“After this week, it’s pretty much over.” This was not a prediction based on the Mayan calendar or impending Armageddon, but rather a Minnesota-mom discussing the forecast for the week. The weather for the week looks amazing. And, it is nearly October. It is, indeed, true that the days are getting shorter, the temperatures more moderate and leaves more plentiful in the yard, but come on! It’s not over. It’s not over, by a long shot.
We are in transition mode. Changing our shorts for sweatshirts and trying on musty smelling coats. If you are lucky enough to have a cabin, you are probably pulling out the dock and readying the place for a long winter hibernation. But that does not mean we need to disengage from our communities.
This Saturday, we visited our CSA in Prairie Farm Wisconsin: http://www.springhillcommunityfarm.com/ While we were there, I noticed a framed poster that was waiting for a fresh nail on the wall. It had a list of “How to build Community.” It was interesting to read through the list and it got me thinking, how can we build community when the pull to hibernate seems to be washing over us?
So, I am trying to coach myself up about the need to connect even when we have snow on the ground. Here’s my list, so far:
- Make more soup on Saturday and Sunday, bring the pot over to a neighbor
- For the good Samaritan who loves to clear not just their own snow, but other people’s snow–do something unexpectedly nice for them
- Take exercise classes and get to know the other early morning devotees
- Continue to attend the CPNA Dad’s club
- Plan a harvest party, a winter party, a Neighbor Day party
- Make an ice-rink in your backyard
- Send postcards to nieces and nephews with fun pictures from the previous year
- Work on a blueprint for how the 2012 Twins can turnaround their fortune (not sure this is a community building exercise, but it is on my list)
- Tip the Star Tribune delivery person
What else can we do to build Community this winter? I’d love to hear your ideas.
