Each month I create these Journal episodes and posts exclusively for paying members of The Kettle Community. They’re like little care packages full of seasonal observations, reflections, and resources. Enjoy, and thank you for supporting my work!
Eric and I met at the end of February 2020 and married in May of 2023, when the kids and I moved into the house he’d built a decade before.
In the three years we’d been dating, I’d spent lots of time in this house and on this property. But there is a difference between being a comfortable guest and living somewhere. It’s taken me all of three years to finally start feeling like this house is really mine. I’ve had to give my attention to its hidden corners and approach its quirks with curiosity to claim it as my own.
This spring, I realized that it’s now time for me to make friends with the outdoor spaces, too: the woods and pond and all of the living things that inhabit them.
How do you make friends with outdoor spaces? I recently read The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery and this line walloped me. I must have read it seven times.
”The woods are so human,” wrote John Foster, “that to know them one must live with them. An occasional saunter through them, keeping to the well-trodden paths, will never admit us to their intimacy. If we wish to be friends we must seek them out and win them by frequent, reverent visits at all hours; by morning, by noon, and by night; and at all seasons, in spring, in summer, in autumn, in winter.’
When I read that passage, it occurred to me: I haven’t made friends with our property. I have mostly kept to a small radius around the door; trudging a path from garage to car, home to chicken coop and back. When I’ve strolled our acres of woods I’ve walked with a quick, almost nervous stride, like an intruder afraid of being caught.
In this Journal episode I’m diving into some ways I’m trying to become more friendly with our outdoor surroundings. From being a more attentive neighbor to getting around on foot to beautifying some small corner of your space, I hope you’ll be able to put some of these ideas into play this spring and summer - whether you have a postage-sized lot or, like me, are trying to get accustomed to living on a much-larger property than you’re used to,
You’ll also find book and tea recommendations, morel mushroom recipes, and, of course, some duckling videos - all below the jump.
Our seasonal monthly journals come out at the beginning of each month, and are a benefit for paying members of The Kettle Community. To hear the full episode, see more photos, resources, and links, and find links to community events like our weekly Co-Create sessions on Zoom, our private Discord chat, and more, join us today.
