Dear Friends,

It's that eerie time of year when the days grow shorter as the nights grow longer. Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend, so it's the perfect time to unearth those quilts and comforters and mittens and hats, and start snuggling. See if you can dream up some new ways to light up the night—like the cheery lights on our brand new pergola shown above. We're looking forward to nestling in for the winter months and finding new ways to grow and learn together. There's lots going on! Come for a visit! 

Upcoming events at Prairie Hill

Information meeting
Wednesday, November 17
6:00-7:30 p.m.

Meet us on Zoom to find out more about cohousing and Prairie Hill in particular. To get the link, text Val Bowman at 916-751-9188 or write to us at iowacitycohousing@gmail.com.

Living in community 

There are so many benefits to living in cohousing. We carpool to events, cat sit for each other, take people to appointments, and share baked goods hot from the oven. One reason we get along well together is because there are built-in opportunities to get to know each other better. We have a number of work circles, each focused on a specific aspect of Prairie Hill life. Everyone works on at least one circle, and then there are lots of fun things that bring us together as well. Members are so generous in sharing their skills and interests.

Impromptu gatherings are part of the fun

Nan Fawcett's night blooming cereus blooms just one night a year. You never know exactly when it's going to happen. But when the time draws near, Nan sends out word and everyone gathers on her porch to watch and celebrate this wonder of nature. 

Prairie Hill residents are active in the wider community

Prairie Hill residents volunteer with a broad range of non-profits in the area. Here are some of the organizations we are working for:

• Bike Library
• Unitarian Universalist Society
• Iowa City Friends Meeting
• Johnson County Clean Energy District
• West Branch Friends Meeting
• Crowded Closet Mennonite Thrift Store
• DVIP (Domestic Violence Intervention Project)
• Free Medical Clinic
• Johnson County Conservation Board
• Burr Oak Land Trust
• Scattergood Friends School
• Citizens Climate Change Lobby
• TRAIL (Tools and Resources for Active Independent Living)
• Showing Up for Racial Justice
• Winding Path Buddhist Sangha 
• 100 Grannies for a Livable Future
• Iowa City Summer of the Arts

And then there are the book groups and the community bands and the singing groups! There truly is a LOT going on here!

A scavenger hunt to try at home

by Val Bowman

As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Coralville, I am part of the Worship Team. We recently had a Cultivating Relationships Scavenger Hunt with instructions to find these items in our homes or around our neighborhood:

• Three green things together
• Something old
• Something young
• Things that are interdependent (they need each other in order to survive)
• Evidence of creativity
• Something or someone helping
• A sign of the season
• Play
• Things that make something together but are each separate
• Something that represents a relationship

When we found something on the list, we could take a photo of it, draw it, or write about it.

We decided to use the weekly time we spend with our young neighbors to find these things around Prairie Hill. They jumped into the task with enthusiasm and together we found everything on the list. It was the perfect way to celebrate relationships! Try it at your house—it's fun!