ice cream, wedding & world class soccer

What a great cohousing time it's was, and what a success! Almost everyone turned out for the ice cream and play, and the last people went home about 9:00 p.m.
People probably would have stayed longer, but it got too dark for the kids to play their games on the green lawn.
We had decorations up congratulating Jeff and Lisa on their marriage and had
a card signed by community.
The kids had an impromptu soccer game. Everyone played from the very little ones to Don Gaede and Bev and Neal's 18 year old grandson all playing together.
Wish you could have been here!

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Ice cream social... yummy!

A child plays in the front yard or grassy area with an older youth, while a parent or two or three neighbors casually gather to converse on a front porch. Generally there is a bit of a breeze. That breeze transports curry or basil, garlic or orange blossoms and the occasional swallow tail or variety of hummingbird across the yards. Yards are filled with Yarrow, Coral Bells, and Lavender, Artichoke, Basil, Peaches, Kiwi and Grape. A goose or two (or thirty) can be heard at the pond behind the houses, greeting their friends, or leading a gaggle of new chicks to water. If the day isn't too hot a friend or two will be collecting tomatoes, beans or potatoes or tending to a weed or two in the vegetable garden. The veggies will likely find themselves served up in some delicious community meal later that day, and nourishing the families.

There is plenty of work to be done, a new craft room requires some paint, a floor needs sweeping, a toy or two placed out of the stepping areas. All seem to be accomplished with quiet respect of sharing responsibility with others. Most often from a place of appreciation - for the homes, the neighbors, the quality of life.

Perfect? Heck no... there is the occasional conflict - talked out. The occasional misunderstanding - clarified. The occasional desire to be alone - respected.

When the weeds are all pulled (and often when they are not) there is a delicious, often amazing meal, simple and satisfying - shared with friends.

Some days there is a movie to share, a picnic and concert to attend and even delicious batches of homemade ice cream to try. All in all it's a really good life.

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Today, one of our elders passed away.

Posted with permission from Tierra Nueva Cohousing community.

Today, one of our elders passed away. Tierra Nueva Cohousing has had other elders cross over in our early days, but Ken has been with us for our entire 12 years of living here. He was a staunch purveyor of World Peace, always bearing witness in any discussion involving conflict, as an advocate for peace. The children of Tierra Nueva adored Ken, as he was fond of reading them stories in our Common House library. Today, a table in the Common House has a photograph of Ken reading to young Aiden, who shared the same birthday, surrounded by roses from our cutting garden.

I was baking bread this morning, just adding flour to the sponge and could see outside my window a tender scene. Ken's wife was being hugged and held on the pathway, by another neighbor. This touched me so deeply. A simple gesture that says so much about why community is important. Why we do the difficult work of relationship. To be here for one another no matter what. To be present for one another through thick and thin, through both joyful times and times of grieving.

This is how a community's heart beats.
PattyMara

ps: something that I thought of later today, about Ken, I saw Ken every morning (their home is very near ours) as he walked to the mailboxes to pick up his newspaper. Very often I was out in our yard gardening. Whenever he passed by I would say "Good morning, handsome!" and he would light up with a big smile. And like clockwork he would reply "Good morning, beautiful!" And every time he said it, I believed him. What a gift.

Community continues to nurture the garden

Thanks to Violette along with Sean and Lilly who helped to fill a new raised bed with topsoid and compost. We then planted lots of sweet pepper plants and a sunberry plant. We also mulched the new plants with hay.

Thanks to Jenny who comes out every morning to help me water the garden beds.

We had a truckload of base rock and a truck load of compost delivered yesterday.

The day before Bryan and Valerie picked up 3 bails of hay so all the new plantings can be mulched. This will help keep the soil moist during the days of baking sun and drying winds.

Just before the rain we also scattered cover crop seeds/beans out by the west fence. We will put the plants to work to enrich the soil so it can be planted in the fall. There are black-eyed peas, fenugreek, and cilantro.

Thanks to everyone for eating the lettuce. Remember to leave an inch or two above the base/core to give it a chance to grow back. It may get too hot for some of them to grow back, but there are a few heat resistant lettuce varieties that might produce through the summer if we are lucky. The new raised beds have mesclun mix sprouts already. There are 14 different plants in that lettuce mix. Once they look like baby plants they can also be harvested, again by snipping the leaves but leaving the roots and core behind. That way they will grow back and keep on giving.

Rebecca

Joining neighbors - feeling good

We had a good work day on Saturday, thanks to a lot of people, including Scott, Julia, Lynette, Jenny, Susan, Violette, Ruth, Valerie, Rebecca, Bryan, George B, Pat, and probably more!

My opinion: being part of a Saturday landscape crew is an ESSENTIAL part of the cohousing experience. Joining your neighbors while working out the fresh air and making your community more beautiful --it's a feeling obtained no where else, and if you havent done it, you're missing something good.

enjoy the garden video

enjoy the garden

So progress in the garden marches on

A big thanks to Jeff for filling in the space between the small raised beds with base rock and filling the large raised beds with top soil.

Thanks to Dr Don for mowing the weeds along the west fence and to Jenny for planting her tomatoes along the north fence. George pulled some enormous weed roots. Joe and Sean smashed some pumpkins to add to the compost.

Bryan diligently worked on the irrigation both Saturday and Sunday.

The herb spirals are planted. The tomatoes survived the rain and wind.

The plea for help is to have someone water the non-irrigated garden beds. The best time to do that as the weather gets hot is early in the morning. As soon as the irrigation is complete it will be automated. I would just need help on the days I go to work, which is Mon-Fri and call weekends. Hopefully the irrigation will be done by my next call weekend.

Please let me know if you are free to help me with that chore. I will show you the place that need watering.

There is lots of lettuce in the long beds ready to eat before they bolt or turn bitter. There is also red Russian kale, spinach, and chard. The herbs in the herb spiral are newly transplanted, but should be ready for use soon.

Spend some time enjoying the garden http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fojs69sJLAM

Thanks

Rebecca