The start of the second decade of the ten-year plan feels like a good time for a retrospective. Somehow all of those ideas and all of that stuff got moved, dug, chopped. built or planted, and somehow it added up to something pretty fantastic. Over the years I’ve woven in and out of the Moonhill vision that keeps the garden ever-expanding, and I have continued to move forward with a healthy dose of both caution and optimism. Much has been a balance of strategy, sweat equity and luck but Moonhill has steadily evolved into a comfortable and abundant home for myself and all its residents, a food-growing asset to the community in which it is nestled, and a refuge for those seeking to connect with self and nature.
Often when my head gets more full of ideas than my back can carry I try and remind myself with my hands to the sky, “Hey, it’s a one-woman show.” In many ways it is, or at least feels like it, but in many ways, it is not. The truth is I am just a part of Moonhill’s revolving habitants making a living and finding a home in its fertile ecology. Moonhill has been the start of many people’s journey including my own and like any journey, it is marked most significantly by the friends made along the way. Moonhill and I have been blessed by many who have brought their gifts, muscles, and spirit to contribute to what is best called the “Moonhill vibe.” Whether here for a short time or a long, on two feet of four, countless have contributed to joyful harmony that has nourished both soil and soul.
A decade ago when I first walked the land here I knew only I had a burning desire to steward the land. Everything in my life that had led me to my role here was met with fertile ground for not just growing food but also cultivating easy joy, wonder, and lots of laughter. Ten years later Moonhill as a home and business has experienced many transformations. Working with the people and skills who have made the land their home throughout the years, Moonhill’s adaptive strength continues to be an asset within a fiercely resilient community. Whatever each season brings, Moonhill will continue to find its cornerstone in the gardener’s ethos and mind. We sow a multitude of things towards growing strong roots in the present all the while keeping a mind’s eye towards future harvests.
