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Introduction:  In order to work toward the vision of a strong-knit and thriving community of folks caring deeply for the land and each other, we, as a community, have come up with the following list of agreements by which we all live.  

Open Communication: We believe that healthy and clear communication is essential for a thriving community.  Therefore, it is our intention to maintain an open and clear heart with all those we are living with.  

Appreciative feedback helps create healthy channels for communication; we practice this in our group check-ins and encourage you to practice this in your individual relationships as well.  When interpersonal issues do come up, we ask you to have a conversation with the person(s) involved.  Please avoid talking about another in a derogatory or gossiping way to other people; it can undermine relationships.

When you see someone else in the community complaining about another, encourage them to communicate directly to that person. Sometimes we do need to process our own feelings before going to the person who has triggered them, so talking to another friend in a constructive way is great.

Communicating well is an art; please read and refer to the Clear Communication Guide, it is really helpful. Having compassion for ourselves and others is helpful as we are all learning how to better communicate.

Meetings/Sharings: At Full Bloom we believe in having regular circles/meetings to keep the community connected in the spirit of openness, vulnerability, and transparency.

We have weekly meetings on Wednesdays from 2-3:30 pm. Each week we rotate through the three meeting formats listed below. We take turns facilitating each meeting. 

House meetings:  We have house meetings every other week. House meetings are the fertile forum for creating agreements as to how we live together. We create space to share gratitude with one another, as well as to address any concerns that have arisen.

Matrix circles/ check-ins:  Once every month we have a “Matrix circle”. Here at Full Bloom we place a high priority on maintaining, enhancing, and enriching the heart connections between all those who live here.  

Matrix circles invite us to build a ground of health through offering appreciative feedback to other members and sharing what is going on in our lives. Facilitators usually arrive with a discussion prompt that invites internal exploration and reflections. 

These circles are also an opportunity to clear anything that may be getting in the way of feeling connected with another member of the community with the support of all present. To allow for the depth, safety, and trust in the container of these circles, the content shared in these circles is confidential.

Shorter check-ins (matrix style) will also be at the start of any meeting held by Full Bloom to allow all to become present and connected prior to moving into the agenda.

Fun days: Once month we spend our meeting time sharing a “fun day”, coordinated by a different resident every time. These meetings are an important component of our community life, for they give us opportunities to connect through play and joy, and help us develop resilience to the challenges of community living.

Monthly Heart Circles: These are a journey into our hearts and our truth. Once a month we get together to connect more deeply through a three-hour heart circle. The structure varies from month to month depending on community wants and needs. Please come to as many as you can.

Other Communal Commitments

Community Dinner: We have community meals at least once a week, and each resident agrees to cook two meals per month. This is so we can all come together to connect and fortify our relationships.

For every community meal, the cook is responsible for providing the ingredients (90% of which we agree to be organic and/or local), doing the dishes, and cleaning up the kitchen after the meal. 

Caring for our spaces:  We agree to keep our common spaces clear and free of clutter by cleaning up after ourselves, including wiping down counters, sinks, and other surfaces after use. We also each have specific chores that we are responsible for on a weekly basis (ie., cleaning the stove, cleaning the bath house, taking out the trash, etc.). We check in about chores during our bi-monthly House Meetings.

Community work hours: Each resident agrees to complete ten hours of chores a month. This is unpaid work that helps support the functioning of the whole community.  If you are unable to do that on a consistent basis, this community is not a good fit for you.

Worktrade:  Some residents may work more hours per month as trade for their rent.  Specific agreements must be arranged with the LLC if this is the case. 

Food and Meals: We are each responsible for our own groceries, and we have room in the Common Building’s pantry, reach-in refrigerator, and freezer for residents’ food. For our shared meals, we agree to use 90% organic and/or local ingredients.

Member-Ownership: The land at Full Bloom is owned by Earth and Sky Collective, an LLC comprised of six members. The LLC is responsible for community finances, land stewardship, and infrastructure.

To become a member-owner at Full Bloom the minimum buy-in is $150,000 dollars per person. If you are interested in becoming a member-owner please ask the LLC about this. 

For all residents: Rent and payments are due on the 1st of the month, every month; it should be put in Rosie’s box, clearly labeled. 

