It’s been many months — too many months — since I added to this forum.  Overwhelming work commitments, combined with a general sense of malaise about the lack of significant progress in reaching our admittedly lofty goals for Wolf Creek Commons, have prompted me to escape from my keyboard rather than gravitate toward it when “free” time occurs in my schedule.  But events leading up to, including, and following last Saturday’s WCC General Meeting have kindled within me a spark of renewed energy — at least for the moment — and the first day of Winter seems an appropriate occasion on which to let some of that energy bubble forth onto this page.

We’ve recently had several WCC members experience life changes or reach decisions that have caused them to be attracted to other cohousing communities, or away from cohousing altogether.  Although we all warmly wish them well, our desire to see WCC grow and reach fruition can be somewhat dampened when we observe the opposite occurring.  On the flip side of the coin, we had two visitors (interested persons, or “IPs” as we generically refer to them) attend our December General Meeting.  I’ve also fielded a couple of phone calls from IPs in the last couple weeks, and several weeks ago my wife and I took a couple of IPs (who had driven over three hours to get here) on a tour of our WCC site.  It’s really encouraging to know that potential cohousing members are indeed out there, browsing our web site, paying attention to what we’re doing, and interested in the beautiful area in which our new community will be located.

CoHousing Partners has scheduled another slide show about the Wolf Creek Village project for 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 13th in the Community Room at BriarPatch Co-op in Grass Valley.  These slide shows are great for anyone who wants to learn about cohousing in general, or Wolf Creek Village in particular.  There should be good synergy between our community-building effort and the community market where the slide show is being held.  I sincerely hope that some of the readers of this blog can join us for that event.

At the December version of our monthly General Meeting we took the first steps towards establishing an escrow account that will allow members to deposit funds toward their future home in an interest-bearing, risk-free environment.  We also discussed stepping up our use of Facebook and Meetup to enhance our web presence.  As a group, we phoned a member who has had to travel out of state to deal with a death in the family, singing a spirited “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” to her cell phone voice mail.  We made plans to send holiday greeting cards to members who couldn’t attend the meeting, and then we had lots of fun with a white elephant gift exchange followed by lunch at an Indian restaurant near the future site of Wolf Creek Commons.  After discussing a possible snowshoe trip for January, we scattered to enjoy the beautiful weather (mid-50s and sunny).

No sign of the winter doldrums among this spirited group of cohousers…

While watering the gardens and building a deer-proof (hopefully) cage for one of my wife’s flower beds this morning, I overheard a conversation between a father and his two young sons walking up the street in front of our home.  His explanation of Independence Day — our escape from the tyranny and oppression of others — caused me to reflect not only on our country’s independence, but also on our personal codependence upon others, for food & housing, for love & affection, and for a sense of community.  Wolf Creek Commons is our attempt to build that codependence in a healthy, nurturing manner, enabling our caring for each other and our collective environment to result in a safe, supportive, sustainable community.

It was gratifying to hear that participants from throughout the world caused the attendance at last week’s National Cohousing Conference in Seattle to be greater than the previous annual conferences, in spite of our somewhat gloomy economic times.  Stories of other cohousing communities having struggled for up to 10 years before they reached fruition helps put in perspective the ongoing efforts to get Wolf Creek Commons built.  This experience seems to be life’s way of providing me with an opportunity to work on my patience.

While staffing our booth at Thursday night’s street fair in Grass Valley, multiple passers-by asked how we were doing and wished us luck.  It truly is nice to have their interest and support, but I look forward to the time when I can respond “construction has started” — hopefully in the not too distant future!  Even better would be “we’ve moved in — won’t you come join us?”

Meanwhile, if you’re reading this blog and want to learn more about Wolf Creek Commons and the people who have joined together under its banner, keep in mind that we have monthly meetings and even more frequent social events, to which prospective members and interested persons are invited.  If you can’t stop by our booth some Thursday night this summer, give us a holler on-line or via phone and we’ll be happy to tell you more…

“Summertime, and the living is easy” (to quote the opening line of the Gershwin Lullaby from “Porgy and Bess”).  Well, it’s almost summertime, anyway.  The next General Meeting of Wolf Creek Commons is scheduled for Saturday, June 20th, the last full day of Spring.  And the weather in the Sierra Foothills, right on queue, reached the low 80s yesterday, headed for the low 90s by this weekend.  The birds are still singing, the wildflowers still blooming, and it was just last week that Gail and I watched a newborn deer take its first steps outside our study window.  Although the signs of Spring are still rampant, the living is indeed easy.

Last Saturday WCC members gathered for a picnic dinner at Nevada City’s Pioneer Park.  Gorgeous weather, excellent food and good conversation were all bountiful.  We offered thanks for our circumstances, and with great hope we toasted the eventual completion of our new community.

