by Carol
 
At yesterday’s common meal the cook had a story to tell. He just moved into his home and when he went to start up his oven for the first time, flames came out of it.  What I found fascinating about his story was the first thing he thought about was his duplex neighbor. Before he realized that simply turning off the oven would stop the fire, he worried that his kitchen fire might disturb her meditation. How cohousing is that? Usually we first think of getting our families out, or of our house burning down, but now the first thought is the neighbor. Luckily, no one was hurt, not even the green beans he wanted to bake. A neighbor baked up the veggies and we had a great meal.

After dinner we started a new tradition - the polar plunge to celebrate closing the pool for the cold months. It was our coldest night so far. I figure the pool was colder than cold, but a few adults and even two children jumped in. Then, quickly swam out.

Afterward, all of us enjoyed hot cocoa, a warm fire in the fire pit, and kid-friendly ghost stories. I stayed until the fire went down and my son came to join me. I love our new tradition. Maybe I'll jump in next year.