Visiting

 

Our goal is to live ecologically sustainable and socially rewarding lives, and to share the skills and ideas supporting that lifestyle. Ask good questions. Learn what it means to live communally in health and purpose.

Here's a few things to know about visiting:

Scheduled Visits
If you live nearby or expect to be in the area, day tours are available. Please contact us in advance and we'll schedule a tour. Our time is as valuable as anyones, so consider a financial, gift exchange, or work donation to MMV.

If you are interested in applying for membership, the required visit is a minimum of one week, and we recomend three. As accommodations may be limited, ideally you should let us know at least a month or two in advance of the time you would like to visit.

We also like to relax, hang out, play sports, hike, and sometimes have parties, game nights. Scrabble and Chess are favorites. If you play an instrument or sing, you might find an enthusiastic and participatory audience.

Housing. We have two heated cabins and a guest room off the Sauna. Otherwise, some visitors will camp during their stay and we do have several tents with mattresses and other camping equipment available. We will match visitors with the most comfortable and appropriate housing we have available. Inquire and reserve instead of assuming availability.
We also ask that you do not use perfumes or use strongly scented deodorants as some are sensitive or allergic to these odors.

Pets. Please check with us before bringing any pets. If you are uncomfortable with anything our dogs do, please speak with one of the members. We ask that you do not feed the cats or dogs as they are on a controlled diet.

Meetings. Generally, we will meet weekly, regardless of whether we have pressing business to attend. This is time we check in with each other, communicate and spend some quality time. The farm bell is rung 10 minutes before meetings, which will begin with a "check-in" where everyone talks about how they are feeling and what is up for them, personally and/or with their work. After this, we proceed with meeting agenda. We take turns facilitating to help balance member participation and inspiration in the consensus process. At your first meeting, you can expect that we will ask you what you would like from your visit with us, and anything you would like to share about yourself. Ask questions about meeting content, ideas, and process. We typically are willing to share all information and do appreciate constructive feedback.

Composting Toilets. This is eco-rustic living, utilizing composting toilet systems, building soil by recycling a valuable resource, instead of discarding "waste." With simple maintenance -- adding the right amount of organic cover and transferring/exchanging containers into the main thermophyllic batch bins -- it is odor free and easy. Neglect makes it somewhat less enjoyable.

Recycling. We like to minimize having to recycle plastics and other materials when possible, by buying environmentally friendly packaged items. Divide your waste products efficiently and relocate to large export bins for regular transfer. Notice the buckets for chickens, who eat most anything excluding coffee grounds, garlic/onion skins, and citrus rinds.

Kitchen/Meals: We like eating our meals together at least once a day, our largest meal, lunch, and at our weekly community meeting, which is held over dinner. We ring a bell ten minutes before we gather and hold hands just before sharing meals to set an intention and express gratitude. Breakfast is individual and varied. By year's end, most of the food will be grown ourselves and the menus will vary increasingly more with season. The cook of the day chooses the menu.

Values. This is an untratolerant culture where openness, transparency, authenticity, personal freedoms and freedom of expression are respected. Nine months old, nine years along, or ninety years young, male, female, dogs or cats; clothing is optional. Any and all religious practices, political beliefs, sexual orientations, and ideologies are OK here. (See Covenants). While respect and consideration most often trump free expression, trampolines, goofy hats, cartwheels, singing and screaming are OK, too, and may even be encouraged.

Work. Most visitors are interested in working and learning with us. We do not have a work quota system for visitors, though we do expect visitors to help. Please tell us what work areas interest you and ask clarifying questions. We encourage you to find the right balance of work and rest for yourself. Our suggestion for most everyone is a minimum of 24 hour per week.

Some of the best connections with visitors come while sharing work. If you expect to pitch in and help out, you'll enjoy yourself more, you'll get into the rhythm of our life and end up wondering how your visit could go by so quickly! Helping out with cooking and doing the dishes is especially welcome.

Vehicles. (to be determind by founding members/core group -- the following is example/provisional content) MMV operates a small fleet of vehicles (from a backhoe, quad, to automobiles) for use by its members and others by permission.  We strive to minimize our use of the vehicles by ride-sharing and good planning so that multiple errands are done on any given trip.  We also may restrict vehicle use at MMV, as parking is limited and two-car families is wasteful and unnecessary here.

Transparency. It's a spirit of openness; one that generates a sense of tremendous personal freedom. "See, this is who I am," is transparency in action. If we have the courage to be vulnerable and be real -- really who we are -- the energy freed up from having to hide, deceive, or otherwise fake it is available to do wonderful things. We are committed to great interpersonal communication, which means, among other things, creating a safe space for true human experience. It's not always flattering, but god it feels good and it's contagious. You may catch it.