Spring has emerged here at Cantrell Creek. Sunshine bringing warmer days, rain saturating the ground while filling the creek beds, and blooms resurrecting from their hibernation. Nature is returning in its natural cadence, and so are we.
This May marks one year since purchasing the property. Our time here has been reminiscent of the wind- invisible and fleeting at times, still in some moments, while other moments arrived like gusts strong enough to blow us away if we weren't anchored down.
Winter gave us time to recalibrate. Now we're stepping into spring with clearer intentions and a stronger understanding of what we're building here at Cantrell Creek.
The remainder of this year will test our perseverance and resolve as we pursue the goals we set when we first purchased the property.
- Complete the interior renovation by the end of the year (slow and steady wins this part of the race)
(Car-siding for the interior of 1st bedroom closet applied)
- Continue the restoration of the land
(Removed Bushes)
We chipped down the wood pile we've been collecting over the last year, creating mulch for garden beds, landscaping, and filling low spots throughout the property.
We tore down an old animal shelter, added another load to the dumpster haul, and removed more fencing that restricted the movement of the land.
In many ways, this season has been about removing the things that restrict healthy movement, both around us and within us.
We also added berry bushes and fruit trees to the garden area, continuing to build toward the long-term vision we have for this place.
- Move into the completed renovation in December
- Start transitioning Dustin from Cantrell Construction, his current full-time career, into Cantrell Creek - handcrafting fishing nets, fly boxes, and display cases for anglers to showcase their timeless collections.
With every transition we make, the vision for Cantrell becomes more tangible. None of it has been easy, but in our experience, the things most worth building rarely are.
The challenge is much like our garden. It's our responsibility to prepare the soil, sow at the proper time, water the seeds, provide nutrients when needed, and remove anything that threatens healthy growth.
At the same time, we're learning the importance of maintaining our values and protecting healthy boundaries. We aren't rigidly consumed with accomplishing goals at the expense of everything else. We rest, we enjoy, and we maintain so we can continue moving forward.
Sustainability isn't achieved through depletion. It's an ebb and flow of replenishing our energy, health, resources, time, and relationships.
Here are a few ways we're replenishing while continuing to move forward.
Reaping the harvest of nature:
Foraging Red Buds for jelly
Reaping our bounty of lettuce, kale, garlic scapes, and lemons
Fly Fishing through the spring season
We're also setting aside time this fall for a trip to Montana - creating space to replenish our energy, strengthen our relationship, and reconnect through fishing, hiking, adventure, and the outdoors that helped inspire Cantrell Creek in the first place.
We'll continue pressing forward, aware of the work still ahead while learning to fully experience the alignment between our efforts, our values, and the life we're building.
This season will continue expanding our mindsets, challenging our belief systems, and requiring the dismantling of false narratives that threaten progress.
Spring brings the rain, but summer brings the heat.
We're consistently looking ahead, preparing for the next seasons while understanding that each one carries its own challenges, responsibilities, and rewards. The heat is coming, and we intend to be ready for it.
With each season, we continue learning what it means to slow down, restore movement, and bring our reality back to its pure and natural state.
