We’re excited for our upcoming feature article in Edible Bozeman, which highlights our hopes and dreams for community gardening, harvesting, cooking, eating and general merry-making together!
Sometimes the secret ingredient is… MUD. Couhouser kids prep their own “community dinner” at the property’s mud kitchen. Earthy!
Thanks to members Megan and Chad for arranging the shoot at their current digs. We carefully staged some shots with Covid precautions in mind, but it made us long for the days of real gathering and meal-sharing which can’t come soon enough!
Keep an eye out for the Winter issue, at news stands around town soon!
Baking
We’re doing a lot of baking these days, and this year Tor initiated daughter Aurora in the family tradition of making julekage, a Norwegian Christmas bread. The cardamom spiced bread with candied fruit and raisins is a breakfast treat around the holidays. Almost as good as Grandma Torvik’s 😋
Sunset on the Bridger Mountains, a stellar view from the property — courtesy of member, Garl
Between the pandemic and winter coming on, it’s easy to find oneself feeling like one of the last remaining humans in Wall-E: living in an artificial space liner, riding around on a hover couch, and consuming all our calories through a straw.
Since when did going outside become a chore? What can cohousing do to help?
Even here in Bozeman, Montana, arguably the capital of extreme outdoor sports in the Northern Rockies, it seems like there are always plenty of excuses: “I’m tired — I don’t want to drive somewhere — I have to cook dinner.” And those excuses multiply for our children: “It’s too cold — my friends aren’t around — there’s no wifi — you’re not safe by yourself — there’s too much traffic.”
This litany is, according to Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, a sure sign of a classic case of “Nature Deficit Disorder.” Our sense of emotional well-being and physical health suffer when we don’t spend enough time outside in an environment with other growing, living things. And for many American kids living in typical housing developments, the obstacles are real: There is no easy safe way to get to a park; there are too many cars on the street; parents are over-extended juggling work and chores.
What if we could magically live somewhere built from the ground up to remove most of these hurdles? Imagine a neighborhood where there are no cars driving between houses; where just outside your back door there are gardens and animals to be tended and enjoyed; where friends to play with are just a few doors away. That’s the reality of the physical design of our Cohousing homes.
Further, imagine living in a genuine community where connection is baked in; where someone else will cook us dinner several nights a week; where a child knows they can turn to any adult for help. This is what we envision for the shape of our lives in Bozeman Cohousing.
And finally, picture a location where a wildlife-friendly creek runs near your home; where you can get on your bike and be in a network of trails without crossing a single street. These are the blessings of the Bozeman Cohousing site.
Taken together, living in Cohousing means that just about the only excuse left for our kids when we tell them to go outside is “It’s too cold.” Then we can remind them that there is no bad weather, just bad preparation, so they should put on their coats. For more on the proven benefits to kids (and grownups, actually) of spending more time outside, visit the Children and Nature Network.
What’s your hometown & current location? I grew up in Portland, Oregon and went to college at the University of Oregon in Eugene. In my last year, I got to live in one of the cooperative houses there, and was introduced to large-scale vegetarian cooking and consensus-based decision-making. I spent the first four years of grad school at Cornell living in one of the long-time co-ops, Stewart Little. I honed my group cooking skills and deeply appreciated the sense of community, but also experienced the pain of poor group dynamics and interpersonal conflict. Living in community can be messy!
Jodi and I met when both of us were in Washington, DC, completing our graduate programs. DC was exciting, but we could feel ourselves turning into Yuppies. When she got offered the job of University Archivist at UM in Missoula, we eagerly came back west. Missoula’s vibrant arts and community service culture kept us there. Twenty-three years later, we came to Bozeman in the summer of 2020 for Jodi to take the same position at MSU. We live less than a mile from the cohousing property on Enterprise Blvd.
I’m excited to live in a place that has been deliberately designed, both physically and institutionally, to nurture people and relationships in place.
— Steve Allison-Bunnell
What are you doing in your life now? Settling in here in Bozeman and joining co-housing has been a full-time job! I’m currently the house-spouse, taxi driver, and assistant cat coddler. I’m also rebuilding my educational media consultancy.
What subjects/ ideas/activities are you passionate about? My memoir will be called, Zen Dad, Ninja Dad. I have benefitted enormously as a spouse, parent, and friend from growing a mindfulness practice in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hahn. For me, Buddhism is as much a psychology as a religion, and it has given a shape to my desire to make meaning out of the world and do the right thing in the service of others. Before the pandemic, I received my black belt in Aikido, which has been called the “martial art of mindfulness.” The physical, non-violent nature of Aikido perfectly complements meditation. I really miss training right now.
