Dormant but not Dead
Still here, still rooting!
I haven’t posted in a while—not because I’ve lost interest, but because I’ve been knee-deep in the work this blog was meant to document. I’m still here. The roots are still deepening.
Projects Nested in Projects
We’ve been greening up and growing out.
The front lawn is GONE. In its place:
An extra-large woodland shade bed under the old cherry tree
A small sunny corner garden (one of the only sunlit spots!)
A connecting path made from scavenged pavers, now edged with silvery-green Plantain Pussytoes
The back yard? Totally wild. Neglected in favor of the front because we had to prioritize the things neighbors see. It forgives us; the pollinators are having a party.
I started growing veggies in raised beds—corn, potatoes, squash, beans. A volunteer pumpkin is now stretching over 20 feet!
The side yard…is a feral gremlin. We mulched it, we planted perennial plugs, we meant to tame it. But out of sight is very much out of mind, and we keep forgetting there’s still grass to mow back there.
Growth comes in many forms
I’m getting ready for my third semester homeschooling two teenagers. That’s…a whole other project. It’s going well (mostly), but like everything else around here, it runs on grit, flexibility, and the occasional panic spiral. Our curriculum is heavy on history, literature, environmental science, and “let’s take a walk and talk about systems thinking.”
Somewhere along the way, I also became president of the Muddy Branch Alliance, a local watershed nonprofit. I actually just wrote a mini bio for an official letter today, so I’m shamelessly pasting it here:
The Muddy Branch Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 as an all-volunteer group of concerned citizens working to protect the Muddy Branch watershed in Montgomery County, Maryland. Our mission is to safeguard local streams and natural spaces through hands-on restoration, education, and community engagement. Since 2018, we’ve led the Lands Green Waters Clean initiative—originally launched by the Izaak Walton League with support from the Chesapeake Bay Trust—which helps homeowners adopt conservation landscaping practices that support clean water and backyard wildlife. Our work has been recognized by the City of Gaithersburg (including an Environmental Award every year since 2012), the Maryland Recreation and Parks Association, and the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection.
I’ve served on the board for the past year and just stepped into the presidency. I’m excited and—as per usual—full of big plans and limited executive function. But this time, I have a board I can rely on. I’m not feeling rudderless. Just… busy. And aware that I’ve got some big, muddy boots to fill.
One shift: I had to step down from chairing our neighborhood Green Team. That stung a bit—I felt like we hadn’t had a chance to do much yet. But I’m still involved, and with the Muddy Branch Alliance, I’m in a stronger position to actually move things forward.
Anyway, that’s the current state of things. Progress, chaos, and a pumpkin that’s trying to become a cryptid. Tell me I’m not the only one?
Great progress, Emmy!