Life is a Beach and More!

*CIT reports that as our construction crew dug down under the SE corner of our lot, they first encountered a band of rocks, then dirt and then several feet of sandy sediment. We still have to build a pretty-good sized retaining wall, but it means there was a lake there and a beach!
 
Our sewer is in, and the crew is at work on the storm water retention system (more rock cracking!). So far, the work is going well—maybe even ahead of schedule but no one will admit to that. A group from HH has been delivering treats once-a-week to our construction crew to make sure they feel appreciated.
 
We always need to appreciate how hard this process is on our neighbors who are surrounded by REALLY noisy machines for these weeks. For example, during the 15 years Harold has lived on Conklin, his house has become surrounded by mulit-family structures. We represent a huge change for him and his elderly mother and father who live on the west side of Conkiln have been dealing heroically with the loss of  old some trees close to their property as well as putting up with the bone-rattling excavator.
 
*Communications skills group is working with Marshall Rosenberg’s seminal book in skillful communication entitled Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. Some practice exercise from chapter 3 are posted on Slack: observations versus evaluations. Anyone is welcome to join the group that meets regularly twice a month.
 
*Garden: our first communal pets: worms! Joyce has just set up the first worm bin. Our hope is that our fleet of worms will grow geometrically and be able to eventually deal with all our kitchen scraps after move-in. Other forces of nature working for us are the flat caterpillars Mariah photographed on the wild roses that eat as many aphids as ladybugs do (a syrphid (AKA hover) fly larva.

Another brain storm from Jim Dawson that just got accomplished: the big equipment removed about 8 to 10 feet of the upper garden to create a slope that is less steep and more plantable and easier to put a path into.  We lost a little to gain a lot—more garden and all in view of the commons. Also, some of us noticed it would make a nice little ski slope or sledding hill if there were only some snow right now…

Sharingourlives channel has some interesting items on it: from annual the Summer Parkways ride to the seriousness of bed bug infestation in community to rainbows to where to buy humanely-raised meat.
 
*Shop progress: all the sheetrock hung in the upstairs and Paul Mitchell seen leaving the scene mid-day with pants covered with mud from taping, Susan Mitchell beside him who claimed only to “have been neatening up”;  People have taken notice of Ezra very constant presence and work on the shop; Donna and Ray were noticed as a dynamic duo trimming out the downstairs windows. There have been many other contributors, but these are the eye witness reports received by the blog writer.
 
*Publicity Team is hard at work on a Media Consent Policy. Bob Francis’ revised oeuvre, the Media Consent Policy, will be voted on at the July LLC meeting and will be posted for review before that date.
 
*An informal “kitchen team” was created over the last two weeks to investigate appliances for our Common House. Besides some budget constraints, we also have the architectural drawings to work within. Some creative solutions are emerging, as well as a plan for a “kitchen shower” to fill out any lack in small appliances, gizmos, gadgets, pots, pans, bowls, measuring cups, spatulas and more that individual households may not need after move in.