Our time at East Wind is winding down...

I have had an amazing time here at East Wind.  As excited as I was about Dancing Rabbit, I think it was more a function of being excited about the idea of living in community, rather than the community itself.  I LOVE the people that I met there, and I am a changed person for the experience.  Over the last couple of weeks I've come to understand that the challenges we would face at DR are very very real, and very concerning.  There is a level of security here that DR would be unable to match.  The healthcare alone is something that Mac and I would have to work double time out in the world to provide for Isaiah, and it's just handled here, and that's not something I think we would be able to provide for a very long time at DR.

Something else that I am amazed by is the amount of knowledge collected here.  There are people ranging in age from 19 to 60, and many of them are involved with the kids here.  (There aren't many right now, but hopefully soon that will change.)  Rather than having a day care type situation, members sign up for 'meta' shifts, which involves one or two people taking all the kids for three hours at a time.  It's creditable work (towards a members weekly labor quota) and it frees the parent up to do other work.  The coolest part of it is not getting the kiddo out of my hair for a little while, it's that the people who do it really enjoy it, and spend much more time teaching than hiring a babysitter out in the world, who would more than likely just put on PBS kids and text her boyfriend. 

On to where we are, physically.  This place is located in a beautiful area, in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.  Southern Missouri has a climate much more like what I am accustomed to - mild winters (though colder than the Gulf Coast) and humid wet summers.  Life here is abundant, and manifests in sometimes icky ways.  Tarantulas live here fer fucks sake…but there's also about a million really beautiful butterflies. Several have landed on me and just hung out, which is pretty awesome. I've never head cicadas as loud as the ones here. 

I know it's been quite a while since I've updated what we've been doing.  Sorry.  Honestly, I've just been having too damned much fun.  I've cooked for 70 a couple of times, which was challenging and fun as hell, and I've cooked for 7 or 8 here at Lillput (the name of the house we are staying in) to rave reviews.  I've made some great friends, and had some really fun times.  I have enjoyed the company of very nearly everyone I have met here. 

So, hopefully we have found home.  If everything goes the way I hope it does, we will be returning for a three week visitor period starting June 8.  After our three weeks, we can transition directly into a provisional membership, which will last for a year.  After that, we will (as long as we don't piss anyone off too badly) become members of East Wind Community…home of the tastiest damned peanut butter I've ever had.  :)  Wish us luck!!