Alright, after clearing up my thoughts yesterday, I really want to write what I originally meant to get down.
On Saturday, I while I was chanting, I was struggling a bit. I had some difficulties in organization last week, and I was feeling a bit frustrated with the fact that I hadn't done anything directly connected to the Sunflower Village Initiative for awhile. But I want to clarify, this was a joyful kind of struggling and it wasn't agonistic at all. I have felt at times that while I love the idea I have for the structures of the village, I am not sure how to bring that vision to fruition. Things came together rather suddenly. I realized that a great way to move my ideas forward is to take one aspect of what I am trying to do and attempt it on a slightly smaller, more feasible scale. So the thought is to take the Satellite model (see earlier posts) of organizing the village and test it out, over the course of at least one summer. I would organize a group of 10-20 people. I would like to see if a local farmer might be able to accommodate us. I have one in mind, but if he would rather not participate, I can imagine the "Happy Valley" providing someone who would. This group of people would come to the farm for the summer. A central area would be designated for cooking, socializing, and projects. Perhaps this area should have a wood platform to prevent mud. Tents would be used primarily for sleep and private time. The work day would be spent doing farmwork under the direction of the farmer. This would work well with the idea of having specialist directors of village labours. It would also serve to provide compensation to the farmer for the use of space. The main objective of the experiment would be as a preliminary test of the function of a satellite dwelling arrangement. Ideally, the experiment would be repeated in a consecutive season, ideally with most of the same people. One of the challenges involved is finding funding and other resources needed to allow people to participate. This is needed to counter the hindrance presented by peoples' need to continue to pay rent, bills, and to take hiatus from other activities. More research must be done on the exact costs for dwellings, impact for a potential farmer-participant, the kinds of support needed for participants, and how to keep the project cohesive.
