Earth & Us: Eugene Equinox
Spring, my favorite season! Three mallard ducks float on a small estuary flanked by a weeping willow decked out in her bright spring green…daffodils and lenten roses following upon purple crocuses…flowering trees in pink and white…tall, fragrant evergreens towering overhead…tiny free libraries along the street…buses (free for seniors!) that kneel, put down ramps for folks in wheelchairs, and sport bicycle racks in front…street maps showing the abundant bicycle lanes and greenways. Even a system called “Peace-Health” bicycles that can be dropped off at any rack. This is Eugene! Yes, it’s still cold and rains a lot, but temperatures will soar up to 70 degrees for a couple days next week.
The astrological signs for March 20, as the sun moves into Aries and night and day are balanced, indicate a focus on relationships and creativity, joyful heartfelt connections, bold action, manifestation of goals, passionate service to a higher cause, emotional healing, celebration and abundance. I’m feeling it!
I’ve just been accepted into an intergenerational collective house called Dumá, home to nine people, just south of the U of Oregon campus. The word Du•má comes from the Calapooyan Indian language and means “home”. Formerly a boarding house, then a “home for wayward girls,” it’s been completely remodeled, little by little. The community began in 1990 with a dream of living ecologically and sustainably. Now, it has solar electric and thermal panels, a rainwater catchment system (to flush toilets), a permaculture garden featuring fruit trees, various berry bushes; persimmon, passionfruit, mullberry, pawpaw, and jujube. There are medicinal herbs, compost, chickens, bees, and beds for annuals. Daffodils and other flowers grace the yard. A covered bicycle rack accommodates some 8 bicycles. The living room has a cozy fireplace. In back there are a sauna and a hot tub! It’s just two blocks from a bus stop.
People take turns cooking group vegetarian, mostly organic meals 4 nights a week. The amazing kitchen has 2 refrigerators, a convection stove, every appliance you could imagine (including an Instant Pot and a milk-steamer for coffee), beautifully organized with every drawer and cupboard labeled. Mason jars are filled with any bulk ingredient you could want, and there’s a pantry full of canned goods too.
Thanks to my old friend Tom Atlee, who lives in another cooperative in Eugene, I learned that there was an opening when I put out feelers a couple of months ago. The Duma folks arranged 2 zoom calls for me while I was still in Colombia, followed by 2 dinners at the house to meet and get to know people, then a weekend ending with an interview. Clearly, a great deal of thought and care go into the process of finding a new housemate! The focus is on building positive relationships.
There are a few folks in their 20s, two in their 30s, a girl of 12 and her father, a 50-something woman who just recently moved in, and Allen, the owner (also in his 50s)…all friendly and welcoming. I was excited that they were open to having such an old lady as me, 20 years older than the next oldest person! Since the available bedroom had already been filled, they are actually inviting me to stay in their guest bedroom. The positive for them is that I will have more time to devote to the house and garden than the average full-time worker or student.
Honestly, I could scarcely have imagined that such a place would exist! I’ve lived in many communities over the years, including Earthaven Ecovillage (near Black Mountain, NC) and Hanover Ecovillage at Lake Merritt, Oakland; I’ve lived with anywhere from one to five housemates, and tried out Westwood Co-housing in Asheville. I’ve also visited Dancing Rabbit (Rutledge, MO), Lost Valley (near Eugene), and two ecovillages in Colombia. Never have I found such a welcoming and comfortable, convenient, affordable, and truly luxurious living situation! It feels like a dream coming true. (Maybe this is what manifestation looks like!)
Wishing each of you a restoration of balance, the quickening of spring in the landscape and in our bodies, and (despite all distressing events) new hope for the season.