What aspects of the cohousing model speak to you most? I’m excited to live in a place that has been deliberately designed, both physically and institutionally, to nurture people and relationships in place. As someone who has felt challenged to initiate relationships, the co-housings premise that we all want to be connected and are committed to building community means a lot to me.
What is something that makes you hopeful for the future? My children have a wonderfully cosmopolitan and inclusive world-view given that they grew up here in Montana. Camas is a thoughtful and kind young man who is generous almost to a fault. Cedar’s vision as an artist is breathtaking. I have confidence that their way of being is making the world a better place.
Describe something you’re naturally good at & how you use that strength. I may not be Irish, but somehow I kissed the Blarney Stone. Putting words together in text or in front of an audience comes perhaps too easily to me. I’ve written mostly non-fiction and poetry—everything from a children’s book to a PhD dissertation. Because with great power comes great responsibility, I try to use my eloquence to inform and inspire other people.
What one word would you use to describe yourself? Explain why. Loyal. Once I commit to something or someone, I really hate to give up. My first instinct is to try to be helpful.
Name a favorite place you’ve lived & what you liked about it. I loved living with my grandparents for the first two years of college. They had a huge garden and orchard, a cozy house they built themselves, and were the ultimate do-it-yourselfers. Whether it was helping my grandpa cut firewood or working with my grandma in the kitchen, I learned a lot about making things and eating home-grown food.
Leila stretched and stood up, she wandered off her fluffy pillow and down the stairs to the kitchen, she wasn’t keen on being woken up from her slumber, but she heard a faint scuttling on the tiled floor, and she was in the mood to play.
“I suppose Jack has let his pet tarantula out again,” she sighed, “What was his name again? Larry? Gary? Oh whatever.” She continued a few more steps then paused, “Oh, then again maybe that mouse came out of her little hole I can’t get into…”
Leila quickened her pace now more excited, when she got to the kitchen she saw the mouse being chased by the tarantula. She sauntered to Squeaks, standing over the poor mouse.
“I wasn’t expecting another meal until dinner,” Leila licked her lips and stretched out her claws to their full length. Crouching down, Leila prepared to pounce.Squeaks just stood there frozen with fear thinking, I’m gonna die with an empty belly. Leila leaped into the air, but before she landed on the mouse, Squeaks snapped out of her trance and dogged Leila. Squeaks scurried over to the cracker cabinet and grabbed three saltines- 2 weeks worth of food- and sprinted toward her cozy mouse hole. Leila was still on her tail- and getting closer. Squeak’s feet flew with fear. Leila braced herself and used all her might to lunge higher and further than ever. But the mouse needed to be faster, and she slid into her cozy home in the wall of the Xeider’s house just as two front paws clicked to the floor. Now safe, Squeaks let out a sigh of relief.
Cohousers prepare the barn for the arrival of Zeus the billy goat!
Our agriculture club decided that three of our does will become mamas this spring: Apple, Sunday, and Trouble. Working on a farm is often a fantasy of kids and our goats allow us all to live this dream with shared responsibility. This new venture in animal husbandry is ripe for all-age learning.
Preparing “The Love Shack”
Mark works, kids jump around
Kids are especially helpful because they love to climb and can fit in small spaces.
Searching through the snow for the fence post. We love our snow, but ahhgh!
I’ve also found they enjoy doing this helpful work waaaayyy more than room cleaning.
Of course the weekend we needed to prepare the barn for Zeus, we had just received a dump of snow and frigid temps. Ahh, Montana life!
HALLOWEEN pumpkins
The witch cat surveys the possibilities
We carved pumpkins and the kids each named theirs. Lochlan chose the name “Pumpkin Leif” after our youngest cohousing member.
Mask up!
Firewood Stacking
Every year we get a load of firewood delivered to feed our woodstove for the winter. The kids love helping to stack the wood. With young kids, this is the most we can do right now, but I hope that once we live in cohousing, we can have firewood cutting parties. Imagine a group of friends heading out into the national forest in the winter to harvest firewood to heat out homes for the winter. Chores like this are made festive by sharing them with a community. Many of the home types in Bozeman Cohousing have the option for a woodstove. — Kathleen
❆❅❆SNOW!❆❅❆
Yep. Sometimes we get snow in October — but we make the best of it!
Anna demonstrates proper snow-angel technique
Aurora likes sliding down hills, and so does her Dad.
