Spring has Sprung!

​by Nisargo Troy
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When the daffodils and crocuses are announcing their arrival with their vibrant colors in the otherwise still brown surroundings, the trees are budding, and people are seen in their yards with rakes in their hands and big smiles on their faces, we know that Easter is also just around the corner. This year we were graced with a gorgeous day on Easter Sunday which was duly celebrated. 

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First the kids, big and small, headed out onto the village green to look for treats left by a very generous Easter bunny. (Thank you Grace and Nancy!) Their bags were heavy when they returned!

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It would not be a Heartwood celebration without an astounding amount of delicious and healthy food contributed by every household, and a circle to open the feast with a blessing.

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Not that long ago this wonderful room was empty most of the time. We are so glad to be able to dine together again after a very long time of separation due to the pandemic! The tables were beautifully decorated by the celebration team and lively conversations were had.

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​Changes tend to arrive with the shift from winter months into spring. So it is not surprising that we have had a few here at Heartwood as well. One of those involved saying good-bye to one of Heartwood’s longtime residents, Laurie Lauer. It was with much sadness that we heard of her plans to leave. Laurie has been a vital part of Heartwood’s life, a strong member of the community, involved in so many important positions over the years. Her contributions will always be cherished, her laughter fondly remembered and she is sorely missed. But life called for a bigger change in her life and she is on a new adventure in her new home on four wheels.

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Here she is, “somewhere in Kansas”.

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​The Friday potluck before her departure got turned into a grand party, topped by a wonderful slideshow put together by Sandy and presented to Laurie on a thumb drive so she had memories of her many years at Heartwood to keep in a format suitable for van-life. We were all so busy celebrating that nobody thought to take pictures!

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But here she is at her “last supper” across from her house two days before her departure.

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As much as it was sad to see Laurie go, we are super exited about the family she sold her house to! Erika, Liam and their daughter Bexley arrived 3 weeks ago and I will let Erika speak about the experience herself.

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by Erika Douglass
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Nine months ago our family had the opportunity to spend one month living at Heartwood taking care of the farm animals and irrigating the fields while Jack and Ronda were traveling. We had already loved the idea of Heartwood from reading the website. We signed up to be on the P2 list, the list of potential homebuyers in the Phase 2 of Heartwood’s development, and hoped we would be lucky enough to get to buy one of the new houses. While we were here, we fell in love with everything about Heartwood. Most of all, though, the community and the people.  We knew very quickly that Heartwood was where we wanted to live and raise our daughter Bexley. These are the people we want to be in community with and have be part of Bexley’s life as she grows up. There were other benefits too, the climate, living in nature, all the outdoor activities in the Durango area (Liam missed skiing a lot) and more.  However, it was the people of Heartwood, more than anything else, that were what made it feel so right. We felt so at home that we were planning to come back to visit again before we even left, knowing it would probably be a few years before the new houses were ready for residents.    

However, the universe decided that we would be moving to Heartwood sooner than we thought.  We had become friends with Laurie while visiting and she mentioned to us that she had been considering for a while if it was time for her to move and start the next chapter of her life, but it had never felt quite right. Luckily for us, selling her home to us so we and Bexley could live here at Heartwood felt right to both her and her daughter. For those of you who don’t know, they built (by hand) the house that we now live in. Yes, we now own it, but it will always feel like Laurie’s house to us, and we feel like we will never be able to fully repay her for entrusting us with the home she built and allowing us to join Heartwood. We feel so fortunate that she gifted us this opportunity, but are also sad that we won’t get to live in community with her. Thank you, Laurie, we hope you fully enjoy the next chapter of your life, but also hope you come back to visit often.    
The last nine months have been a hectic, stressful, crazy roller coaster. Between selling our house, buying Laurie’s house, moving, being in transition for a few months, and still working and raising Bexley. It’s been exhausting. But when we moved into our new home at Heartwood three weeks ago, everything just felt right and we knew it was worth it. We are still getting unpacked and settled, but have also jumped right into life at here with common meals, work parties, pickleball, working in the high tunnel and greenhouse, and going for hikes. We have said many times that we are so happy to be here and that we can already see that the life we had envisioned for our family is really coming together and happening. We look forward to our new life here and welcoming all the P2 members when they get to move in. Thank you to everyone for welcoming us to the community with open arms. We look forward to everything we will share together. 

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And here they are, the new residents of #6! Erika, Bexley and Liam.

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​I hope your spring is filled with many positive developments, promising adventures and joyful connections!

In community