On May 1, 1989, Eric and I drove up the lane and took over guardianship of what has become Spiritwood.
What a difference we’ve wrought in the landscape: now the hayfield that was the front yard is a lawn punctuated with oases of trees, shrubs, and perennial beds. The spreading springs and wetlands have been somewhat contained through our creation of a pond – it now contains a geothermal unit that heats and cools our home. Near the pond, our raised-bed vegetable garden yields harvests of early spring peas through to squash, kale and parsnips, throughout the seasons.
Moreover, we’ve restored the farm to its original 100 acres, purchasing more property when it became available.
Who knows what the next twenty years will bring?
Whatever happens, we hope Spiritwood remains a sanctuary for wildlife. From pollinators to amphibians, from migrant birds to year-round residents, from black bear to otters, from native spring ephemerals (hepaticas and trilliums) to stately white pine, we hope this precious spot will remain a refuge for all.
Sounds like heaven on earth. Now that we're living outside the city, I'm only a little envious of all you've accomplished. No kingfishers here but we have eastern phoebes and robins nesting beneath our deck. In a year or so, I will start a vegetable garden but still have lots to do before that happens.
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