Category Archives: Editorial

I’m grateful for my community!

Dec 31, 2021 Editorial, Social

In reflecting on the year and thinking ahead to next year, I’ve thought about the many ways we support each other in the community. My heart is full when I think of how much we care about each other and the many ways we show it. Even as we continue to work through this tough pandemic time, we are finding new and innovative ways of connecting and supporting one another.

Thank you to every one of my cohousing neighbors. I am happy to have enjoyed another year here with you and am looking forward to more. Here is a list of many small kindnesses I’ve experienced this year in no particular order. (And there are probably many others I forgot to list.) I am grateful to each of you, and I’m very grateful to be a part of this community!

  • Helping carry groceries from the parking lot to my unit
  • Picking up groceries for me while you were out
  • Giving me a ride to or from an appointment
  • Taking care of my pet
  • Trusting me and my kids to take care of your pet
  • Handy-person help and troubleshooting
  • Going for walks or hikes
  • Babysitting my kids
  • Playing board games
  • Sharing a meal together
  • Watching a movie together
  • Letting me borrow a book, appliance, clothing, etc
  • Giving me a book recommendation
  • Taking books back to the library to save me a trip
  • Sewing something for me, and letting me use your sewing machine
  • Really listening when I am pouring my heart out
  • Remembering my birthday and sending a greeting
  • Bringing your ideas and fully participating at meetings
  • Keeping the common spaces clean and safe by mowing, sweeping, shoveling and sanding
  • Telling jokes
  • Making coffee
  • Keeping the community updated when something has happened to another neighbor
  • Checking in with each other and empty houses during extreme heat and cold snaps
  • Walking with my kids to the school bus stop
  • Decorating for holiday celebrations

Grape Harvesting for Wine Making

Oct 21, 2021 Editorial, Nature, Play
Grape Harvesting for Wine Making

A few weeks ago, a group of Cascadians took a field trip for the grape harvest. Our resident winemaker took us out to Courting Hill Vineyard where we picked over 500 pounds of pinot noir, pinot gris, and chardonnay grapes. It was a beautiful fall day, full of picking, de-stemming, juice pressing, and camaraderie.

Beautiful Pinot Noir Grapes – notice the pine cone shape, hence the name

Next, the fermentation takes place over time. You’ll see casks and barrels in the workshop as our winemaker prepares the batches. Our winemaker also includes the children in the laboratory work. The kids have learned all kinds of cool chemistry lab stuff such as titration and pH testing, as well as practical stuff like how to record measurements in a lab notebook.

Finally, when the wine is ready, in 1.5 to 2 years, we will bottle it. That’s a big job but always fun to work together. That’s when we get to taste the wine, which is the best part!

Our Cascadia Uncommon wine is quite delicious. If you get an opportunity at a gathering, try some! And be sure to tell our winemaker, “Thank you for sharing your hobby, knowledge, and interests with the community!”

The Mystery Cascadian at work, harvesting grapes

Snow Day at Cascadia

Feb 13, 2021 Creativity, Editorial, Nature, Play
Northside Courtyard in the snow

It’s a beautiful, snowy day here in Portland. While some of us were slumbering or sipping cocoa, someone was out making snow sculptures. I’m not sure which of my neighbors is the sculptor but they are talented! Here are some pictures of the creatures I spotted. I encourage you to go out and see if you can find any more on the grounds.

Cascadia Snow Bunny

Thank you to the mystery snow sculptor. I was already enjoying my time outdoors in the fresh snow, but it was a real treat to stumble upon these and other creatures. I really appreciate the creativity of my neighbors!

Comfy Cascadia Snow Cat

Reflecting on the year

Dec 31, 2020 Celebration, Editorial

What a year! The pandemic has kept us shuttered inside, but the world continues to spin and time marches on. I watched a humorous year in review that sparked me to think about the community’s own year in review.

“2020- A year so momentous they named it twice.”

