How are you doing?

It's getting a little tougher to hold things together as this pandemic drags on, but we're still coping. One thing it has taught us: it's a whole lot easier when we all pull together.

We see that everywhere. Dinner parties by Zoom; virtual open-mike nights; impromptu doorstep concerts. We're all doing our best to stay in touch, and it's never been more important.

Kawartha Commons is definitely carrying on. We're looking forward to our upcoming monthly Discovery Circle (via Zoom), where we'll hear from other cohousers about how they're dealing with this bug.

Our KCC Chatline is still going strong too. Rick has been doing a fantastic job in helping us share our stories and support each other. A few people have even hauled out their guitars. There's always time for a good toon!

There are plenty of other things to keep us informed and hopefully amused, and up-to-date on COVID-19's latest tricks. One thing that's kept us busy is our new Slack account. We signed up for it last month, and it's really helped us stay in touch.

We've been sharing jokes, recipes, stories, and advice. We even manage to get some work done. And by the way, you can find out more about our members on our newly launched Meet the Community website page.

During these trying times, we do what we can to reach out to friends and supporters. Potential members too, so we're excited about our upcoming Zoom Orientation, Saturday, May 2 at 1:00 pm.

Drop us a line at membership@kawarthacommons.ca if you'd like to attend. Attendance is limited, so contact us right away to reserve your spot. Be sure to visit our website and Facebook page too.

And remember...

During this time of self-isolation, many of us are wondering what it would be like if we were living in cohousing right now. We'll find out in our upcoming Discovery Circle on Sunday April 19.

We've put together a panel of six people living in six different Canadian and American cohousing communities to tell us about their experiences. They'll tell us about their communities: where they are, how many households, when they were established.

The panelists will go on to talk about living in cohousing during this time of plague - the joys and benefits, as well as the challenges and frustrations.

Much will have changed once this is all over - and it will end. We've all learned some hard lessons, and our panelists will discuss what they would do differently.

Advice, Observations and Memes

Those of you who have been following this newsletter know that cohousing is making inroads in this country and south of the border. This Globe and Mail article has some insights into different approaches to cohousing, and why it helps in dealing with COVID-19.

Scott shared a link to a British television series about residential design and construction. Nothing at all about the pandemic (that's a good thing), but plenty about people with great ambitions, aspirational designs, and never enough time and money. Almost like cohousers-in-waiting.

One of the columnists in The Guardian recently provided some advice and consolation about dealing with this plague. Very helpful.

Humour helps too, and there are plenty of memes roaming around the Interweb, like this one: