Work bees, "barn-raising" circles, etc

[Joel_BC]

Hi. I posted this sort of question in the Homesteadingtoday "General Chat" forum... I think it was the wrong place. (Though I did get three replies.) I'm trying here...

I'm wondering if any of you folks have been, or are, a part of a work-bee type of circle of friends within your community or neighborhood?

I've been part of these groups at various times. Incredibly efficient. Very rewarding.

And you? What has your experience with work bees been?

[Alice In TX/MO]

We do this informally. Our neighbors are always willing to pitch in and help on a project.

[Joel_BC]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

We do this informally. Our neighbors are always willing to pitch in and help on a project.

Great to hear. I like neighbors like that.

[MO_cows]

Friends and family are always good about showing up when they know there is a project going on. Just keep a cooler full of cold drinks and fire up the grill and feed them and a whole lot can get done in a day. Lost track of how many people we have helped move. A stock trailer can hold a lot and it's a low step so it is a popular item come moving day. Not neighbors as we don't have any within a mile, but our friends and family pull together a lot.

[RonM]

The Amish call it a frolic...

[Joel_BC]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

We do this informally. Our neighbors are always willing to pitch in and help on a project.

To flesh out the topic a bit, I'm in southeastern British Columbia, in western Canada, and I moved here from a farm 450 miles away. When I first got my land in this valley, there was already a circle of about six households. Every Sunday morning in the spring and summer, the people from these households would converge at one of the homesteads. A couple of the women would look after the kids, while all the rest of the adults would take on one or more large chores or projects that the hosts had planned out or prepared. We'd have a nice potluck lunch after a few hours - and after the afternoon portion of the session, we'd have a glorious potluck supper... with much visiting during and after.

It was phenomenal how the "multiplier effect" actually worked: seemed like 10 adults working together for a day could accomplish as much as at least 20 people had they been working individually and alone!

One time (without using a tractor) we terraced unused land on one of the properties, making hillside gardening possible there. That was a big job, but we amazed ourselves. At other times, we worked on building people's houses, or adding an addition, or cutting a winter's firewood, or trenching and draining wet areas. On and on.

And locally here, some of the women have a weed-pulling circle. About half a dozen of them get together and work on the gnarliest, grossest of the out-of-control weedy areas of their gardens and yards - reclaiming neglected plots & patches, that sort of thing.

[Joel_BC]

I'm getting the idea that you almost have to be Amish or a Hutterite or something like that in order to have experienced a work bee or work party. I mean, I'm grateful for the responses I did get to my query here (Alice, MO Cows, Ron). But look how few people had anything to share on the subject.

Rural life in Canada (where I live) and in the U.S. used to have many cooperative features - voluntary cooperation, not the kind of forced "cooperation" that everyone feared and criticized in the Soviet Union.

But it seems like the people that log onto this Homesteadingtoday site are not very familiar with neighborhood cooperation in a face-to-face way.

I mean, I've been very grateful for the generous and knowledgeable responses I've gotten to technical questions I've put forward on this board, in the Shop Talk and one or two other sections of this site. Still, it seems like in your lives with your neighbors you probably have some good friendships, but as to getting half a dozen or more folks together to accomplish something - some objective that you put your hands and backs to, and having a good time at it - well, it seems you've not experienced that.

This is no criticism. I just feel you've missed an experience that is both amazing and rewarding.

Anyhow, my new year's wish for you would be that somehow you can and will experience this invigorating form of sharing and getting things done.

[Darren]

There is some of that locally. Not as much as could be done. Two chuches are very low key about it.

[Txrider]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

We do this informally. Our neighbors are always willing to pitch in and help on a project.

Yup neighbors or family here.. Just informal stuff, we also basically barter skills and use of tools and equipment as well.

[oregon woodsmok]

People just keep getting more and more self-centered as each generation goes by. I know lots of people who are happy to take-take-take and would love to sit and watch their neighbors do their work for them. Forget about any help in return, though.

I've done charity work with groups and that work gets done and it is fun.

It's a small "group" but my son has a buddy and they work together to repair their own trucks. A lot of that stuff is easier with 2 people.

So far, any help I've ever received with construction, I've paid for. I'm happy to help neighbors out, but when it turns out I am the only one working, or favors are never returned I'm done with it.

I do some smaller scale networking. I know people who trade plants with me and share orders of gardening stuff.

[Vickie44]

It is very casual around here and there are some lazy people who will just take , but, I have seen many times when a farmer is in REAL trouble , like fire or a silo coming down, that the response has been awe inspiring in that it was immediate and intense, any time of day or night , and help has come from many miles away.

[jd4020]