Death to 2020, Netflix

In the past, we would celebrate the new year with a progressive dinner party, traveling from house to house for a different course of the meal . At the party, our resident shutterbug would put together a slideshow of photos they took throughout the year so that we could watch the year in review. I enjoyed seeing the photos of parties, work parties, social hours, and special events. Since visiting each others homes in large groups is ill-advised during the pandemic, we obviously are not hosting this event this year. Maybe we will have the photo slideshow over zoom instead.

It has been a very dark year because of the pandemic, wildfires, political division, and violence. But there were some really bright spots despite the dark cloud hanging over 2020. Let’s take a brief look at some of the positive things in the community over the year:

  1. Everyone in our community is alive and healthy!
  2. The units that were for sale or rent are all occupied now.
  3. The huge siding/trim/gutter/painting project is complete and our buildings are beautiful and in great shape.
  4. The new play structure was installed in the north side courtyard.
  5. A baby was born and welcomed into the community.
  6. Community members participated in activism with a peaceful BLM vigil and Goodies for Good Causes.
  7. Community members learned how to sew face masks for other members.
  8. Community members learned how to cut hair for themselves and others.
  9. We have figured out new and different ways of maintaining connection with each other.
  10. We have figured out new and different ways of celebrating holidays together.
Make a wish and then blow out this candle made by community members out of beeswax from our resident beehive

I am looking forward to starting a new year, and I hope it is filled with more bright, happy, successful times. I wish good health, peace and harmony to all of my fellow community members.

Proposals: a joy and frustration of Cohousing

Nov 10, 2020 Editorial

You did the research on pricing, discussed with neighbors, weighed the pros and cons, done an in-person demonstration, crafted a well worded and succinct proposal, and got agenda time. And yet somehow, your perfect proposal didn’t pass on the first attempt. How frustrating! With all the work you put in up front, why not?!

While it is incredibly discouraging, it’s just the reality that proposals rarely pass on the first attempt. That’s ok! It brings a greater discussion, makes you look at aspects you hadn’t previously considered, do more research, find a better product, better financing, or take it in an entirely different direction. You end up developing a proposal that we all can agree with and maybe live happily ever after.

I’m bringing this up because there was a proposal that didn’t pass, and there are some very upsetting emails about it. I think people’s memory has faded over time, so here is a friendly reminder of proposals I personally championed that I thought were “no-brainers” or “slam-dunks” that ended up taking several meeting discussion and iterations, and 2-3 proposal attempts.

  1. Getting Internet service to the common house
  2. Getting a new kitchen stove
  3. Adding the hot tub as an asset to the capital reserve
  4. Installing noise reduction (sound proofing) to a unit

Ones that I wasn’t the lead on, but I remember they took more than one attempt and a lot of meetings:

  1. Building a bedroom addition on a unit
  2. Replacing the roofs
  3. Repairing the common house chimney
  4. Getting the new play structure
  5. The huge siding, trim, and gutters project
  6. The exterior paint colors

So when I think about how disappointing it is that a proposal doesn’t pass on the first try, I remember that doesn’t mean it will never pass. It will just take a lot more work and discussion and probably some sleepless, frustration-filled nights.

When it finally does pass, I can look back fondly at how we worked together to figure out the best way to go about getting something that was ultimately of value and an asset to our community, and we learned a lot about each other during the process.

Let’s remember to be kind with each other, and assume positive intent. Disagreeing with a proposal means I have concerns that I want addressed, that I think the proposal is well intentioned but not fully formed, and I would like to keep working together to resolve the issues. So, let’s do this, together!

You will be assimilated.

Oct 9, 2020 Editorial, Uncategorized

I am a fan of Star Trek, and have recently been re-watching Voyager. I watched an episode with the Borg, and it reminded me of something that came up at the National Cohousing Conference last year- assimilation.

Borg Drone Seven of Nine, tertiary adjunct of Unimatrix 01

If you aren’t familiar with the Borg, here’s an overview. They are “bad guys”- a collective of cybernetic humanoids (drones) linked with a hive mind. They assimilate populations and those innocent people become Borg. They are very persistent and adapt easily. Resistance is futile. But of course, our heroes always manage to defeat the Borg, even if it takes a few episodes to do it.