Utilities: $115/month. Utilities include firewood, water, propane, toilet paper, dish soap, laundry soap, Common Building internet, and trash + recycling.

Bottom Lines:

We are committed to creating a culture of open communication and non-violence where people feel encouraged to be fully themselves. In order to support that intention, we agree to:

1. Stay sober and off substances while working with machinery or for the community.

2. Be physically and verbally non-violent and respectful of each other.

3. Be emotionally respectful of each other by being non-blaming, owning our own feelings, taking responsibility for our role in every dynamic, and listening to one another.

4. Take care of communal spaces and our personal living environments.

5. Put forth our best effort to participate in as many meetings and meals as possible.

6. Hold one another accountable to our agreements with nonviolent communication skills.

For the emotional and physical safety of our community members and the smooth functioning of our community, the following would be reasons an adult would be asked to leave Full Bloom: 

• Consistently failing to meet monthly commitments to chores, meetings, and meals;

• Intoxication while working; 

• Slander; 

• Emotional or physical abuse of people, animals, or property.  

Pet Values: We are a community that wants healthy happy pets who are capable of integrating well with our community and in balance with the surrounding ecosystem.  

Pet Concerns: Aggressive behavior, negative impact on the ecosystem, property/livestock destruction, excessive noise/barking, and general negative impact to indoor community objects and spaces.  

The following agreements have been developed with the above values and concerns in mind.

General Pet Agreements

At all times residents have the right and are encouraged to directly discuss behavior and concerns with pet owners.  When face-to-face discussion and agreed requests do not seem to shift behavior around above values or concerns, it is expected that the behavior be brought to the community for discussion. 

Health Requirements: Rabies, and vaccinations required by county. Spaying or neutering in a timely fashion unless otherwise approved by community.

New Pet Permissions: Must be presented to the community for conversation and agreement prior to move-in (includes any litters).  Personal meeting between community members and new dogs must occur prior to move in.

General Notes:  If an animal or animal remains are to be buried on property they must be at least three feet deep (three feet of dirt over top surface of remains).

Dog Agreements

Areas Dogs Not Allowed: Bakery/kitchen, Common Building dining room and solarium when bakery is active, cultivated fields, food and herb gardens, farm house porch, barn, processing shed, and greenhouse.

Areas Dogs Not Allowed Without Supervision: Pond area (delicate area and bird sanctuary).

Employee and Guest Dogs: Bakery employees must leave their dogs at home. Only human- and canine-socialized dogs are welcome.  Visiting and dogs new to the community are kept on leash until behavior is proven and community agrees by consensus to allow them leash-free privileges.  Party or event attendees must leave dogs at home.

Uninvited Dogs: To be chained up until owner retrieves. 

Dog Training: Consistency between all dogs (same or similar commands) is ideal

Dog Behavior Expectations: No jumping, no barking between 8pm and 8am, comes when called. Dogs will be asked to be put on leash and/or indoors if they are barking repeatedly.  

Dog Capacity: 1 or 2.  Dog capacity is mutable by community consensus.

Dog Cleanup (includes): Chew waste, poop on lawns, walkways and driveways. We do not use plastic dog toys outdoors.

Accountability:  If a dog draws blood on humans, pets, or livestock, or is consistently aggressive in other ways we will request that the dog is re-homed.

Cat Agreements

Cat Capacity: Cat capacity is mutable by community consensus.

Cat Behavior Expectations: Habitual killing of birds is not acceptable to our community. 

Our intention in writing this document is to encourage communication and respect around issues with children.  We want to respect different needs residents might have and also differing parenting styles.  

We believe that with healthy communication, inventive strategies can be experimented with to attempt to meet all needs involved.  

We believe that the majority of children need gentle, friendly reminders and modeling on a regular basis before a new habit is formed.  We also know that as children age they change and their needs and the needs of residents will change with them.

We acknowledge that this is a living document and framework.  If there is a particular circumstance where a parent/child wants to be exempt from one of these rules, please bring it to a house meeting.    All members are encouraged to speak in I statements to ask for what they want. 

INTERACTION

All residents are encouraged to use I statements when directing kids.   Example: “I feel pain and anger when you jump on my stomach.  Please stop doing that.”

