Family Contra Dance
Another Motherhouse event providing place, support, and time for mothers by promoting thriving families and vibrant communities.
Each Family Dance is taught and led by a “caller,” who explains how the dance flows and helps the dancers “walk through” the dance before the music starts. S/he continues “calling” instructions throughout the dance. Dancers of all ages and levels of ability are welcome to join in this everybody-wins team sport.
Dances run from 7:00 until 10:00 and are held at the Cornwall, CT Town Hall at 24 Pine Street. Music generously donated by Still, the Homegrown Band. Suggested donation to help pay the caller: $3/child and $5/adult. Call Jim or Jane Prentice 860-672-6101 for more info.
Callers scheduled for 2012 are…
January 7 – Bob Livingston July 7 – Eric Hollman
February 4 – Jeff Walker August 4 – David Kaynor
March 3 – Paul Rosenberg September 1 – Peter Stix
April 7 - Patricia Campbell October 6 – David Kaynor
May 5 – Bill Fischer November 3 – Paul Rosenberg
June 2 – Anne Banks December 1 – Fern Bradley
OSLSS Eggs-Perience Chickens
From egg to table, learn about raising, keeping, caring for, and killing chickens in your backyard. See a variety of poultry housing solutions. Dress out a bird to take home for another day’s dinner.
All our Old Style Life Skills Series workshops take place in or near Cornwall, CT, run from 10:30 to 1:30 and include a pot-luck lunch. Suggested donation:$35/family. For more information, click on OSLSS in the Pages menu box below.
To visit our blog for reports on past chicken workshops, click here.
Big Little Kid’s Dance
Organized by Darwin and her mother Rachel, our Big Little Kids Dances are especially for the younger crowd and their adults. Held at the Cornwall Town Hall (24 Pine Street) from 4:00 until 5:00. To be followed by a finger-food pot-luck. $10/family donations to cover costs will be greatly appreciated! Please contact Rachel for more info at 860-824-8404.
OSLSS Keeping a Family Cow
Learn about finding, feeding, housing, fencing, breeding, and caring for your cow with Debra Tyler of Local Farm. Try your hand at milking. Make butter, soft cheese, ice cream, and yogurt. Go home with resource lists, your own copy of Joanne Grohman’s Keeping a Family Cow, a slew of recipes and MOOre!
The FAMILY COW workshops run from 10:00 to 1:00 and include a pot-luck lunch. Cost is $35/person or $50/family (up to 4 members). For more information and to register, call (860)672-0229 or send an email to farmer@rlocalfarm.com.
The 2012 workshops will be on Saturdays: June 16 and September 15. We will be happy to consider scheduling other dates if you contact us.
For photos and reports about past Family Cow Workshops, visit our blog. … …(home)
New Moon Gathering
Inspired by the book The Red Tent and ancient Jewish tradition, Motherhouse friend, Rachel Gall leads a monthly gathering for women of all ages on the eve of the new moon. Now meeting under a growing canopy of sewn-together red fabric scraps, women celebrate their fertility cycles and all creative endeavors with an unstructured evening of food, music, dance, story-telling, or just hanging out. These informal women’s get-togethers are an opportunity to celebrate Life’s cycles and femininity. All women, all ages, and their dependents (you can define “dependent”) are welcome from 10:30 through noon of the new moon. Call Rachel for details at 860 824-8404. Visit our New Moon web log for info on the last gathering and the upcoming moon at noonnewmoon.blogspot.com
Debra crashes after a great meal
August 07
OSLSS Jam Session
Preserve the sweet fruits of summer for year round enjoyment. Learn to make jam, jelly, preserves, and fruit butters. Take home the fruits of your labors.
All our Old Style Life Skills Series workshops take place in or near Cornwall, CT, run from 10:30 to 1:30 and include a pot-luck lunch. For more information, click on OSLSS in the Pages menu box below.
Board Meeting
The Motherhouse Board of Directors will be meeting at Debra’s home for 12:00 lunch, 1:oo meditation and a 1:45 business meeting on Jan 8, April 15, July 15, and Nov. 18.
Family Round Sing
Join your voices in simple staggered melodies to create rich and beautiful harmonies. Usually held in the Local Farm barn or if weather is bad, the Hughes Memorial Library on Lower River Road in West Cornwall,CT. Starting at 7:30 pm.
For more information, please call Debra Tyler(860) 672-0229 or write debra@motherhouse.us.
Friendship And Music
How great is the pleasure, how sweet the delight
When friendship and music together unite
How great is the pleasure, how sweet the delight
When friends in song together unite
Sweet, sweet, how sweet the delight
When harmony, sweet harmony and fellowship unite.
OSLSS Yes, We Can Can
Wyatt Whiteman will demonstrate methods of putting-food-by (preserving food) in glass jars. Learn when to use pressure canning or a hot water bath. Work as a group to prepare fresh produce and go home with a few jars so you can eat local all winter long.
All our Old Style Life Skills Series workshops take place in or near Cornwall, CT, run from 10:30 to 1:30 and include a pot-luck lunch. For more information, click on OSLSS in the Pages menu box below.
Family Farm Tours
Five mornings of farm visits especially targeted toward 8 to 11 year-olds and their families. We plan to visit Tom Levine’s Long Meadow Farm, Debra Tyler’s Local Farm, Ridgway Family Farm, and Dody Clarke-Wolfe’s Strawberry Field. August 13-17. Contact Debra@Motherhouse.us or 860-672-0229 if interested in our 2012 program
Our 2011 Cornwall Food, Fiber, Forestry, Farm Camp pilot program offered 9 kids and 4 of their mothers a unique day camp experience. Designed by Motherhouse founder, Debra Tyler, in association with local farmers: Tom Levine whose Longmeadow Farm explored the origins & preparation of Eggs & Bacon, foraging at Jonathan Kirschner’s Stonewall Vegetables ended with re-enacting and making Stone Soup, at Debra’s Local Farm, the campers milked cows, churned butter, ground wheat berries & dried corn for a take home basket of Bread & Butter, the Wool Thing Fiber Day was lead by Tal Hadani and included carding and spinning wool with a visit from Debbi Elias and a llama of Country Quilt Llamas; Forest Treets was led by logger Jay Wolfe. To view a slide show of three days from Motherhouse’s 2011 pilot farm camp program, click HERE.