Back to the cohousing conference- one of the workshops I attended was about welcoming new members into the community. The presenter said new members must assimilate, or be exiled. We all chuckled, but recognized some truth to it. The presenter continued explaining, that when new people come, they have new ideas, and new energy. Which means “different” ideas and “different” energy. Which then means, it’s not the same way we’ve always done it, which means change, which is scary! And that can often result in conflict.

So what happens with that conflict? The new member gives up and assimilates to the old way, or they push their new ideas and become exiled. If that’s the case, often they are unhappy and end up moving out, which just begins the cycle again because there will be new people with new energy.

It was an eye opening lecture and discussion. It made me look inward and think about how have I responded to new ideas in the community? How was I treated when I first came and began participating? Am I one of the “bad guys” forcing assimilation? How can I help to welcome new members and encourage their new ideas and energy?

We have been facing a lot of change this year, and many of us are just worn out from all of it- the pandemic, the wildfire smoke, politics, and endless lists of stuff that needs getting done in the community with no energy to do it. Our meetings are virtual and our opportunities for connecting with one another in person are sparse. The pandemic has disrupted and limited our opportunities for connection. It has been tough for me to be a good community member right now. So I wonder, what kind of a community are we welcoming new people into right now? Would anyone want to be assimilated right now?

Since I’ve been here a while, I know this place to be a caring and supportive community with respectful people of varied interests and abilities. It is a community that strives to meet our mission, vision, and values. Community members are interesting and creative, and I am confident we will figure out new ways to keep connected as this pandemic continues. I am happy and grateful to live in this community.

I hope that prospective members will see that this is a vibrant community and great place to live. And maybe assimilation isn’t as bad as it seems on television.

My summer vacation

Sep 25, 2020 Editorial, Nature, Travel
My summer vacation

As is typical during the first few days of school, the teachers asked the students about their summer vacation. Usually, there would be stories about the amusement park, the swimming pool, or traveling across the country. Because of the pandemic, I can’t imagine anyone had a typical summer vacation. We made occasional trips around town for hikes, but there were two camping trips we took with neighbors that were really bright spots in an otherwise unusual and lonely summer.

Enjoying a campfire

Cohousing is great for sharing resources. Since I don’t have a tent, I was able to borrow a tent and sleeping bags from one of the neighbors. The group that went camping is very skilled, so they helped me figure out how to set up the borrowed tent. They also made the reservations, planned the hikes, and brought all the other necessary supplies. I just had to show up! We were careful with physical distancing protocols and wearing masks during the trip. We took separate cars and had separate campsites, but we were still able to do activities together.

Sharing a meal

The highlights of the two trips were the hike to a waterfall, and watching the sunset on the beach. Sitting around the campfire, sharing meals, and playing games were also great memories.

My kids and I enjoyed the trips and are grateful we have neighbors who are willing to teach us how to camp and make the experience more enjoyable. We are also lucky to live in such a wonderful location with beautiful campgrounds a short drive away.

Good and Bad

Sep 17, 2020 Editorial

The Paradox

At the 2019 National Cohousing Conference in Portland, I attended a workshop session where one of the ice-breaking activities was to go around our small circle and share something good and also something bad about living in cohousing. When we got back together into the larger group, the facilitator, somewhat jokingly, referred to this as the cohousing paradox- that it can exist as both good and bad.

[Paradox: any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.]

Until then, it hadn’t occurred to me that being both good and bad is a paradox. We all have good days and bad days, or good years and bad years. I just assumed that’s life, not a paradox. And yet, it’s practically the definition of a paradox. Cohousing has both frustrating (bad) and enjoyable (good) elements. I suppose we strive each day and with each interaction to strike a balance between those elements.

I will enjoy writing more about the frustrations and joys of cohousing… in future posts. The paradox of good and bad came up this week not in a discussion about cohousing, but with one of my kids.