If any community member needs support, they can ask the child’s parent or another resident for help.  We want the children to grow up to be capable communicators, and to achieve this we encourage all residents to model this for them.  

In the common spaces, children and adults are asked to not yell or scream, but to keep voices at a reasonable decibel for others to be able to hear one another.  

Physical but gentle play is fine. However, no resident other than the primary caretaker should physically discipline the children unless it is removing them from a situation where they are in imminent danger, unless they have a standing agreement with the child’s caretaker.  

Additionally, any behavior that is regarded as physical abuse against a child is not acceptable and may require community intervention or be reported to the authorities.

Inter- child conflict

Parents are encouraged to facilitate a resolution when children have a large fight or are in on-going conflict.  There is a conflict resolution policy that is in the resident binder that can be referred to. 

Circle Time

Children are requested to be quiet and respectful, as much as possible, during meal circles and to participate in the circle.      

Meeting Time

Parents are encouraged to check a day ahead if a teen can do childcare for a meeting.  If they cannot, adult residents will rotate childcare, switching half way through the meeting.  We will keep a childcare log in the resident binder to encourage equal participation among residents.   

BAKERY boundaries with children

Children are naturally interested in what goes on in the bakery, and we want to encourage their interest in some ways.  However, because we are a licensed facility with rules around germs and children, we need to keep children out of the bakery for the most part.

If a parent is working in the bakery, we are fine with a brief hello/hug and then an encouragement to occupy themselves elsewhere, ideally another parent would be around to facilitate this. 

As physical barriers do not exist between the bakery and kitchen, we need to use verbal ones, with patience.  Children can request to play with some dough in the kitchen area is they are supervised, so as not to make a mess. 

Kitchen boundaries

All kids (and adults) are requested to wash hands when entering the kitchen.  No running, rollerskating, or hyper active energy in the kitchen.  No butts on tables or counter tops.   Also, no naked butts on common furniture, or nudity in the kitchen or bakery.

Teens 

Teens 13-18 are requested to do 4 hours of communal chores, childcare or help with cooking per month.  Additionally, they are requested to attend Fun days and one other meeting per month.

Land-based Boundaries for children at Full Bloom (1-4 years old)

The intention of this agreement is to help young children stay safe at Full Bloom and to respect the privacy and needs of Full Bloom residents.   Hopefully, it will also help parents know (generally) where their children are at all times so that if anything happens they are quickly taken care of.  We hope that once the boundaries are clear, all residents can help children hold the boundaries we have set for them. 

We also want to acknowledge that sometimes boundaries are pushed for months or years before the child really learns to maintain them on his/her own.  We ask that Full Bloom residents help hold the boundaries with patience, kindness and understanding.  It can take a while, but if everyone is on board with what the boundaries are, we can help the children learn them as quickly as possible.

Boundary of “knowing where your child is.”

In order to help a child stay out of harm’s way or help them quickly if they are accidentally harmed, whichever parent or guardian in charge at the moment will ask their child to stay in or around the immediate outside of the building they are in and stay away from any roads or parking lots.  If they would like to go farther, they must have a parent with them or be with an adult who agreed to watch them.  

Boundary of private residences for all residents and children

If a child wants to visit the private home of another resident, their guardians need to get in touch (by phone or knocking on the door) of the resident they wants to visit.   If the resident is not home, please keep out of the private residence.  

Boundary of swimming in the pond or creeks

All children 12 years old or younger need an adult or a capable teen to supervise them around the pond, creeks, or outside the deer fence. 

Boundaries for children 5-10 years old

For children 5-10 years old, the boundaries about private residences are the same.  However, the area can expand around “knowing where your child is.”  As long as the child has told the adult in charge of them where they are going within the fenced area and the adult agrees, they can go there alone.   This is trusting that the child has a good grasp of what activities are safe and not safe to do. 

All children need stay away from the barn unless an LLC member has okayed their use of the barn. 

Vehicles & driveways

All residents please drive on driveways at 5-10 mph.  Bakery vehicles sometimes need to go faster to get uphill in the winter.   All children should be encouraged to listen for vehicles coming and get out of the gravel when they hear them.

Frequently kids ride bikes by the farm house/barn.  Please watch out for them.  

Also, check with a parent before taking a child on a ride in vehicle, tractor or bike.