Well, it actually looks like we,re srarring to make a go of it. We're now able to provide ar leasr one example that it A possible to do work that is meaningful and fun, provide a qseful informatin service, and make a decent living all at the same time. Thanks are due to federal Environmental Education funds, the Northwest Area Foundation and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, who gave us a start and fueled the fire for awhile. But you, the subscribers and buyers of our publications, deserve a speciai thank you. The steady (knock on wood) flow of money from you all is what is now keeping us going. Here are some figures of our financial status and some graphs to let you in on the full picture. Ironically, our modest level of success and-at least for the momentfinancial security raises all sorrj of funny questions in our heads. The office load has increased tremendously, yet we hate to grow to many more people, as it would ger harder and harder to keep up the collective process. At the same time, we 're finding that the field of a.t. and alternarive energy is really taking off. When it,s legitimized ar the presidential level, you know things have changed-we're no longer the crackpots we were five years agg. But so much is happening that we're finding it hard to k-..p u! with. (Please don't assume we know ahout some local event or a new report -write us abour it!) We're also getting itchy to get into some new things. What's rhe nexr step beyond a.r.? IJow RAIN's office is at 2270 N.W. Irving, Portland, OR 97210. Phone (503) 227-5770. RAIN Staff I ane deMoll Marcia Johnson Lee Johnson Anne Mclaughlin Tom Bender Steve Johnson Emelyn Rohlffs Bill Rohlffs Typesetting: Irish Setter Printing: Times Litho do we keep a fine grassroots movement from being co-opred and ruined by government and big business? It's odd after all these years of pushing to sud. denly.find so many of ihe bairiers rapidly falling out of the way. At any rare, our mail is incredibleplease have patience if we don't answer your lerters immediately. To keep some sort of limits on visitors (especiaiiy those who arrive right at dinner time or early Sunday morning) we are trying to have more formal "open office"' - hours: 10-4 Monday through Friday. We're also experimenting *ith .rt"blishing Thursday as "Liblary Day." So if you want to know about'windmills or insulation or urban gardens, that's the day ro come look through the files and pick our brains. For people passing through at other times-J cali ahiad of time is necessary. And please don't take it personally if sometimes for our own sanity we have to say "no.,, Some of us livc rr 2270 NW lrving, so we really need to be able to hide once in awhili. Our apologies to those of you who are still waiting fot RAINBOOK. The publisher just moved the date when they'll have ir donc in New york up to Aprtl 22. Your guess is as good ", ou.s as to when we 'll have them here . please don't despair. That's pretty much what,s happening at the Rainhouse. Our plum treei have ' been blooming, and our windows arc open more and more now. It's just about time to plant our tiny garden. Hope you're enjoying yo.,.s. lI_,leM ON COLLECTING UNEMPI,OYMENT I was startled to find a description of my acrivities since leaving RAIN sum_ marized as collecring unemploymcnr. Literally thal's true, but connorativelv (welfare. loafer, si^tting in the sun, doiirg nothing) it is far from the truth. . Bging able to collect unemployment benefits off and on over the list iive months has been instrumental in allow_ ]ng me to design my lifestyle (which has included following the guidelincs ol actively seeking employment). My liberal arts background and reputation as a change ageni lwith a soul that burns cedar rather than oak) seem to hinder me from smoorhly making a transition from job to job. As I r.triat from the intensity of beginnings. ncw projects, implementation of idias, I continu,e ro find myself left high and dry without income. In fact. rhis last five-month drought has pushcd mc in the direction of either seeking a career, with all those benefits of an institution that it provides, like a composite morher and father, or seeking to implement something (probably the old basic cataioglinformation file or centcr) thar would allow for an employment structure that could deal more-adequately with instability, change and trinsition. _ While "collecting unemployment,' I have been involved in the development of rhe 70-acre Jenkins estat" into a multi-use park; investigation of the sound environment; the further talcs of fpple, a skills and learning exchange for Northwest Portland, *hi.h ,i//*b. implemented finally in Junc; writing short stories. bits and pieccs, scicncf fiction (a story wherc in the futurc there are no patterns, or sense of rvhat normal means); and assisting Jim t,ong in redesign of telephone books for better information access. Plans I have for the nexr year or so are on paper only at this time but in clude ( l) a communiry rcscarch lrbrary.r (2) a Norrhwcst skill bank rha r mighr allow pcople ro Iive a pxrl rim(. work lifestylc; (3) a confcrcnct'on thc sourrd environment; (4) a catalog of ideas; (5) involvement in oral hiitorv and folklife. .Probably what I really end up doing will only parrially resemble any of the above. I still write 5-10 letters a dav antl will most likely respond to pcople if. f or examplc, any of the abr>vc ideas ring a bell or sound familiar. SJ
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