If you recall, we are in the middle of a construction project, here in Green Acres. Thanks to the efforts of a young team of neighbors, including Katarina, Melissa and John, our neighborhood has been awarded a $10,000 grant to create five signs to mark Green Acres entrance points. This will mark the first stage of materialization. For years now, we have been revisioning our neighborhood as a busy, interactive, village, starting with our little ecopod of two houses at the corner of Overhill and DeKist —

— now expanding to include the grounds of a third property behind these two.

Yesterday, my friend Amy stopped by. She was excited, having noticed that a house just across the street from our ecopod is for sale. Yes! I exclaimed, as the energy of village life started to glow through her eyes. She says she’s “lonely” living out on SR 45, only three miles or so from town, but on a fast, narrow, dangerous road for bikes or pedestrians. “Well, you wouldn’t be lonely here!” I exclaimed.

The two of us stood on my porch dreaming for awhile, of what Green Acres will be, as more and more people like her begin to take action to relocate near us, whether as owners or renters. And look, I pointed out: “That front yard is sunny; perfect for permaculture!”

Amy and her daughter Kaya have participated in several of our Thursday community dinners, held throughout the school year. The last one is tomorrow evening, and we will be convening for the first time at another location in the neighborhood that just might turn into the second eco-pod, Mariella’s house on 8th Street.

Of course Mariella and her kids were excited to hear about the new signs. In fact, her daughter Asiri wanted to have her picture taken with the one that is already up, near their house, twice: first with her old hair style, and then with her new bangs.

Before:

After:

Yesterday, I walked over to join two other Green Acres elder women in helping young John Cruze, who had constructed the flower boxes to go under the signs. We were there to help place them correctly. Three of the signs will have wooden flower boxes. One of the signs is situated on such a narrow point that there’s no room for a flower box, and the fifth will have a limestone flower box.

Here we are, hard at work:

At 4 p.m. this afternoon, I will join Katarina and other neighborhood volunteers to place dirt and plants in the boxes.

The signs will all be up by May 15th. YES!

If you don’t yet recognize what we humans lost when industrial civilization disintegrated the concept of village life, you might want to pay close attention to the following very articulate and comprehensive post.

In the Absence of the Village, Mothers Struggle Most