Author Archives: CJ

About CJ

I was a Spanish teacher for 5 years in the Public School system in 3 different states. I homeschooled and taught at a democratic free school. I heard about cohousing in 2010 and wanted to move in right away. I met a group building one in 2018 and got to move in the summer of 2019. It only took a year to want out.

Wild Child Book Review

Posted on September 24, 2021 by CJ

Wild child: Girlhoods in the Counterculture is an anthology of memoirs by women who grew up in the 60s and 70s with hippie parents. Some lived in communes, others traveled the country, but they all have a story to tell.  … Continue reading →

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Divorce Divides

Posted on September 23, 2021 by CJ

Divorce is never fun. Many neighborhoods have seen half or the whole household move away due to divorce. I’m in shock and sad to find out the couple I have come to know very well this year is splitting up.  … Continue reading →

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cohousing ted talk and building community anywhere

Posted on September 23, 2021 by CJ

She talks about cohousing but other ways to build community where you are. She “outgrew” her community. I hope to interview her for the podcast soon. Enjoy!

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cohousing scam

Posted on September 21, 2021 by CJ

I’ve been scammed. I re-read the book – the book that started the whole cohousing movement in the USA.  Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett wrote Creating Cohousing: building sustainable communities and I have the updated version.  They found cohousing in … Continue reading →

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signs of a healthy community

Posted on September 20, 2021 by CJ

On page 171 in Finding Community: how to Join an ecovillage or intentional community by Diana Leafe Christian,, she includes a list of signs a group is connected.   It was written by Larry Kapiowitz.  The  Lost Valley Educational center … Continue reading →

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Danger signs to look for in a group and/or intentional communities

Posted on September 20, 2021 by CJ

 On page 170 of Finding Community: how to Join an ecovillage or intentional community by Diana Leafe Christian,, she includes a list of signs a group is disconnected.  Earlier she mentioned that communities go through “flu season” so these are … Continue reading →

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talking about your generation – millennials and cohousing

Posted on September 19, 2021 by CJ

It dawned on me that most people that started cohousing in the US are at least in their late 40s. Most started in the late 90s and early 2000s. Not that new ones aren’t breaking ground every day, in general, … Continue reading →

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Smart Mama

Posted on September 17, 2021 by CJ

I once read in a prominent newspaper article about mothers that some working moms didn’t like being around stay at home mothers because they found them stupid.  They assumed being at home meant they could only do baby talk. I … Continue reading →

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small town knows all – all your faults and foibles

Posted on September 12, 2021 by CJ

It finally happened. I’ve been living in small towns and my kids have been growing up there.  A teacher I”m co-teaching a class with me figured out she taught my son a few years ago.  It’s not the biggest deal … Continue reading →

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Want community, get a dog!

Posted on September 5, 2021 by CJ

Dogs always bring people together. Okay, in cohousing they can cause problems with barking and bites, but besides that, they are a great way to meet people. My dog jumped on someone once outside of a video store (Dating myself … Continue reading →

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