A Welcome Fit for a Queen

Queen Cleopatra  Surveys the Goings On of Kemet Ptolemy

Many weeks ago Her divine Majesty Cleopatra sent Roman spies to discover the truth about our humble Village. Had we honored our agreements , or not? She had bestowed upon us fertile land and funds for the establishment of a Village, we were to have planted crops to feed the Roman soldiers, built and dedicated temples in Her Glorious Name, and  honored the many Sacred rites and Rituals of the Great Egyptian Empire.

What the Roman spies discovered was that most, if not all, of the Villagers were following their own whims and fancies; opening private businesses, pursuing personal interests and in general, letting the Empire take care of its self in what ever manner happened along. Hearing this aroused Her Majesty's wrath and a Royal Visit was announced, along with a stern reminder of what was expected.

Although it's true that some were heard to scoff and exhibit disdain for agreements, Romans and Empresses, most of the Villagers launched themselves into furious action and, with only a few weeks to prepare, produced stunning results.

First came the Feast, which was spectacular. The finest foods from far and near were laid out in a tempting array  - everyone, Peeps and Gigantors alike, ate and ate and ate. All were satisfied and contented. After Feasting Cleopatra held Audience and was introduced to all of the Peeps who contributed to the establishment of the Village. Thanks to the Primary Class the Nile River, along with it's flora and fauna, were represented. In addition there was a Temple to Isis , a Mummification Compound, a Roman style bath house, a Shrine to Bastet, a Throne and, to top it all off, the finest house in the land was outfitted for Her Majesty's comfort and repose.

I am happy to report that Cleopatra was quite pleased and She surprised us all by announcing that She would be staying for a week or so more. Cleopatra was so tired from her long journey, the Feasting and the Audiences that she had to postpone touring the Village site itself. She has, therefore, yet to see the farms that have been planted or the home sites, nor has she seen the fine handicrafts of the Villagers, which are rumored to be of high quality. It is our hope that she is as pleased with these things as she seems to be about the Public buildings.

Yours in Village,

Cheryl, Carey, Paul and Julie

Loyal Onlookers Onlook

Get Busy- Cleopatra is Coming!

Gigantors Construct a Temple in Her Queen's Honor.

With Cleopatra expected to arrive within the next two weeks, the Village is all abuzz with activity.

Two itinerant Roman citizens (or spies) arrived in Village this past week to remind us of Cleopatra's disfavor and the likely display of Her wrath should the Villagers not be prepared for Her Glorious Arrival. Apparently, She can be quite testy if things are not to Her Imperial Liking. And, of course, Cleopatra has the angst-ridden Roman Empire making constant demands of  Egypt to keep Her forever worried. If it's not one thing it's another!

In an all out effort to appease and impress her Divine Majesty, the Villagers have been busily planting crops, planning a town center, designing and building temples, creating honorary statuary, constructing a pyramid; there is a shrine dedicated to Bastet, exotic animals being collected as gifts, rare fruits and tantalizing treats of every description being gathered for a sumptuous feast...the list goes on and on and on.

The recently planted crops are doing well and it is hoped that they are sufficient for the hungry Roman troops that are forever clamoring for more.  The Primary class has been busily creating a mock Nile River, complete with flora and fauna; this is sure to please Her Majesty. We hope.

Optimistic Gigantor Constructs Her Peep's Home

Amidst all of this, of course, there is the work of the Gigantors (the over sized beings that are always lurking behind the Peeps). The Trading Post Managers, who have been running the Trading Post for several months now, have repaid half of their initial Bank Loan ($1000) and have subsequently announced their impending resignation. This has inspired a rash of new applicants for the coveted positions. Meanwhile, the local Journalists are drumming up news stories and scandal to print in next week's paper and houses are optimistically under construction.

On the political front, the Villagers held a vote last week to see if the Matriarchal Government (which won by a landslide vote several weeks ago) would allow all residents to vote in Village matters or only Girls and Women. The decision, again by a landslide, was that all members could participate in decision-making. It was difficult to tell if the Gentlemen were relieved or disgruntled. There was some back row muttering about the joys of not having to join in meetings....  Ah, the burdens of living in a liberated world!

We'll keep you all posted on the outcome of Cleo's visit - Wish Us Luck!

Yours in Village,

Cheryl, Carey, Paul and Julie

Spies Among Us!

Magnus- Ecstatic His Million-Dollar Bill Has a Taker!