After the picnic we headed for the nearby Off Broadstreet Theatre where we shared a riotously entertaining performance of the doo-wop oriented “Put Another Nickel In” in an intimate (maximum capacity = 79) cabaret environment.  Many good laughs were had by all in attendance.  As described on their web site, this year’s performances were chosen to promote the theater’s overall theme of optimism in the face of adversity – whether that adversity is a weak economy, a discouraging turn of events, or the effects of advancing age.  Mori’s line in the play we applauded sums it all up: “If you want the music to keep playing, you just have to put another nickel in.”

The “optimism in the face of adversity” theme seems perfectly suited for Wolf Creek Commons at this juncture:  our membership recruitment efforts seem to have taken a major hit from the economic downturn, difficulties with our bank loan have been discouraging, and a few of us are resisting the effects of advancing age (it sure seems like it’s taking a long time to heal from my recent whiplash injuries).  But similar to the theme of the play, we keep recharging our efforts to make Wolf Creek Village a success (putting more nickels in) and as a result we keep enjoying the playing of the music of friendship, camaraderie, and hope that we’ll be rewarded with a new cohousing community.  I may not have realized all those parallels on Saturday evening while laughing with the performers on stage, but in retrospect I can certainly see why we all enjoyed the play so much.

As we anticipate the coming of Summer, hopeful that the loan will be approved and construction of Wolf Creek Lodge can begin soon, planning for this weekend’s Wolf Creek Commons meeting and the beach/kayak/swim party afterwards, we look forward to the work that awaits us as we build our community for the future.  As the second verse of “Summertime” so hopefully states:

One of these mornings, you’re gonna rise up singing

You’re gonna spread your wings and take the sky

I’ve been away from the computer for awhile.  While stopped in traffic on April 21st my compact sedan was rear-ended by a large SUV.  Although my passenger compartment remained intact (thank goodness), I’ve been spending much time since then treating the effects of severe whiplash.  Per my medical advisors, the treatment has included very little computer use, contributing to the lack of entries for this blog.

As I begin to recover from my injuries, I wonder if Wolf Creek Commons has been similarly rear-ended by the housing bust and the changing economy.  Greatly increased requirements for our construction loan have caused a temporary whiplash-like effect on our existing membership.  Loss of equity in existing homes and investments has made prospective new members hesitant to commit to joining our enterprise.  But like my stiff neck and sore back, signs of recovery may be appearing on the horizon.

At the general meeting of Wolf Creek Commons this past Saturday, every household re-committed themselves to the effort of making our community happen.  We had an excellent Q&A session with our project manager and the President of Cohousing Partners.  Spirits were relatively “up” after the meeting as we lunched on the shady patio behind a local deli and enjoyed the summer-like weather.

There’s also been lots of encouraging activity in related arenas.  On April 26th at the Nevada County fairgrounds the Sierra Deep Ecology Institute presented their Green Architect Award for 2009 to McCamant & Durrett Architects, the cohousing-experienced firm responsible for designing Wolf Creek Village.  On May 4th the USA Today newspaper printed a nationally-distributed article about senior cohousing.  On May 7th National Public Radio’s “Marketplace” segment broadcast an interview with a cohousing advocate.  On May 15th an “Audacious Aging” event in Grass Valley helped attract interest in Wolf Creek Lodge, the active adult community with which we’ll be sharing Wolf Creek Village.  The second edition of The Senior Cohousing Handbook by Chuck Durrett has been published, and Chuck’s west coast book-signing tour includes a June 16 stop at The Book Seller in downtown Grass Valley.  And the wildflowers are abloom at the future Wolf Creek Commons site and throughout the surrounding Sierra foothills.

We’ve replaced our car, which had served us so well for 118,000 miles (until the insurance company “totaled” it following the accident) with a new version of the same make and model.  Yes, it required an extra investment on our part, but it’s bright, it’s shiny, it’s “green” (stingy on gas and rated “ultra low” on the emissions scale), and driving it helps us cheerily think about the future, not the past.  Wolf Creek Commons members have also agreed to make an extra investment – one which should help us think cheerily about the future as we push our dreams closer to reality.  We’d love to have you join us!

Last summer the trees that would block the planned roads and buildings were removed from the Wolf Creek Village property.  Shortly before they were removed, my wife and I spent several hours digging up wild iris from the property, suspecting they would mostly be trampled by the bulldozers and logging trucks, and thinking we could plant them at our current home then transplant them back again when we were ready to move into Wolf Creek Commons.  We weren’t really sure they would survive our rough treatment or the minimal care our home gardens receive.

We were pleasantly surprised on Friday to see several of them in bloom in our home garden — including one yellow star tulip that we transplanted from the future site of our intergenerational cohousing community.  I took this as a very positive note, indicating that since they’d made it this long that one day they would be destined to be planted once again on the property where their lives began.

