Bill had us puzzling over 20 images taken on the property. Here are some snapshots. There were rules, tips, and boundaries. And prizes? Of course. For all those that get them all correct. A fun activity while covid-homebound on the Hill.
Thank you, all, for making this Thanksgiving special. Side dishes, beverages, and/or notes of gratitude were safely swapped. Just because we can’t gather doesn’t mean we can’t cook for each other, show some cheer, and be thankful up and down the hill.
This year's Halloween might arguably have been more fun than traditional trick-or-treating. Looking for a pandemic alternative that could engage both kids and adults safely, a small group of neighbors planned a spooky hour of events. Folks showed up in costume, placed their pumpkin in the "pumpkin patch" and waited for the parade to begin. Set to the Ghostbusters theme, we then paraded ourselves around our green. Children then enjoyed the fire and sipped apple cider. Returning to the common house porch, we were in for a ukulele treat. Complete with narration, our ukulele players performed Monster Mash! Then for the pumpkin carving prizes and corny Halloween jokes . . .
Know why skeletons are so calm? Because nothing gets under their skin.
And the moment the kiddos had been waiting for . . . candy! We ended with a goofy skit in the pumpkin patch and warmth around the fire on a chilly evening (with full moon!).
Gratitude for the organizers, bringing us together in such creative ways.
Our garden party looked a little different this year, but several of us still wanted to host it and celebrate our beautiful gardens. The last two years, we’ve made it an appetizer/cocktail party, with each garden offering a food or drink made with items from the garden (think grilled corn, fruit popsicles, cucumber lemonade, adult beverages, shiitake spread, pickles…).
With the pandemic, we did not want to share food & drink, but came up with other ways to enjoy time together and admire the gardens. We put together a garden scavenger hunt (find a mushroom, how many wheelbarrows do you count, best smelling plant, etc.); we gave out prizes in various categories (best garden party outfit, best in show garden, garden w/most unusual plant, etc.); there was a raffle at the end, with the money going to our local food shelf; and garden jokes along the way.
What did baby corn say to mommy corn?
Where’s popcorn?
Why did the tomato turn red?
Because he saw the salad dressing!
Why do fungi have to pay double bus fares?
Because they take up too mushroom!
Many of us garden, though it is by no means a requirement of living here! Most (all?) of us gardeners were able to give our gardens extra care this season, as we worked from home and had more flexible schedules.
David Zuckerman was able to visit on a Friday night and chat with us (from atop a hay wagon - he is a farmer after all). He is the current Lieutenant Governor of Vermont and is running for Governor this year.
"This year we are trying something new in the market garden. After 20 seasons of "traditional" organic tillage, we are establishing permanent "no-dig" beds. The beds are covered with a thick mulch of compost to build fertility and suppress weeds. The paths between the beds are filled with wood chips to invite beneficial fungi into the garden environment. We hope this method will reduce labor, produce nutrient dense vegetables, build topsoil, and sequester atmospheric carbon."
-Stephen Leslie, Cedar Mountain Farm
In April, Integrity Energy took some aerial shots of the finished solar project.
Ever wanted to cook a meal from a local restaurant in your own kitchen? Now you can! Released May 15th, the “Isolate and Create” digital cookbook features delicious recipes from 15 Vermont restaurants. All profits go to the Vermont component of the Restaurant Strong Fund, a national effort to provide grants to restaurant workers who have lost income due to the pandemic.
Creator Jenna Rice (of Jenna Rice Marketing), who runs her own business as a freelance photographer, web designer and graphic designer, was inspired after seeing a friend in Boston start a similar project. She reached out to local restaurants she knew for recipes and was connected to more across the state by the Vermont Fresh Network.
For help on the culinary side, she enlisted her sister, Nora Rice. Nora, who graduated last year from Ashburton Chefs Academy in the United Kingdom, had been working at the Herb Farm, a renowned restaurant in Woodinville in Washington State. Back in Hartland, Vermont to stay home and safe, the two teamed up to cook and photograph each dish.
The digital cookbook has been an immediate success, with over $2,000 earned already. “I was surprised just by how willing everyone was to contribute a recipe and how many people have purchased it so far,” Jenna said. “I think it shows that we live in a pretty special and giving, supportive, community.”