I love the way groups of people can get together and do a large job. In my family, we have in the past gotten together for processing sweet corn. Dad or my uncle usually plant 24 rows about a 1/4 mile long. It's hard to plan when THE day will be but there is an aproximation of sorts. We go pick it, shuck it, cook it, cut it off the cob and bag it. We all bring coolers and our own equipment. Makes it short work, the mess is all outside and offers easy hose down clean-up. I think the corn tastes especially good on these days, with the butter dripping off your hands.
We've also had a day where we get to gether and can our own beef, usually in February. Many hands make a half a beef go quicker in a day.
It seems though, in my own experience, that our family members either can't or don't want to do this any more. If they want the corn, they just go pick it and process it themselves at their home.
I have been thinking of this sort of thing, like, right now I want to paint my kitchen. It's an easy enough straight forward sort of job. Just wash the walls and paint. I hesitate to ask because earlier this year, someone we know, did in fact have such a help day at their house for something they were doing. People did go help, but the snide comments about having to help, when they knew the people were capable of doing it themselves bothered me. I was thinking, well, they didn't HAVE to go help.
I know, if someone asks for help, and one agrees to go help, it should be a rewarding experience. I can paint the kitchen myself, but I think it would be fun if someone were there working with me. But, I don't want anyone to come help and then be that way.
I don't think people (or some people) appreciate/see the oppurtunity/value of working with others, not just to get a job done, but the relationships that are being built.
I so enjoyed the day when I asked a local quilt guild if any members would be interested in coming to show me and my daughters how to put the quilt on the frame and then the basics of quilting it. I fixed a lunch of vegetable soup, pots of tea and a dessert for those couple of women who came. We had a wonderful day.
I know, when I'm asked for such help, if my schedule allows it, I have always enjoyed and benefitted from the time together.
Another thing I miss, is when the work crews and neighbors came to help empty out the corncribs. Before the big auger grain bin systems we have now, my Grampas and my Dad would have the guy who owned the corn sheller and shuck box trailer come around. The local farmers would usually come help each other. My Gramas and Mom and us girls, would usually fix the meals. Working together, watching the antics of mice running up a pantleg, sitting down to pray and eat, those things are pretty much gone now that those big grain auger systems need only one or two guys to run things.
jd

[mountainlaurel]

Our church does it, but then we're Mennonites

When we wanted to cut down a lot of trees, I mean a lot, we had a tree cutting down party. I fixed lots of food and the people that came had at it.

When our neighbor needed firewood, she was a newly made widow at this time, our church came over and got her fire wood for her. Or when we had a tornado, the ones who didn't have much damage, helped the ones who had damage clean up.

Works great and it's a fun time.

[springvalley]

We did it more years ago, when every farmer did n`t own a combine or hay baler, or what ever. Also use to get everyone together when we shelled ear corn out of the crib, not much call for that anymore either. We also still go to the aid when one of our fellow farmers is sick or gets hurt, when I was younger we had a neighbor passed away suddenly, and he had two hundred acres to combine. Had ten combines and tractors and wagons, semi trucks to haul it to town. The ladies at the church served luch at noon, it was truly wonderful. I still want for the closeness of a long ago era. > Thanks Marc

[navygirl]

I wish we had large events around here. It may be happening and I simply haven't been here long enough (or on the "in") to see it. However, my closest neighbors are always ready to help out in a pinch and I have let them know I am ready to help them if they need it. And there's a farmer down the road that we consider family and we help one another frequently on various projects at our respective farms.
I would love to have some large projects knocked out by a big get-together, but I won't hold my breath. That said, I'm in central eastern VA and am willing to help someone else in the interest of building that sort of relationship.

[next1]

Not in my Pacific Northwest area... people are very self centered and if I even offer to help, they refuse vigorously (maybe afraid that they have to offer something in return?!?!?).

[Spotted Owl]

In our part of the PNW there is huge problem with entitlement. This can be a hard nut to crack. If people don't know you, you are an outsider until YOU change that.

That said.

We do this around our small "community" here. In a selfish way it can be a very cool thing. At the end of the day many times a project will be done. A barn is built, a roof stripped and redone any number of things. It is a great thing at the end when all is said and done, the owner, you can see their shoulders lift with the weight now off. Seeing this and experiencing this it is fantastic from both sides. My boy has been doing this with me for a few years now and he is starting to see this also.

When we moved here it took a while for the locals to accept that some one new was willing to help expecting nothing in return(some still don't). We had to just stop by when the work was happening and start helping with small things, grunt work type stuff with out asking(that way no body could say no). After a few times of that then they were willing to ask if we wanted to help and what we did grew into other bigger things once they got to know us and what we knew how to do. Standing waist deep in a screwed up cesspool in chest waders in the middle of the night helping a neighbor with a emergency really helped things.

Now we have the slaughter/processing stuff at our place. One neighbor has a canning barn, one has a shop for wrenching, one has a reloading shed. It's nice to live in a place where everyone enjoys helping everyone else. Nothing is fancy and some is down right crude but gets or facilitates getting the job done very well.



Owl

[next1]

Thank you Owl, self-righteousness and self-esteem are indeed a "huge problem"... leading to a sense of entitlement.

[ErinP]

Originally Posted by Joel_BC

I'm getting the idea that you almost have to be Amish or a Hutterite or something like that in order to have experienced a work bee or work party.

Maybe you have to be Amish or Hutterite to CALL it that...

Around here, folks just call it "neighboring."

Sharing of time, equipment, labor, etc. is nothing so organized as what you're describing. Nor is it only disaster-induced (like fires, deaths, etc. since most areas manage to pull together for situations like that who normally don't, otherwise.)

It's as big as a Saturday branding, where 30-50 people might show up to help. Or as small as a couple of people showing up to help a neighbor pound the tin back down on his shed.

However, so far as this board, that IS something I've noticed over the years, too. Most people here don't understand that neighbor is a verb.

But I wouldn't base that opinion on a single thread I'd created less than 24 hours ago, btw.

[Joel_BC]

Originally Posted by jd4020

I love the way groups of people can get together and do a large job. In my family, we have in the past gotten together for processing sweet corn. Dad or my uncle usually plant 24 rows about a 1/4 mile long. It's hard to plan when THE day will be but there is an aproximation of sorts. We go pick it, shuck it, cook it, cut it off the cob and bag it. We all bring coolers and our own equipment. Makes it short work, the mess is all outside and offers easy hose down clean-up. I think the corn tastes especially good on these days, with the butter dripping off your hands

Impressive JD. For one thing, 24 quarter-mile-long corn rows - that's an inconceivable scenario where I live! We're "in the bush", you might say... rolling and sometimes steep topography in a valley where the homesteads and farms were made essentially from cleared-off forest.