At Wits End

We're happy to report that we spent a wonderful evening, night and morning at Wits End Cooperative, high on the mountain overlooking the mesa below.

We were received with great warmth by the two members who are currently living full-time on the land. This morning we were treated to a hearty breakfast of potato and egg frittata, organic decaf coffee, fresh fruit, and homemade banana bread, a meal made even more satisfying by the excellent company and the sense of instant friendship born of a passion for intentional community.

Wits End is a community in the early stages of actualization following eight years of planning, meetings, hopes and dreams. With one lovely straw-bale home now built, a deep well dug, by-laws established, and many of the pieces falling into place, two members now live on the land and others visit and take part in the planning process for further building and expansion. Many of the members of the cooperative are classical musicians specializing in what is known as "early music", but being a musician is not a prerequisite for joining. While the members are mostly middle-aged, there is certainly openness to younger members and even children.

Sustainable living and planning ahead for the "golden years" of community members are two factors that seem to keenly (and wisely) inform the plans for the design and execution of subsequent buildings. Both of these issues---sustainability and aging---are in harmony with our own motivations for seeking a life within the social fabric of intentional community.

As we grow older, living alone in isolated and energy-inefficient dwellings is no longer a scenario that we are willing to embrace. Living in community and sharing responsibility for ourselves, one another and the land is one way to transform the isolation that so many Americans experience in their day to day lives.

The folks of Wits End are actively building a dream wherein the members can live, work, play and care for one another as a vibrant community in an environment that is astoundingly beautiful but close enough to the city for access to health care, employment, culture, and the other good things of life.

We look forward to watching Wits End bring its complete vision to fruition, and to what we hope will be a long and lasting friendship, whether we take part in life at Wits End as members, or as friends of a community that is certain to grow, prosper and succeed.