Category: Behind the Designs

Step into our creative world. From photography sessions to design details, discover how every piece at A Nod to Nature comes to life.

A Plethora of Pollinators

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9 Our family tends toward superhuman undertakings. One such project was a 3,000 sq ft garden created from scratch on some pretty rough land. We employed permaculture techniques, introduced beneficial nematodes, and produced our own organic fertilizers. Lasagna, no-till, deep mulch, cedar beds, waffle grids, sculpted berms, and hügelkultur…we tried them all. The weather took drastic swings every season and kept us scrambling to adapt. It took years and years to create a manageable system for sowing and harvest and lots of patience and mistakes to get a balanced ecosystem.

Eventually, we were growing grapes, cukes, tomatoes, melons, potatoes, salad greens, beans, berries, root veggies, and squash all in harmony. About 1/3 of the garden consisted of blooming flowers and herbs and we weren’t the only ones enjoying the abundance. Each season brought pollinators in all colors, shapes and sizes. Several different species of bees, moths, flies, and butterflies…and many other fringe pollinators diligently carried out their side of our unspoken partnership.

One summer our eldest daughter patiently held a poster board backdrop up for me so I could snap some pictures without disturbing their very important work. We built a catalog of the new species we encountered, looked up their habitats, migration patterns, and food sources…and loved every minute of it. Those carefully curated photos have become the Plethora of Pollinators Collection

….and some of our favorite memories.

A Plethora of Pollinators — Picks from the Collection

Nestled In

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19 Every year for over a decade, the blustery autumn winds would shake an abandoned nest from the 100 year old Maple tree in our yard. We would gently collect it from the grass and admire the sweet token of beauty and diligence, wondering about the feathered family who had boldly spread their wings, left their carefully crafted home behind, and set off on a new adventure.
This fall, we remember this ritual with a bittersweet twinge. Just a few months ago we said goodbye to our own nest – a century old farmhouse we rebuilt from scratch (actual scratch…like dirt for floors scratch) on acreage we painstakingly regenerated from depleted fields and weedy lawns to a paradise of permaculture orchards, animal habitats, and organic gardens.

This was no ordinary move. A homestead is a living, breathing organism. Flying away and leaving it to the wind was never an option. It took years for us to stabilize the operation and begin to phase ourselves out. We needed a family willing to live the life we built there, to take over stewardship of the ecosystems in place, to take the baton, keep moving forward, and to make it their own dream.
And they came – from over 2000 miles away – and it was really kinda’ beautiful.
We walked the property with them and shared all the intricacies and nuances we thought would be helpful. We witnessed the light in their eyes as they saw their children play on the structures we built, pick fruit from the gardens we planted, and imagine their own special memories of sowing ahead. They shared their vision for their life there and we recognized the passion and purpose we brought in our own hearts all those years ago when we first claimed the land. We saw a poetic justice in the process. There was so much we were never able to achieve there because we were busy building foundations. They arrived, young, full of energy and ideas just like we had…but they were starting at the starting line… the nest was already fluffed and feathered. It felt so right knowing we had paved the way for their dream with our own hands.

We left a wonderland there for them to use and enjoy, but, we did not leave empty handed.
We carry with us the wisdom gained by building those barns, installing those fences, and planting those trees – the wrong way a few times, and then the right way when we knew better.
We carry the knowledge of every plant, herb, and animal that graced that property – and the nourishment of the milk and eggs we collected, the salves and tinctures we made, and the fruit and vegetables we harvested.
We carry stores of snapshots and videos from special moments there, revisited and celebrated – and even turned into treasures to share.
And, most importantly, we carry the irreplaceable memories of gathering each stick and feather, and building that nest, branch by branch –and living our dream.

At the start of summer, burdened only with these great treasures (and way too many boxes), we set off on our new adventure: A pretty drastic multi-household, multi-generational, cross-country move kinda’ adventure.
It’s been a big change.
It was a major shuffle.
At times it was Total. Madness.
But, the dust is starting to settle now and it was WORTH IT.
Our new nest is safe and strong.
Our new town feels like home.
And our new life allows me so much more time to nurture my creative nature…which this little birdie needs.

So, here’s to spreading our wings!

The photo featured above is the very first nest we found under our Maple tree. It was the sweet inspiration for The Nestled in Collection.

Nestled in — Picks from the Collection