At Saturday’s general meeting of Wolf Creek Commons members we had some very frank discussions about our current financial woes, and the difficulty that the economy in general presents as we try to recruit the new members required to get our community built.  In spite of our gloomy subject matter, the meeting included many smiles and much laughter, which I take as another very positive note.  If we can maintain such good cheer in spite of the trials and tribulations faced by our group, results worth celebrating are bound to occur (even if they happen later than originally intended).

Another good sign ==> we had a prospective member visit from the East Coast (!) — she said she had been following our web site for two years (and had even read this blog).  The existing Wolf Creek Commons members renewed their commitment to each other and to keeping the hopes and plans for our new community alive.  We were able to adjourn to our second annual picnic under the trees at Empire State Park, thoroughly enjoying a gorgeous spring day in the Sierra Foothills, and each other.

Wolf Creek Commons has been wrestling with its future of late, trying to determine how to address the dearth of new members that seems to be a result of these tough economic times.  Many potential members find the value of their personal retirement accounts and other investments taking a nosedive, and the potential resale prices of their existing homes dropping sharply as well.  Some are in shaky situations at work, concerned about a potential loss in income due to cutbacks in days or hours, forced furloughs, or even possible layoffs.  It seems nobody wants to commit to purchasing a new home at this time – even in a community as well-designed as ours that could ultimately help reduce their ongoing expenses.  They express interest, but aren’t willing to make the membership leap.

In this environment, banks, potential investors and other financial partners tend to tighten up their loan requirements and become that much more hesitant to work with us.  The cumulative effect can be a doom-and-gloom attitude among Wolf Creek Commons members due to hurdles seem too great to conquer.

Wolf Creek Lodge, the active adult cohousing community that will be sharing the beautiful Wolf Creek Village parcel with us, finds themselves in similar circumstances.

The good news (I’m looking for the silver lining here…) is that our two communities — the Commons and the Lodge — may pull together that much closer in order to help each other resolve these dilemmas.  We’re talking more seriously about additional cooperative marketing efforts, socializing with each other, and even providing a means for members to move some of their equity from one community to another in order to help assure that the project is able to progress.  Even when it seems the darkest, friends and future neighbors can work together, buoying each other’s spirits and providing emotional (and financial) support.  And isn’t that what cohousing is all about, after all.

It’s been almost three months since I contributed to this blog – way too long.  Wolf Creek Commons has been in my thoughts — and my actions — during the interim, but work, holidays, household chores, and family responsibilities keep usurping the time I might spend sharing my perceptions via this forum.

As usual, WCC members have been busy since my last blog.  Besides participating in the Green Festival in San Francisco and Eco-Kids Day at the Imaginarium in Grass Valley, we had meetings and guests-invited potlucks in December and January.  January’s general meeting was followed by a snowshoe trip near the Omega overlook off highway 20 outside of Nevada City.  I would have loved to join the snowshoe group, but pressing family medical issues took precedence that Saturday afternoon.  It sounds like they had a great time.

This month found a number of our members participating in a Non Violent Communication workshop, joining together for a Valentine’s Day fondue party, and just this past weekend holding our monthly general meeting followed by lunch at a local Asian restaurant.  It was especially nice that the Dion family with their almost-brand-new twins and “eldest” brother (who just celebrated his third birthday) could join us.  The exuberant presence of youth in our midst seems to change our focus somewhat, generate even more smiles than usual, and help emphasize the family nature of our community.

While having parties and enjoying each other’s company, we still made progress on important issues that will help form our new community:  an “Associate’s Agreement” that indicates our willingness to consider including as WCC associate members, residents of the single-family homes that will be part of the Wolf Creek Village complex; an agreement about the house-numbering scheme for WCC; and a new marketing plan to help us spread the word about WCC and recruit additional members.

Out the window of my home office, I can see the sunlight trying to peek through the clouds.  We’ve had a couple days of sorely needed rain, with more to come.  Some of the daffodils are already blooming, and our property is awash in springtime greenery.  The arrival of Spring should help all WCC members renew their commitment to making our dream of a sustainable, collaborative, nurturing cohousing community become reality in the near future.

The process of building the Wolf Creek Commons cohousing community takes a team of dedicated households, with ongoing periodic work being done by those team members.

