Happy New Year

Happy new year! Another year (of mud) has come and gone. They move quickly, these years. After 10 years of living in the Berea area, and 8 years at South Slope we’re past the point of getting established and firmly in the routine phase of living life. Our life is here. There’s a familiar flow to the seasons. The details may change, but we know more or less what to expect with each passing season. 

I’m glad to be at this phase. Stability, familiarity feel more important now than ever before. Having said that, there are still always questions. Questions about how to balance our time and responsibilities are a seemingly daily exercise. In 2023, we extended ourselves too far at times, yet we created some powerful memories. It also became apparent that recovery time is real – not optional, but mandatory. 

Hosting and More Hosting

In 2023, we hosted over 18 events including our summer workshops, monthly Pizza Nights, and other community gatherings. In many ways, hosting is our central activity and defines our year. The content of the event may change, but the rhythms of hosting remain the same – planning, preparing, organizing, etc. We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love it, but it demands a huge physical and social output. After so much hosting in a year, it’s a treat to show up to an event elsewhere – in town, at a friend’s, and realize we can just be present without managing details. Ha!

4 Years of Pizza

We’re entering our 4th year hosting monthly Pizza Nights. Pizza Nights hit their stride in 2023, with the average size of gatherings exceeding all other years pretty easily. It used to be significant to have a “75 pizza night”, but we exceeded 120 at least two or three times. That’s a lot for us.

It’s always validating to see repeat pizza people return month after month and know that people are being fed, both literally and otherwise by the seemingly simple experience of eating pizza and ice cream outdoors amongst neighbors. It’s fun to experiment with new toppings (ramen pizza!) and ice cream (lemon and ginger, salted caramel). I feel lucky to keep doing this and grateful to people’s ongoing support.

Workshops & Home Projects Continue…

Much of what I just said can apply to our building workshops as well. The validation, gratitude, meeting new students and former students return year after year to get inspired and level up their skills. I hate to sound repetitive, but again… the simple act of convening together, learn and build, share meals, connect with people from near and far – it’s not something to take for granted. 

Almost nothing at home is really done. The pavilion, our stone retaining walls, fitting out the outdoor kitchen. The maintenance list never gets shorter, either. It can be a source of frustration and tension, but the (cruel) reality is that home projects take ages to complete. There’s so much competition for time and attention and it’s been a learning experience to just accept that simple fact. It’s also really self-defeating to look at things in a short term window. Progress only truly becomes apparent once you step back and look at things with a little bit of detachment, or at least distance. 

Other 2023 highlights…

• April’s 40th b-day party
• Interdependence day parade
• Building a cob oven with friends in MD
• Hazel starts reading books on his own
• Canning 212 jars of tomato sauce (I actually wanted to die during August + September, but I’m happy when I look at the full shelves now)
• Chickens! Our first in 10 years, geez
• April’s first masa from her homegrown corn and ground in our new mill – best tamales and tortillas yet
• Timber Framers Guild conference in CO — first one we’ve been to as a family

At the end of the day, the most important thing seems to be creating positive memories. Not whether x thing got completed by x day. Hopefully we can continue with that theme  in 2024.