Written by Arjuna da Silva

It was hard to lose three of our most outstanding members last year, though it sure showed us what kind of folks our community is made of. Kimchi, Goddess of Beauty and Determination. Suchi, Queen of Loyalty and Cooperation. Chuck, Champion of The Good Fight and Lama of Permaculture—they all carried the banner for Earthaven for over a decade (Chuck having been a founder). These principled people helped make us who we are today.

Folks feel so much gratitude that we were able to help them as much as we did, when their lives were ending. It brought us such a strong dose of sobriety about the precious value of a human life—and more connection than we ever might have felt had we not shared these experiences.

Another dear early Earthaven member, David Tree Malpass, also passed away last year. Tree helped design the Council Hall, and participated in much community planning from the very beginning. When feeling light-hearted, I say they left to work things out for us in eternity.

(remembering, from left to right: Kimchi Rylander, Susan (Suchi) Lathrop), Chuck Marsh, David Tree Malpass.

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When you fall in love with community-mates, over time and through all kinds of circumstances, you develop a relationship very much like family. When they leave or die, it’s an amazing loss and also a treasure trove of meaningful connection and nourishing memory. We can’t say enough about them, but we try….

Susan (Suchi) Lathrop lived and created sacred space at Earthaven for fourteen years, and was stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), a disabling encroachment on natural body movement, not long after her best friend, Kimchi Rylander, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It’s hard for us to accept and yet when it faces you square on, it challenges us to rise to the situation and lift things to their highest level. And rise we did, with Kimchi (who died in February) and again with Suchi.

Both women wanted to live their final days in the community they loved and so a large contingent of Earthaven members came together to do whatever was necessary to see these beloved women through their end-of-life transitions.

right: Suchi & Kimchi greet firefighters last year.

The following obituary is about Suchi’s life within and beyond Earthaven.

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Susan (aka Suchi) Lathrop passed away in peace at home in Earthaven Ecovillage on May 17, surrounded by beloved friends. She had been suffering with a quickly declining condition of ALS. A wake and funeral were also held at Earthaven.

Suchi was a beloved leader in her community, not just at Earthaven, but in and around Asheville. She was outspoken and generous, and was the innovator of many community functions that have since become Earthaven traditions, including the weekly Coffee & Trade event on Tuesday mornings. Her guidance and determination made a huge difference! She was the Earthaven Firekeeper (like a President, only more so), and had a voice in many key committees over the years.

right: Suchi at the Trading Post.

As a core member of the Hut Hamlet neighborhood, Suchi co-owned the Tribal Condo with her beloved friend, Kimchi Rylander, for over a decade. She was an ardent gardener and filled her greenhouse with food all year round.

Suchi grew up in upstate New York, focusing her academic studies in psychology and library science. She has been a dedicated supporter of the Palestinian cause in Israel, and a leading member of the local Friends group in bringing attention to the issues. She was also Clerk of the Black Mountain Friends Meeting for several years.

Suchi’s hope is that people who want to honor her life donate a day or two of volunteer support to local non-profits in her name and the name of her community, Earthaven.

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Hepatica

Trillium

On a recent walk through the burgeoning Springtime woods, Suchi took these pictures to refresh those of us who are desk-bound, and to charm you who’ve not visited in a while.

“A deliciously long spring began with Bloodroot blossoming, continued with Trillium coming on, Trout Lily, Hepatica and Violet, and rounded off my ecstatic adventure with Lady Slipper and Showy Orchids. Oh, Nature!” ~Suchi

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This past fall, we harvested a beautiful collection of fruits and vegetables. As any harvester knows, Ma Nature produces bountiful amounts of food and there’s always enough to share.

One morning, Suchi and I were walking in the Hut Hamlet neighborhood and came upon a Crabapple tree that was dripping with fruit. . . 45 pounds, to be exact. We dashed for our buckets and harvested the tart apples, noticing that there was hardly any insect or mold/mildew rot. This tree was one of the early perennials planted at Earthaven about 12 years ago. Some folks believe that crabapples are the only wild survivors of our domestic apples.

