What's Been Happening?

It's been a minute.

Jul 09, 2026

It’s been a minute since my last post. Time obviously got away from me because my last post was about the arrival of spring and now it is summer. I know there was work and basement organizing and compost shoveling and garden planting. And my son got married and we all went to Cape Cod for that! Somewhere during all of that, I forgot that I write things. Part of that is that I also got a new job and that new job is in person, outside The Quad. Leaving is hard and I haven’t worked in person since 2012, so this has been a big change and I’m still adjusting.

In April, we finished some work in our basement, and we now have a beautiful, spacious place to gather inside our building. This revamp includes a space for guests to stay, a place to make food and drinks, and a bathroom. Having a community space like this was always part of the dream, but I can’t believe we made it happen so soon. Stumble into the basement and you might see someone doing a puzzle or reading a book. More recently, it’s been the place to be for watching World Cup matches on the big TV.

Yes, there are two cats on the counter. No, I didn't notice until I uploaded that picture.

As spring gave way to summer, we had to prepare the garden beds and plant. That involved a couple of loads of compost in Casper and everyone pitching in to move it all into the beds. I found that at nearly 58, my shoveling stamina is not what it once was. I can do it, but I need to take more breaks. That discovery is humbling, but also a powerful reminder of why living in community is a gift - I don’t have to do these things alone. When I’m tired of shoveling, I can pass the shovel to someone else and push the wheelbarrow instead. Or I can just sit out for a bit and have a cold drink. This is true for all of us.

Last fall, we gathered to talk about what we loved from the garden, what we didn’t make use of, and what people thought was missing. The Gardening Committee took all that information into account when making a list of what we wanted to plant this year. Susan and Kris turned that list into a garden plan and then, the two of them along with Kristen planted everything.

I think back to the first summer at our place when my friends planted and weeded and I watched. I remember the discomfort I felt, the guilt. Now, I notice how that feeling has shifted from guilt to gratitude. At some point, I started saying, “Thank you for your service,” when someone at The Quad did something that I didn’t want to do. Initially, I was making a little jokey joke, but I say it more often now and I mean it. Thank you for your service. Thank you for the big and small things you do that we all benefit from. I’m glad we are in this together.

In the past couple of weeks, we have been berry busy. Susan foraged mulberries and we made mulberry jam and canned it. This was the first time I had ever made jam, and it was so much easier than I thought it would be. We have nine jars of mulberry jam, though none of us seem to eat much jam. So, know that if you visit, you might be leaving with a jar.

We have also spent the past two weeks harvesting cherries. Last year, we made boozy cherries and then froze the rest. We had so many cherries in the freezer. We made sour cherry crumble, sour cherry scones, sour cherry sorbet, sour cherry bars, sour cherry loaf, and sour cherry clafoutis.

This year, we went into the harvest with new ideas.

We bought a dehydrator and dehydrated all but two pounds from the first harvest. Kristen has already used the dried cherries to make the best granola I’ve ever had. Luisa used the two pounds of fresh cherries to make ginjinha, a Portuguese liqueur made with sour cherries, agua ardente, cinnamon, and wine.

The first time I ever tasted ginjinha was in 1997, during my first visit to Portugal. We were staying with Luisa’s grandparents and after dinner, her grandfather pulled out this bottle of dark liquid full of murky orbs and suggested we have a drink. My first thought was, “What is that?” My second thought was, “How old is that?” We drank it and it was wonderful. Now, Luisa is making her own jar of dark liquid with murky orbs. I can’t wait to try it.

Yesterday, we did a second harvest and filled the dehydrator again and put several bags in the freezer. Raquel plans to make fruit leather, Susan and I are going to make jam, and I’m sure we’ll continue to learn how to use cherries. We are becoming sour cherry experts over here.

So, the summer season of Quad Life is in full swing. And for those who kept up with Loofah Watch last year, we are growing them again. We love a challenge.