We have a Design Review Committee that works with our architects and landscape planners to shape the physical environment in which we will live.  Our Outreach and Marketing Committee that gets the word out about our new community, attracting new members while educating the local community about our goals and plans.  We have a Finance Committee that watches the budget and plans how we’re going to pay for our new community.  The Communications Committee maintains our web site and publishes newsletters.  We have a Membership Committee that guides prospective Wolf Creek Commons members through the process of joining the community.  Our Social Committee plans potlucks, parties, and other events where we can get to know and bond with each other, and where we can include interested guests who might want to see if we’re the kind of people they’d enjoy living with.  We also have various temporary subcommittees that developed our Meeting Guidelines, Rental Agreement, Pet Agreement, and so forth.  The Process Committee plans and facilitates our monthly general meetings, and the Rhythm Committee guides the entire process.

Each adult member of Wolf Creek Commons participates in at least one of these committees; many in two or more.  Even though our beautiful new home site might remain somewhat dormant over this winter, there’s still a lot of work by these various teams continuing behind the scenes.

Business and other commitments have severely limited my participation in the WCC committee process during the past couple months.  I even missed the November general meeting and the plant re-potting party that followed it.  (We have hundreds of seedlings that we’re growing for eventual use in our landscaping, many of which had outgrown their initial pots and needed larger temporary homes.  Even though I was unavailable to assist with this chore, I was at least able to send a couple of large buckets of organic compost to contribute to the cause, so I felt some vicarious participation.)  I’ve been otherwise occupied so much of late that there was surprise evidenced when I phoned in to participate in the Process Committee meeting Wednesday evening.  They hadn’t heard my voice for awhile!  It was good to feel like part of that team again, and to be able to accept responsibilities for the upcoming December general meeting.

In many other cities, towns and communities an elected board or hired general manager takes responsibility for developing and enforcing laws, regulations, CC&R’s, and other documents that govern how a group of people will live together and how they’ll share and pay for common resources.  Cohousing communities like ours have a different focus ==> we’re self-governed, using the consensus process to develop the agreements that will shape our community.  That effort requires brainstorming, research, discussion, revision, and lots of teamwork in order to reach our goals.  I truly enjoy being a part of the teams of WCC members who are engaged in this process, getting to know, love and respect my future neighbors as part of the journey.

I’ve been out of town on business a lot the last few weeks, reducing my contact with Wolf Creek Commons members to e-mail alone (and even that has been on an infrequent basis, due to work time commitments).  Tonight I was able to participate in our monthly potluck social event.  What a pleasure to see all those smiling faces and get back in touch with our future neighbors.

The food, as always seems to be the case with our monthly potlucks, was excellent.  Focusing on a loose Native American theme, it included wild rice, corn bread, vegetables in a sage pesto sauce, mashed squash with cardamom, turkey and a soup baked in a pumpkin, among other delicacies.  Everyone agreed that all the contributions were quite tasty.  The creative culinary adventures with cohousing compatriots help expand my exposure to various recipes and tastes.  Just like the varied personalities among Wolf Creek Commons members helps expand my exposure to various lifestyles and political and social concepts.

It seems that the 415 potted plants we relocated to Bob & Gail’s home several months ago continue to thrive, many outgrowing their plastic encasements.  We want to keep them going to use in the landscaping at our new home site when the time comes.  We now need to find bigger pots, more soil or potting mix to fill them with, and then have a plant re-potting work day sometime soon.

The plants, like our relationships with our future neighbors, seem to be flourishing (even when other commitments limit the time we can devote to them).  Community building requires time and effort, but thus far it sure seems worth it!

I’ve been out of town on business, vacation, and more business, for most of the past month.  It’s nice to be back home in Nevada County, especially now that the cool mornings and warm afternoons have prompted the deciduous trees to start displaying their gorgeous yellow, orange and red fall colors.  Tourists travel to the Sierra foothills to view the spectacular fall colors, and the serenity of watching the leaves on the Redbud outside my home office window turn pink and flutter to the ground reminds me why.  The young deer have lost their spots, and the fledgling wild turkeys are now nearly full-grown — the times they are a-changin’.

While I’ve been out of town, our cohousing community has weathered some financial challenges.  We raised enough additional money from community members pre-paying their home purchases to be able to pay some municipal fees in advance of those fees increasing several-fold.  That’s a good thing!  We also received news that our bankers were putting a temporary hold on our construction loan, due primarily to the financial challenges evidenced in the world around us.  Although there was substantial disappointment about construction being delayed, I think we’re all in this for the long haul and realize this just gives us more time to continue to get to know our future neighbors and work out our community agreements before moving into our new homes.

With winter rains on the way, Wolf Creek Village has now been hydro-seeded to prevent erosion into the creek.  Hopefully the housing and banking markets will begin to recover — and new members will join us over the next several months, thus encouraging our financial partners about the soundness of investing in our cohousing community — and construction will begin pushing forward again once Spring rolls around.  It’s been almost 18 months since I attended my first slide show about Wolf Creek Village and began investigating the cohousing concept and the Wolf Creek Commons community in particular.  I guess I can handle a few delays while waiting for our deferred gratification.