As Villagers and Peeps settled into their many tasks last Thursday morning, some of the more observant may have noticed two strange Peeps in our midst. Ostensibly just travelers passing through, looking for a friendly Village to settle in, they were later discovered to be Roman spies sent by Her Majesty, Queen Cleopatra, to find out what's been happening in EcoPeeps.

Well, the report to her highness must have been unfavorable, because we later received a letter announcing her displeasure at the EcoVillagers lackadaisical approach to farming, temple building and the like. Cleopatra, it seems, will be dropping by for a visit in the coming weeks and is fully expecting to find bustling farms, markets and a Temple dedicated to Her Esteemed Self.

Needless to say, the Villagers burst into action. By the time we left school on Thursday, a Temple was through the design stage and well on into the construction phase. In addition, there was a Statue being planned and a mad dash to the Trading Post to purchase seeds.

After many meetings and discussions, a town government was decided on- a Matriarchy. Although some of the Gentlemen are understandably concerned over this recent turn of events, there was one who quickly adapted by adopting a female alter ego and joining his/her sisters in bustling about and creating law and order and other functions of government.

The town's Accountants have been engaged in auditing the Bank the last few weeks.The Bank Manager has been slow to deliver the required paperwork, but has, at last, managed to do so. Hopefully, all will go well with the audit. We shall see!

Magnus Magnusson (Dee's devious Peep) left the Village hurriedly a few weeks ago after having tried, unsuccessfully, to pass a one million dollar bill off in the Village. We continue to hear of him from the most unlikely places - most recently from a Walmart, where he was arrested for trying to pass counterfeit money, and then from the Spy Museum in Washington DC, where he claims to have found folks who will take his large bill. I have no doubt that he will soon find the U.S of A. a little too "hot" for comfort and will try to find passage to some foreign shore.

Elsewhere in the Village, the town journalists were at work writing for the paper, more bank loans were applied for, building materials orders were placed, business owners plied their wares, and other general affairs of plain living were engaged in.

Yours 'till next time,
Cheryl, Carey, Paul, and Dee (from a remote spy location)

Last Week in Village: Week 9

The Trading Post is Open for Business!

In recent weeks the Village Post Office has been sending letters back and forth between the Villagers and Cleopatra, traversing time, distance and imagination.

Cleopatra, our Benevolent, Gracious Sovereign, sent a letter granting us land and requesting that it be named after her magnificent Self as a sign of our appreciation. The Villagers, eager to oblige, decided on one name, thought better of it  and decided on another, all of which took some time. Her Majesty, tired of waiting for a letter with news of the Village and it's name, sent another letter with a slightly impatient tone, "requesting" news (imagine elegantly bejeweled fingers drumming on some fine, ebony table...). At last the Villagers decided on a fitting name (Kemet Ptolemy - which means "fertile Nile soil of the Ptolemy's") and composed a suitable letter for Her Majesty, which, in due courses, was mailed. Last week we received a Royal reply accepting our name choice and, as a sign of her pleasure, a grant of $25,000 in gold to back our bank, develop the Village, pay various employees, loan money to the Villagers for the developing of Homesteads and agriculture.

Hallelujah!

With gold to back our local bank the Villagers lined up to apply for loans. With money in hand people were anxious to spend, which created a strong demand for the Trading Post to open, and open it did.

In between all of this fiscal activity, people worked on their land, wrote biographies, made house plans, estimated home costs and so much more.

What will happen next?

Stay tuned to find out!

Yours in Village,

Cheryl, Carey, Dee, Paul

Village Week 8

Ciana's Temporary Structure- From Materials Found in Kemet Ptolemy.

Another busy week fror the newly re-named village of Kemet Ptolemy.  Queen Cleopatra awaits notification from our Village letting her know we have moved forward on the projects she has requested: planting crops tro feed Rome, naming the village to reflect her glory and to set aside a piece of property for the town center that will be suitably posh when she comes to visit.  Mr. Paul was on site to help the letter writing committee (Holland and ?) complete our missive.  Hopefully, Cleopatra will respond quickly by funding our Village and helping us get our economy up and money flowing.

Cartographers Juju and AJ completed a map of the entrire of the Village, which shows the physical features (including the Nile) as well as where the Homesteaders live in relation to the town center and to one another.

 Homesteaders were busy finishing projects that will allow them to apply for their bank loan.  Villagers were hard at work finishing their house plans and estimated house costs, their biographies (again, thank you Mr. Paul!) and beautifying their cardboard models experimenting with decorative painting, some in very Egyptian style.

