunky 3 year old. Three weeks of unexpected single parenthood as it was in the works for months for my mom to be here at this time, but health issues for my dad prevented her from being able to come. To top it off, all three of my best friends in Vancouver are out of town for the entire month of July and my sister away for a week of it…so three weeks ago I was thrust into feeling that my entire support network had just crumbled away at a time when I needed it most. So, why am I motivated now, of all times, to write a blog post with two babies literally hanging from my legs and reprieve still a full week away? Because, I feel passionate about the need to continue documenting my journey toward living in the Ecovillage so that others who are interested can understand the power that this place has to draw amazing people together in the process of building what is already an incredible community.

The week before Alex left was when my mom called to tell me she wasn’t coming for sure. I wasn’t completely shocked as my dad had been in and out of the hospital for weeks, but both my mom and I had been in a bit of denial, I think. This meant I had to change my perspective completely. Alex’s work trip to the Arctic had been scheduled for months and now, instead of a time to look forward to and cherish because of time spent with my mom and children, I now had to embrace the challenge of a lonely month of solo parenting.

My one light was that Viv from the Ecovillage was going to be away with her family during this time as well, leaving an empty house that she encouraged us to use freely. The Saturday that Alex left I packed up everything I needed for a few days away and shuttled us all to Yarrow. Our afternoon started off quietly but the day ended with us being invited to a community barbeque and Gabriel playing his heart out while I chatted with a dozen or so Ecovillage members who helped me to take my mind off my situation. Morning brought several kids to play and another mother of several youngsters (Julia) for me to have adult conversation with…yay! Later that afternoon we were moving on to Chilliwack to spend the evening and night with my in-laws, but Gabriel was so against leaving the Ecovillage, it was quite a chore to get everyone mobilized. I only managed to get him in the car with the promise of an early morning return.

Now, if I blog in detail about every day we have spent in the Ecovillage in the last 3 weeks, my blog will be longer than the first one I posted, and nobody wants that! So let me hit the highlights (I'm afraid my photos are lacking as I was too busy enjoying myself to remember to take pictures. I'll do better next time!):

Sitting in a sunny living room overlooking acres of organic farmland and the beautiful BC mountains and watching my 3 year old climb apple trees and play for hours outside with a troupe of new friends. All this while still looking after my 2 babies AND having a bit of time to read while they napped AND sharing pleasant conversation with incredible Ecovillage residents who would occasionally pop in.

The view out Viv and Paul's living room window...of course, I took this photo on the only cloudy day I was there!

Enjoying several incredible feasts prepared by someone who wasn’t me (although I really enjoyed sharing food I cooked as well at the potlucks)! And the camaraderie that comes with sharing a community supper.

Just watching Gabe grow and flourish in a way I have never seen before…so excited by all of the facets of country life (he got to see a chicken lay and egg!) and the wonders that come with spending hours at a time out of doors, and not just climbing a play structure at the local park. Not to mention the connections he made with so many different children from ages 3 and up.

Gabe playing with some of the "neighbouhood" boys

An impromptu round of a game that kept the kids entertained for ages. This turned into tag and many other fun, physical games.

Watching Gabe bond to Ann, the wonderful woman who lives upstairs from Viv who Gabe told me reminds him of Amma (my mom). High praise, indeed! What a pleasure to see him in her garden helping her sprinkle egg shells and glorying in picking blueberries and raspberries and munching down on fresh, raw zucchini. Ann even gave Gabriel baths and read him stories while I got the girls in bed, and provided a happy and safe space for him to play in her beautiful home when he tired of me.

Ann and Gabriel talking zucchini

Ann and Gabriel wandering in the garden

Gabriel enjoying the fruits of Ann's labours

Having other hands to hold a baby, sometimes two, while I was able to relax my arms and back and know my children were safe.

Julia with the babies

Julia with the babies and Gabe and Moreeka chatting in the background

Just meeting and talking to so many wonderful people. Everyone I have spent any time with there I have felt connected to in some way. A connection facilitated by their genuine interest in me and my family and their willingness to share their own stories.

Ultimately, I went from feeling like my world had fallen out from underneath me to feeling like a new world was opening up around me and I eagerly await having my own home in the Ecovillage. And I mean this only in the sense of having a physical abode, as I (and the rest of my family as well) feel I am at home there already in all other respects.

Farm Stand Music Jam

noreply@blogger.com (Devorah) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 18:19:00 +0000

Young musicians joined David in a wonderful music jam at the Farm Stand on July 11.

Appreciation to all the kids who joined in to ensure David had lots of fun!

senior villager scales silo

noreply@blogger.com (Devorah) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 05:47:00 +0000

me on top

Lea takes pics from below

Viv said she would like some panoramic shots from the top of the blue silo before the demolition of the barns begins. As a lover of climbing and goofy adventures, I said sure, why not? But there was the small problem of the ladder beginning high overhead. Even standing on a barrel, my hands were only able to reach the bottom rung of the ladder. Chin-ups were never a thing I had mastered. I then noticed some bolts on the side of the silo, and drawing upon some very rusty climbing skills I managed slowly and awkwardly to walk my feet up the bolts and my hands up the ladder. From there it was relatively easy, but high! It was gorgeous up on top, very safe-feeling, and a real adrenaline rush! That night I had the best sleep I'd had in years... not sure why!

