Beth: I hope you dont' mind me copying the other list. But, I'd like to respond publically and the Betterway core Group doesn't come by that way. Thank you for writing your note. I believe your note is poignant and necessary. I also have cognative dissonance over having not posted a response to the two questions. I don't remember who's idea it was, but my fuzzy memory tells me that I had a hand in it. I know I certainly was in favor of it, if it wasn't my idea. Jean and I have done a lot of deliberation and trying to come to a concensus I am talking many hours here. We want to give exactly what it would take for us to pull the switch tomorrow, from a least common denominator, so as not to waste any more of anyone's time. Of course, we've always had an idea in our head, but I needed something crisp. We could have done this much faster, but there was some degree of procrastination and some degree of being on a small camping vacation. In addition to desires, we now have this down to a personal monetary number we can live with as well. I will post a bottom line requirement no later than tomorrow evening. It seems we are occupied until 9 tonight. Please accept my apology and thank-you for taking the time to organize this glorious concept. Sincerely: Kim p.s. I must end with some humor. It seems I'm born to do this. I hope everyone agrees that there must be at least one four story swing and a platform to mount it with a high tension wire and a great harness. This would be mandatory for kids, grandkids and me! Oh, it must be way over-engineered to last at least 100 years. It would be eco-friendly and a great attractive nuisance! Maybe it woud be best inside a cage so you could sit with small kids - in case they were scared more than us. -------Original Message------- From: Kip and Beth Gardner Date: 7/12/2007 7:55:54 AM To: Betterway Core Group:, Subject: Betterway Dear All, I don't really know how to start this email so please bear with me. I have tried really hard to sit on my hands since the last email I sent and see what the group is thinking about moving forward. We seemed to be having trouble getting people to meetings, sometimes even when we all (all present) sat together and picked out a date. It's really difficult to move forward by having meetings when the meetings are made up of Kip, myself, and 2 or 3 others. So Kim graciously and usefully put us on the freelists email group so that we could all communicate and get discussions of key issues moving on email. Nothing seems to have happened there. At the last meeting we ("we" at meetings always refers to those who showed up) agreed we needed a starting point and asked everyone to contribute the answers to 2 questions (what were their minimum requirements or vision of community and what commitments were they willing to make to move the process forward.) This was nearly 3 weeks ago. I'm the only one who's posted. It wasn't even my idea, although I thought it was a good one. I also posted a list of items before our last actual meeting that we've discussed addressing but have never actually addressed or finished and had absolutely no response. Look, I know it's Summer. I know that everyone is busy. I know that we are trying to build a new way of living while living the lives we are in, so I'm really not trying to blame. Kip and I have been at this full-time for 5 years. I feel better about this small core group now than any other group formation we've had. I really like all of you and when we are together and focused (or together just hanging out) it feels so right and seems like we could really make it happen. But in-between nothing seems to be happening and we just aren't going to get there by meeting once a month! Yes, it's hard. In Creating A Life Together Dianna Christian says that some people living in communities said "Don't tell them just how hard it really is, no one will try." Please don't take this to mean that I want people to make a firm decision right now that you are "in" or "out", and I don't want anyone dropping out of the process because they feel pressured. If we worked REALLY hard at this we probably still wouldn't be ready to purchase land for a year. But how can we do this if we can't even examine in a concrete way what we want from community and what we want to give to the process and the community once formed. I will speak for just myself here. Kip and I do have a "plan B", seeing if we could find a smaller piece of land with just a couple of other households, including someone who wanted to farm with Kip. I could live with it, but it's not really what I want, it's not my dream of community. But Kip and I are going to have to do something soon or we will lose our chance to raise Hannah in the country, for Kip to farm, for us to live consciously in a different way. I want to see community happen not just for us but because it's the right thing for this area and people right now. I believe this group could do it, but I don't know if we will do it. Please think on this. I'm sorry if it sounds like a rant, I don't mean for it to, but I needed to put this out there. And I really need some sort of feedback (through our personal email or the list, I don't care) and to know if I'm sounding unreasonable or if anyone else sees it his way. Sincerely, Beth -- North Canton, OH