We listened to some new cultural reports, including a detail from Phil on the type of roofing on homes in Ancient Egypt.  We await the last few reports from some members of the Dirt Devil class, which we will get to next week.

Village Week 3- Jobs Posted

The new Village economy was all abuzz with the promise of jobs and a monetary loan from Queen Cleopatra this week. We who will be producing food for the Queen are as of yet undecided as to our new Village’s name. Teetering between resentment at our impending servitude (to be farmers for the Queen) and the harsh realities of living off the land, there was even talk in the Village of poisoning Her Majesty to gain independence. The Roman Magnus’s loyalty to the Queen was made apparent as was Nubian Baket’s fear as she warned of the dangers of defying the Queen’s wishes. While mutiny is in the air, its likelihood has subsided for now.

The politics of the matter were not the most prevailing concern, however, as Villagers prepared resumes and completed job applications for the roles they might inhabit in our, as of yet, unformed economy. A postal business was established by Villagers Sunnie and Sarah; and talks were held to decide upon the matters of naming the Village and choosing a Secretary and Moderator. Such decisions are sure to be addressed in the coming weeks. The jobs of Trading Post Manager, Bank Manager and Village Accountant, all very important, are also needing to be filled.

Fortunately, Mr. Paul joined Village this week and gave guidance in writing the necessary resumes and filling out the job applications. (From Ms. Dee and Ms. Carey)

Village Week 2- The Land

This week in Village, after receiving a letter on high from Queen Cleopatra herself, peeps from all over the region participated in the gentle rush for land in our newly established Village bound on the north by the River Nile.

Each peep, confined by a 288 peep foot perimeter (which is 12 giant’s feet), staked out his or her property and fashioned temporary housing for him or herself or a surrogate. As was mandated by Queen Cleopatra—no property shall remain unoccupied! (Apparently, the predator squirrels do not fully respect Queen Cleopatra’s authority or the boundaries of a string property line.) These temporary shelters are limited to what is natural and can be found on the land within the bounds of the EcoSchool fence. A great variety of sturctures appeared, and Homesteaders are already discussing plans for their properties.

Progress on the land in this week was great and all are optimistic that our as of yet unnamed new Village will thrive on the west bank of the River Nile.

We have begun creating journals in which to record our precious information on the adventures we may have in this Village. The journals should make for convenient storage during the coming year, as well as a marvelous keepsake for afterward. (From Ms. Dee and Ms. Carey)

Village Week 1- Meet the Peeps

We determine the ethnic make-up of our Village, and discover (not surprisingly) that most of us are Egyptians, but a few of us are from the other cultures found in the Mediterranean basin and beyond: a few Romans, some Greeks, a Parthian and a Nubian. We spent some time creating the background of our Peeps, and in coming weeks their stories will be ready for presentation in a formal introduction to the whole Village.

In an official letter, we are commanded by our queen, Cleopatra, to found a Village to provide food for both ourselves and Egypt, but also for the Romans, led by none other than Julius Caesar himself. (Ms. Dee)

I feel honored to have been at the birth of this year's Peeps at Village this past Thursday. Dee set the stage; we are Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Parthians, and Nubians living in Egypt, 48 BC. As the die was cast (literally— and with a little trading), I witnessed the birth of my own Peep, Baket Iset, the only Nubian I know of in our Village. Though all Peeps begin on equal footing in a sense, penniliess and shoeless, there was much ado about Peep castes. Apparently, we are each Upper, Middle, or Lower class. I wonder what bearing that will have....

I saw that from all of the same raw materials, each Peep is born unique. From the color of the Fimo and pipe cleaners to the shape of the affixed heads, I saw each person lovingly sculpt his or her new Village persona, experienced and unexperienced alike. I fall in the middle as I have subbed and attended Village a time or two, but it was wholly different to really be a part of it from the beginning. I saw some fabulous hair, amazing feet and shoes. There were dresses, cloaks, shawls, and head covers galore. I can't wait to play again.

It seems Peep rulers will be needed in Village. If you don't know about Peep rulers, a "real" half-inch is equivalent to one Peep foot. Turns out, Baket is eight Peep feet tall, and an aspiring healer. I heard others murmuring their Peep's hopes and dreams, and can only imagine what this Peep lifetime will bring! (From Ms. Carey)