After 20 pounds, we decided to carry our harvest to the kitchen and find a way to preserve these “mini-apples”. We decided to make “Spiced Crabapples” by placing the cleaned fruit in a crock with apple cider vinegar, honey, and spices.

After a few days, on a cool fall evening, we heated up the crabapple brine and packed it in 24 one-pint jars. What a fun way to warm ourselves and appreciate our fall harvest!

Here’s to your happy harvest!

 Tribal Condo Clan is a co-housing exploration dedicated to simplicity and preservation of the commonwealth. Currently, Kimchi Rylander (pictured left) and Suchi Lathrop (pictured right) live there with three other residents

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Three years ago, Earthaven rented its first central office at the Trading Post. It served as our office, Internet café, information center and snack depot. This month we move the office to the Council Hall which helps us save money (rent to the Trading Post) and also centralizes our records in the same location as our meetings.

Suchi and Paul load the Taylor Water Stove from the outside.

Another fantastic change is our new Taylor Water Stove, which sits outside and is fed by wood stored nearby (no more messy ashes or hauling wood inside to deal with). We now bask in the warmth of radiant floor heat, which keeps the building at a constant temperature.

An intimate “lounge” outside the office invites us to enjoy videos, get online, or play a board game in our (ahem) free time.

Kimchi sits in our beautiful new office space.

But maybe the biggest change has been an addition onto the Council Hall which houses a flush guest toilet and a small kitchen complete with propane stove, plentiful hot water (the Taylor provides this too), and a place to wash and store dishes and other kitchen basics. It was a challenging project, as the builders had to adjoin it to the load-bearing straw bale wall and connect electricity and plumbing to a system laid down twelve years earlier. Yet Thanksgiving and Solstice, as well as other small parties have been easier and more joyous due to our indoor facilities.

Ohbeeb and Sue playing a game in our new lounge.

As a result of all these changes, not only has the office moved, but Yoga and Qigong now take place there as well as our weekly, Tuesday morning “Coffee and Trade.” Potlucks are more fun in the cozy Hall and our newly improved “one-room-serves-all” facility continues to be a great location for classes and celebrations of all kinds.

Suchi Lathrop, an Earthaven member, shares a household at the Tribal Condo. She gives tours, is on the visitors committee, created the Peace Garden, and has been a leader in social organizing. She started the Coffee and Trade event as well as the weekly happy hour, and has helped run the Trading Post for the last three years. Her current project is a workers’ cooperative building a code kitchen.

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Suchi has been living at Earthaven since 2002. She began searching for community after her partner died, hoping to find social connections and a cooperative living situation.  Now, eight years later, Suchi is intensely involved in community life.

Suchi gives tours, is on the visitors’ committee, created the Peace Garden, and has been a leader in social organizing. She also started the Coffee and Trade as well as the weekly happy hour, and helps run the Trading Post. “Hospitality is my passion,” she said. Recently, Suchi became involved in starting a workers’ cooperative to build a code kitchen that can serve guests.

When she’s not busy organizing, Suchi spends her time maintaining her share of the household at Tribal Condo. She also enjoys reading, studying, and walking the land.  “If you wanted to imagine a perfect retirement this is pretty close to it,” she said. “As a Quaker, this appeals to me because we live simply here. We are very close to nature.”

Before coming to Earthaven, Suchi was running an Independent Living program for people who were developmentally challenged. She also spent time as a librarian and an electrician. “I wasn’t passionate about any of those jobs,” she said. “If I had it to do over again I’d be a psychotherapist.”

Suchi is currently studying Nonviolent Communication, Body-Centered Psychotherapy, and Zegg Forum. Everywhere she looks there are new opportunities to learn. “This is a beautiful community,” she said. “It’s very diverse and it’s very dynamic. It’s never dull.”