My feet, looking down from the top of the ladder

almost down

Bye Bye Bunker Silo Blues II

noreply@blogger.com (Camille Coray) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 03:35:00 +0000

It seems a bit strange to be writing a blog post about the Bye Bye Bunker Silo Blues party when the first time I laid eyes on the Bunker Silo was just over a month ago…but I was there for the weekend festivities, and festive they were! When I and my family of five arrived Friday evening after two hours on the road (due to evil traffic between Vancouver and Yarrow), Viv and Paul immediately took us under their wings and took the time to help us settle in, although Paul’s parents were visiting. I had been nervous all week about the thought of being away from home all weekend with all three kids (two 10 month olds and a three year old), but everyone seemed immediately at home, including myself. My three year old, Gabriel, disappeared instantly with his new friends, Alex and Paul seemed immediately bonded, and Viv and I headed off to pick up a supper of Indian food in a bonding ceremony of our own.

Paul and Viv’s upstairs neighbor Ann shared her beautiful home with us by providing a sleeping room for Alex and I and the babies, while Gabriel slept through the night in a bed that wasn’t inhabited by either Alex or myself for the first time since the twins were born…and who wants to questions the magic of the Ecovillage?

Saturday dawned with the super cute sight of Viv and Paul’s three children and my Gabe lined up on the couch in order of age (2,3, 4 and 6) and watching cartoons , while the promise of pancakes lingered in the air. Again, Gabriel disappeared to play the day away, and we adults began the slow bustle required to prepare for the evening’s festivities. This was a big night, with many neighbours-in-waiting and neighbours contemplating coming to spend time and enjoy the community potluck and bunker silo farewell. A group photo was scheduled for 5:30 P.M. and the photographer arrived at 3:30. Right around 4:30 the sky darkened and a sudden storm blew up, threatening to remove anything un-tethered and drenching everything in its wake. Needless to say, the photo needed to be put on hold as the photographer bid his adieus and the setting for the potluck needed to be moved from the waterlogged bunker silo to the welcoming home of Julia, Yonas and their brood of four. As Viv mourned the loss of the photo opportunity, I couldn’t help but think that the sudden and powerful storm was somewhat serendipitous in the way that it highlighted how the village community smoothly moved to come up with a perfect solution to an imperfect situation.

Yes, it really was bad enough to be blinding

You're kidding, right?

After an empowering presentation by Viv and Natalie, who had just attended a cohousing conference, accompanied by an awesome potluck overflowing with everything from two kinds of chile to heavenly cream cheese (?) stuffed strawberries, and lots of inspiring conversation, the party migrated to the bunker silo. It is really hard to describe the rest of the evening in a way that does it justice. The music, the camaraderie, nostalgia felt for times spent in the bunker silo by people other than me. The circle of children encircled by a larger circle of adults, all singing, dancing, listening, talking, and just generally steeping in the joy of community spirit. I mourned the loss of the bunker silo with everyone there, but there was a much greater sense of celebration and mass embracing of a positive future being built by many.

It really does look incredibly magical!

What a neat place to gather!

I love that the diamonds represent the colours of houses to come.

Soggy couches did not prevent a good time being had by all

And a shot from the other side

Happy Musicians

The central circle of children

And did I mention that Gabriel put himself to bed that night? Question the magic of the Ecovillage if you dare, but, I must say, I’m a firm believer!

Farm Stand Surprise!

noreply@blogger.com (Viv) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 04:07:00 +0000

Look at the pair of legs I found in my CSA basket today!

We were laughing with the farmers that we could do an entire subset of blog posts of all the funny shaped veggies that grow when you use heritage seeds and organic practices. It amazes me to think about that. When you buy carrots from the store they are usually very similar in shapes and size. Here veggies come with imagination! They taste great and you get to have a laugh in every basket!

I love living here!

Bye Bye Bunker Silo Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Devorah) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 06:55:00 +0000

On June 23-24 Viv had planned a meticulously timed and full of activities event which was to bring all folks related to Yarrow Ecovillage past, present, and future to a farewell party for the old beloved Bunker Silo. All the details had been looked after: the photographer was arranged for the group photos, people were bringing pot luck dinner and bunker silo stories and instruments for the blues party afterwards, there was to be a presentation about the Cohousing Conference recently attended by Natalie and Viv, and everyone who wanted to stay overnight more or less knew where they were staying.

Mama Nature, of course, had different ideas!

A freak thunderstorm blew through, soaking the furniture in the barn. No photos were taken, at least not as planned, and everyone crowded into Yonas and Julia's place for the delicious pot luck dinner.

After all the kids (it felt like there were hundreds of kids!) were paraded next door so we could hear, Natalie and Viv gave us a quick summary (with pictures) of the highlights of the conference. They came back feeling very positive about our village!

Quite a group did eventually gather with instruments in the damp barn, a jam of sorts did happen, and it was pretty amazing considering most of the musicians had never played or sung together before! It might take a bit of fine tuning, but we could feel that a lot of musical magic was about to take shape at Groundswell!

Jonathan was on mandolin, Dorothy on flute, Jeannie on fiddle, David on guitar and harmonica, Dave Moss on guitar, Ken on guitar, Camille seemed to play everything but probably only actually played violin and guitar, I heard a few drums in the background, and many fine voices (often searching for the right key). (Apologies if I have left someone out... it was dark!!)

It felt like this was about the joy of music bringing people together, regardless of level of musicianship, about sharing, about conversing through a universal language, rather than about individual performances.

Beverly lit some candles, there were a few flashlights and lamps with which to read the words to songs, many words were forgotten, some were made up, a few kids were gathered around, babies somehow slept through it all, and despite the departure from the "planned event", it was a fitting farewell party to the Bunker Silo.

Soon, we will be welcoming the new common house!

(I didn't have my better camera with me, so these photos aren't great (Alex has much better ones), but you can get the idea. )