The Isolate and Create digital cookbook can be purchased for $20 and features delicious spring and summer recipes, desserts, and cocktails from restaurants, caterers, a distillery, a winery, and more! The e-cookbook includes Putney Mountain Spirits in Putney, Mad River Distillers in Waitsfield, Kate Wise Cocktails and Solstice at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Skunk Hollow Tavern and The Hartland Diner in Hartland, Public House Pub and Chef Brad’s Crazy Side in Quechee, Odyssey Events in Bridgewater, Michael’s On The Hill in Waterbury Center, Bistro de Margot in Burlington, Piecemeal Pies in White River Junction, Richmond Community Kitchen in Richmond, Artisan Eats Vermont in Windsor, and Let’s Pretend Catering in South Hero.
All profits go to the Vermont component of the Restaurant Strong Fund, a national effort to provide grants to restaurant workers who have lost income due to the pandemic.
Original article by Henry Allison for Vital Communities.
by Karyn Stack
Seemingly overnight, life here at Cobb Hill Cohousing has gone through a major transformation. We typically like to “gather,” share meals, socialize, celebrate, play together, work together. Now, we Zoom!
Zoom meetings, zoom birthday parties, zoom conversations with friends. It’s surreal and a strange dynamic. We are sitting in our homes, which are clustered on a hillside, staring at our individual devices, connecting through the electronicsphere. But, this is what we must do for now, and although a bit awkward at times knowing how to chime in as others are trying to as well, I feel joyful just seeing my fellow community members/neighbors on the computer screen. Sparks a reminder that I am surrounded by wonderful souls. Inner smiles circle my heart as I see each of their faces in those little gallery boxes. I had a Zoom cup of tea with one of my friends the other day, and a recent Zoom get-together with some Cobb Hill alumni/dear friends. It’s so easy to feel isolated these days, but Zoom helps remind me I am not alone. For Zoom, I am grateful.
As I’ve reflected through the years, on the benefits of living in community, living with a group of people who know how to grow food has been extremely grounding. Just trusting that if “All Hell Breaks Loose,” which it recently has, we can rally together to at least feed ourselves. The “knowing how to grow food” description is an understatement though, as we have some amazing gardeners/growers and seasoned farmers here. On site we have eggs, meat, cheese, milk, bread (lately), maple syrup, and veggies.
We also have a wealth of other skills here: facilitation, systems management, teaching, financial, land management, consensus decision making, listening and vibe checking, community building, medical expertise, parenting, stay-at-home making. For this combined knowledge base and for the unending generosity of spirit here to share it, I am truly grateful.
Friendship is another incredible gift of living in community. Cups of tea, women’s hikes, hygges, walks, bike rides, shared meals, celebrations, ukulele jams, conversations about life, hopes and fears, dreams and challenges, sharing joys and sorrows. Just the other day, a few of us were tidying up a community flower bed and before we knew it, other friends wandered out of their homes or happened by on the path, to join us for a spontaneous and lovely in-person conversation. Heartfelt sharing and connection feed my soul, and help to anchor me in the ocean of life. How I truly appreciate my friends!!!
Being a self-professed germaphobe, the likelihood of me “completely freaking out” about Covid-19 was very high. To my surprise, I haven’t freaked yet, although the potential still exists.
Knowing support and love are all around, from family to longtime friends to neighbors, helps me to maintain my center. Being out in nature is also an incredible support to my sanity. Thank goodness for Spring, the returning of old friends in the form of singing wood frogs and peepers, sightings of bluebirds and canada geese, swollen buds and spring beauties, awakening moss and earthly forest scents. Today, noticing how long the days are becoming, added some inner calm. Somehow, just being outside lets me put aside the pandemic for a while and enjoy the earth’s offerings.
So, for our land and for my ability to “not freak out” yet, I am very grateful.
Lastly, I want to express my appreciation for “The Present Moment”! With so much uncertainty and suspension of all future plans, as we ride out the pandemic, I find I’m much more present, day to day, moment to moment. Feels like a total societal and personal reset. I’m re-examining what is most important and necessary while questioning past habits and whims. Shrinking my life radius has helped me to see more clearly and appreciate the gifts that are right in front of me and have been all along: loving family, solid friendships, community, the natural world. For the “present moment,” I am so very grateful.
Cobb Hill is a community of people who want to explore the challenge of living in ways that are materially sufficient, socially and ecologically responsible, and satisfying to the soul. Located in Hartland, VT on 280 acres.