As much as she loves life at Earthaven, Suchi admits that there have been some challenges. “There have been difficult times. The thing about community is that you go through it instead of flying away from it. It’s hard to imagine living anywhere else.”

Davene Wasser came to Earthaven in April 2010 with her son Eli and husband Jamie to simplify her life and live more closely to nature. She is a writer, editor, educator, and artist. After ten years of researching community, Davene is thrilled to be living her dream.

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	The Forest Garden Learning Center has a new patio on the north side of the greenhouse. The new space is designed to serve multiple functions, such as a fruit stand, rest area, and welcome space for courses. Melissa Thurmond led the project, with help from friends.
	The OFF the GRIDdle Eco-Café is taking shape near the Council Hall with the arrival of a pair of shipping containers that will form the kitchen and dining area. The café is being developed as a private venture by Suchi Lathrup, Lance Penley, Liz Diaz, and redmoonsong. The café team plans to have the kitchen ready for a New Year’s party. Follow them on their Facebook page:
	In farm news, on September 15, Imani Farm’s cow, LC (Large Cow), gave birth to a heifer calf named Sassy Mae, and on October 8, Yellowroot Farm’s sow, LaFonda, gave birth to 11 healthy, red-headed piglets.

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A yome is a variation on the concept of a yurt. It has eight sides while a yurt is round. It is 18 feet across, has canvas sides and roof, and is completely insulated, with four windows and a wooden door. And… it is locally made by Peter Belt’s Red Sky Shelters.

We installed the used yome on a high deck behind the Tribal Condo, which is home to Suchi, Kimchi, and Marie.

The 24’ by 24’ deck was built by Robert, Darren, and Robin. Thank you! It was quite a project. It is high enough to hang a wooden swing made by our very own Greg Geis, who produces them in his wood shop on the land.

Since we began using the yome three months ago, we have had yoga once a week, hands on healing and shamanic journeying classes, movies, planning sessions, and just plain retreat time. In the future we are interested in having book discussions and small group retreats. It is wonderful to feel that the space meets so many needs.

In addition, our personal guests will have a private place to stay that is airy, dry, and roomy. They will, however, hear the music of the frogs, squawking of the chickens, and the drumming of an occasional piliated woodpecker, as well as a multiplicity of human sounds.

Suchi is a full member at Earthaven with a passion for hospitality and community.

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Community can sometimes be an un-peaceful place, as we deal with a myriad of personalities and the rough edges of unresolved issues. And even when we are feeling peaceful in community, we can still feel deeply unsettled by our knowledge of war and oppression in the world. Of course it’s not a bad thing to be moved by the plight of others, but at some point we need to collect ourselves, enjoy what we have, and creatively make our contributions. Thinking about this led me to the idea of creating a peace garden at Earthaven, where those in conflict might sit with one another to work it out, those feeling inner conflict might find some serenity, and those wanting a deeper and quiet connection to nature could find it. Community is a busy place. Perhaps the peace garden can also be a place to just slow down, or where friends can have a quiet conversation. A conversation could be entirely different in quality if it took place in a quiet, beautiful setting.

The peace garden at Earthaven, which was begun in February 2007 and should be finished by summer, is situated in the heart of the community, yet in a secluded area where bamboo grows and two creeks converge. It will have a peace pole, pathways, benches, fruit trees, and a living fence to separate it from a parking lot. An entrance archway can be added as members offer their creative suggestions and labor.

Another idea has sprung up, not yet approved, for a small bridge that would connect the garden with another park area.

After beginning the planning for the Earthaven peace garden I came across reference to another such garden in Tamera, a community in Portugal; at O.U.R. Ecovillage in British Columbia; and at Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm community in Tennessee. It seems there is a growing world consciousness that we must have peace. I like that we let our visitors know that we hold this value and make room on our land for a place to express it.

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