Dear Community Member,

     

 

BREAKING NEWS:

    October was "Split Estate Month" at CottageWorks and drilling still tops the post in November.

    Eyewitness News Investigations on Cable 7 (ABC) carried the first serious commercial coverage of gas drilling & hydrofracking in the  New York  market.   Scenes from  Josh Fox' "Water Under Attack"  peppered the special report.  I posted the following comment at the ABC story in hopes people who visit the site will look to our local efforts for more information.

    The Daily Show  has a forum that asks for story suggestions.  CottageWorks  started a thread about gas drilling & hydrofracking.  In fewer than 24 hours,  we've had 390 hits and 20+ comments.  We took the lead  within hours of posting and have stayed there since.  It appears one of the show's moderators picked up the thread,  did some research and posted  a few links of her/his own.

     If you haven't commented yet,  you'll have to register first but it takes less than 90 seconds.

 

COTTAGEWORKS:  FREEBIE WEBSITES FOR NOT-FOR-PROFITS

     In case you didn't know, CottageWorks builds websites for not-for-profit community organizations on a BARTER basis.  (If I  build you a freebie website, I might ask you to  donate plumbing skills to the next Habitat House.)   Be sure to submit your individual or organization's NEEDS to the Swaps, Barters & Freebies page so everyone knows what you're looking for!

     The new Sullivan County Habitat for Humanity site  is up!  It needs some tweaks and content added, but I wanted to publicize  the different ways you can support it  before  the end of the year.

                                                   NEW CONTRIBUTORS & WORK

     If you've missed them,  Breathing Is Political has published articles in the last week from Tim Shera (Sullivan County's new "trash law" and "user fee")  Maria Grimaldi (Transition Sullivan and local food distribution) and yours truly (Sullivan County's Tentative 2010 Budget and  its proposed union givebacks).

 

     Kathleen Livingston has added Moon Ponies to our CottageWorks Gallery.  The print -- in full moon, wintery colors -- is the first piece she's offered for sale at CW.  (Her other work can be viewed or read here.)  Kathleen will  donate proceeds from sales of Moon Ponies to a local community organization  and she's looking for suggestions!  So  please tell us who you believe needs the props most and will use it to best promote life in the Basin.

     Linda Cobb's  Zentangle designs are unlike anything else I've seen -- a kind of free-floating M.C. Escher.  Even better, she's a Zentangle  teacher who regularly schedules classes in our area.  We're working on one for Callicoon after the first of January so if you're interested, let us know in plenty of time. 

    I've uploaded a new Selkie Scarf (which is good because they're going out the door as fast as I can knit them) and a new remnant scarf that grew of its own.  (There really is a "Zen of Knitting.")

    If you're not crazy about the colors or design of a CottageWorks product but love the quality, choose a pattern, purchase your materials from a local source and ask one of our CottageWorkers to make it for you.  

    CottageWorks will create a brand new page to advertise our local fiber products and shops that  sell them.  Farmers & Spinners:   send us your links or ask for a free CottageWorks Consignment window.  People want to buy local.  Let's make it easy for them!

     CottageWorks is proud that 4Corners Knitting has listed us at their site  as a community outlet for their customers' finished projects.  Many thanks to Wendy, Jenny and Dale!

 

                                                           ....AND, AS ALWAYS....                             

                          COTTAGEWORKS :  A TOOL FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS

As we grow, CottageWorks will work with locally-vested organizations to create themed events, raffles and educational outreach while expanding Breathing Is Political's community forum where local organizations and individuals are welcome to submit articles about their  individual efforts, organizations, purposes and plans.

The CottageWorks Events page includes four new categories of local happenings with an index for easy reading:

Workers' Rights.  List your events and legal/communal news/issues that impact local workers.   

National Health Care.   Register for the Single Payer October 10,  2009  activist summit in Albany.  List your  local and regional events.

Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing.  List your local and regional events, news and calls for assistance.

Community class offerings.  Classes in this section must be FREE or low-cost, and be offered by community-vested instructors whose purpose is to add a piece of the puzzle to community-building.

When the events begin pouring in as I hope they will, a new Casino category will be created.  

(Help keep us up-to-date --  email  us events the community needs to know about).

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Free CottageWorks' consignment windows  are available to CottageWorkers and their creations  because the artists and artisans who find their way to CottageWorks are old hands at strengthening the land and people where they live.  

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The CottageWorks Community Calendar, Event Blurbs, Refer-A-Worker, Swaps, Barters & Freebies and the Second Hand Shop are great FREE  ways to support our local communities, organizations and people.

Thank you for your continued support of our local producers and don't forget to tell your friends who collect old things and re-create them for new use or produce local food products or work with wood, metal or other substances about the growing CottageWorks community.

Best hopes for all,

Liz