Easter Sweets

Frosting easter-shaped sugar cookies at The Sunshine House today.

New Noah piling it on thick. Dayna decorated the psychedelic tulip. Hannon, old Noah, and Caleb already outside chowing on their frosting-mounded goodness, breathing in the crisp spring day.

Celebrations at the community for Easter will be quiet this year. Lots of folks away and busy. As a newbie, I've only heard that usually Easter is a lovely community celebration here, complete with egg hunts and gathering to feast on leg of lamb a la Karma. Here's to spring and budding plants, which will emerge from the cold ground regardless, hallelujah!!!

Communication = Community?

Listening to my mom describe the odd dynamics of her new tennis team... how some people "get" information first, say, when an announcement is made. And some people already knew the news. And some people didn't yet. And it's often the same division of people. Makes for the "others" late in knowing to feel like, well, others. And makes me wonder: does communication make a community?

In the example of her tennis team, it does. It's simple: the experience of being on the outs makes you feel as if you aren't a part of the group.

I've been a part of many groups and teams, yet haven't belonged to many "official" communities. So I don't know. Can community cohesion be boiled down to something as simple (and as complex) as "communication flow"?

Our community at Walker Creek can sometimes have choppy communication lines at best. And, mostly, it works anyhow. And, mostly, it suits people's busy lifestyles and preferences for "flow" rather than "rules." And - I still find it an interesting question to consider.

Teresa's post on the Evergreen Land Trust blog about "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" intrigued me: the first and foremost trigger dysfunction being Lack of Trust. http://evergreenlandtrust.blogspot.com/2009/03/looking-towards-building-strong-elt.html

I could easily argue that crappy communication is a major contributor to lack of trust. How can you trust your team if you're not sure you're getting the correct information? Or, that you're being included in whatever process in occuring in the community? My mother's tennnis team situation is an interesting petri dish for the theory. My guess is she's going to be jumping to another team soon.

P.S. I'm here for the long haul at Walker Creek.

A Proper Farewell to Elden Pemberton

Elden Pemberton, beloved father to Aviathar, is forever fishing in one of the creeks he loved. In a beautiful ceremony Thanksgiving Day '09, Cynthia, Aviathar, Jane, Paul, Hazel, Irene, Tessa, Marco, DJ, Teresa and many members of Walker Creek came together to send Elden down Walker Creek.

Even in his death Elden continued a lifetime of service by donating his body to the University of Washington for research. It was so like Elden. And now he is feeding the fishes.

We love you Elden. You are forever a sacred part of our creek, our land and our hearts.