School started back up this week and it’s distance learning from home because of the pandemic. One of my kid’s teachers has assigned “180 days of feelings” which is an online journal where they track how they feel each day. On the first day, my kid had only bad things to say: “it was stressful”, “it was frustrating”, “it was exhausting”, “I think they’re not a good teacher”, “this was the worst first day ever.” I admit, my kid takes after me. I find the negative very easily and complaining comes naturally. Though I empathized, since it was really stressful for me too, I pressed for more explanation, and also asked wasn’t there anything at all good to report? For example, you were barefoot all day, which has never happened at school before. After some thought, my kid finally conceded that, “well,… it was nice to pet the cat during the school day.”

For a reward after making it through the first day, we enjoyed ice cream at home. The first day back at school was, paradoxically, both bad and good. I’ve asked my kid to make an effort to record some good feelings in the journal, as well as the bad feelings. You’ll be happy to learn that the second day was “pretty good”.

Is it the apocalypse yet?

Sep 11, 2020 Editorial, Nature
Is it the apocalypse yet?

If you were looking for proof of the apocalypse, look no further. We have a pandemic, the sky is on fire, and I am actually contributing to a blog! Was all that part of the prophecy?

I’ve been on the editorial team for months and though I’ve had ideas for posts and taken plenty of pictures, I haven’t contributed yet. At our editorial team meeting, I decided and was encouraged to post once a week- what’s been going on at Cascadia Commons Cohousing Community.

So here’s the big thing going on right now- THE SKY! This photo was taken by neighbor, Pat, and there was no color filter used- the sky is the orange hue and haze due to the nearby wildfire smoke. The angry red sun didn’t photograph as well, but it’s quite a fantastic sight.

So that’s why I’m indoors, posting a blog entry. I’m waiting to find out if there will be evacuation orders in the next few days. But I’ll enjoy looking through my window at this surreal, other-worldly, sci-fi, dystopian view while it lasts.

CCA (Not Tribal) Knowledge

Aug 20, 2020 Advocacy, Editorial
CCA (Not Tribal) Knowledge

In the interest of communal harmony, the language and imagery of the original article have been altered. The stricken text remains, so that the original sin of the author is laid bare to the reader. If any Packers’ fans are offended by the replacement image for this article, please feel free to express your sentiments in the comments section. – ed

Imagine that you are standing at the front door of the Common House at 6am, with an urgent need to enter the building and the keypad lock isn’t responding. Do you know where the Common House key can be found? A light isn’t working in the south side parking lot. Whom should you inform and how? You’re not on the current meal rotation. Is it OK to take leftovers from the Common House fridge? The answers to these and a multitude of other questions are part of the tribal Cascadia Commons acquired (hereafter CCA) knowledge accumulated here over the past twenty years.

A small fraction of that tribal CCA knowledge is contained in the members manual, most of it resides in someone’s noggin, the rest can be found on a paper calendar, or document, by searching the mailing list message archive, or Google Drive.

Because we don’t know what we don’t know, it’s often difficult to formulate the questions we should ask. It would be helpful to have a proper owner’s manual for Cascadia Commons.

I’ve spent a week and a half, putting some of our tribal CCA knowledge into a Groups.io wiki. It’s really cool. And, the exercise of organizing and understanding the fraction of our collective wisdom available in print and on Google Drive has been personally illuminating. Particularly, I’ve become aware of the gaps where we have not formalized unwritten codes of conduct and tradition. We are very dependent on the knowledge that is often locked away in the brains of our fellow residents. Thank heavens for the mailing list. Otherwise we’d be constantly knocking on doors which, in this particular era, is probably something we should try to minimize.

While my first post on this topic focused on the nifty messaging features of Groups.io, I’m equally impressed with the Wiki and easy access to Google Drive files. Having a single site, where all of our digitized knowledge can be managed and accessed, is much less stressful than navigating between several different platforms to find what you are looking for.