Summertime and the living is easy - George Gershwin

 May 4 2023 

Musings on a summer night at the Chaparral Retreat:

'I listen to the whippoorwills chirping in the background of the sounds of insects flitting in and out of the luminescence of the patio light while Sadie finishes her survey of the yard and tries to sniff out the presence of other animals daring enough to venture out of the darkness while she is on watch. Not that she would do anything about an intruder other than snarl at it and maybe chase it back into the woods, but she is smart enough to know what her duties are. To warn and to protect. She is, after all, a shepherd, with the instincts of the breed but without a regular herd to manage.'

We are having a somewhat mild beginning of summer, with some rain and daytime high temperatures in the 80's. The grounds are lush, and we are working to remove layers of fallen leaves from the garden areas, trim branches from trees and shrubs, and move around some perennials that have outgrown the spaces they are in.

We have hosted several private events over the past few months, including some art workshops using oils and watercolors. I planned an art curriculum for the Kiwanis Club's summer youth program that runs through June and was happy to have twelve children show up for the first session. They worked on a pop art project and also made cookie-cutter figures out of clay. I have a couple of printmaking projects planned and another clay activity, and we'll do a collaborative painting that I think they'll have fun with.

Hail Storm in April 2023

 Yesterday afternoon we were hit by a massive hail storm! The scene was eerie as steam rose when the frozen hail hit the ground. The outside temperature was 70 degrees when the rain started falling, and it quickly turned to hail. The storm lasted about thirty minutes, starting with pea-sized pellets and ending with almost golf-sized frozen balls. I welcome the moisture but not the destruction of my gardens and all the cleanup work that needs to be done. On the bright side, tomorrow it will be warm enough to go out and hunt mushrooms!!  

Fresh Start - 2023

 April 2, 2023  

Spring is here, and we are in the process of "sprucing up" the property for coming visitors and events. Andy has been working hard: he replaced the fence on the front of the property using cedar boards from trees he cut down from the "way back" of the property. He has been clearing more trails through the woods. The kids planted some fruit trees and though we may not get fruit this year, they have survived and we look forward to future harvests. We have lots of projects to get done this spring!

We spent a lot of 2022 traveling to check out event venues, other lodging options, attending hospitality seminars, and trying to see how other businesses like ours are adapting to meet the changes in travel, entertainment, and hospitality services after three years of living with COVID. Last year we moved toward expanding our "customer base" to offering the Retreat for workshops, business conferences, and art retreats.

The redbuds are in bloom, and if we ever get some rain, we'll go out to hunt morel mushrooms! I will begin writing on this blog more often this year, so please check in to see what's going on out here at our little piece of heaven!

Check out our facebook page for photos and other hyyge commentary. Sending our love out to all . . . / Linda Barrett