50 Fridays

One year on Substack, the best things this year weren't planned, and what I'm building next

Hello to you, dear reader,

These past two weeks or so have been full of small gatherings here at Juniper Hill Cottage, mostly impromptu, with family, friends, and neighbors.

Lots of porch sittin’ on the real whiskey porch with beautiful people. Often with a lovely homemade meal in the garden and even a few off-the-charts scratch made desserts.

There have been a few occasions elsewhere too - at a local wine-garden, some local eateries, and a sweet little wine bar.

These get-togethers have flavored this July with a joy and richness of life that are priceless.

Chili con cerdo party in the garden at Juniper Hill Cottage

The porch sittin’ takes on many shapes here at the cottage. There’s garden seating in the back corner that’s open to long views and the tucked-in courtyard, benches along the gravel walk to soak up the sun and the breezes on the south side, this spacious covered ‘summer house’ (images above) between the cottage and the carriage house in the background, and finally the actual whiskey porch in the front of the cottage, which this whole publication is named for.

The ease with which all of these gatherings flowed and happened is a beautiful thing - because even if I had planned all of these events thoughtfully and carefully ahead of time, they wouldn’t have come together with such pleasure and authenticity.

Sometimes it just flows and happens as it should.

And all of this was happening in the same few weeks leading up to my one-year anniversary here with you.

It got me thinking.

One Year Publishing -

This week I’m celebrating one year writing on Substack - that’s 50 Fridays of me showing up in your in-box, during which time I’ve published 81 letters, articles and emails. Eighty-one of these conversations with you! I’m actually amazed by that - and proud of the work I’ve done.

When I first joined Substack, actually a little over a year ago, I played around a little with some musings and ideas. My very first Garden Keeping Journal went to a whole seven souls on my email list at the time. Half of them didn’t open it.

My first substantial post on July 30th last year was the one where I really jumped in and committed to my voice, my reasons for writing, and my direction with Letters from The Whiskey Porch: Creating Beauty is Enough.

I’ve been a maker and a designer at heart for my entire lifetime. And a designer of homes and gardens for most of that time, and have built a second career around that hands-on work with homeowners here in the high-country of northern Arizona since 2019.

But it wasn’t really until this past year that I was finally able to translate my deepest passions for home and garden and a gentle lifestyle into a clearly articulated philosophy and anchor:

The Whiskey Porch is a Creative Design Studio exploring the art of living well through the integrated design of home, garden, and smaller, simpler, more beautiful lifestyles - rooted in place, nature, & season.

This sounds so clear and simple, but I’ll be honest - it’s taken months and many, many revisions to get the words to come together. I promise, I’m going to stop tweaking it - eventually :)

It’s all the sharing, and writing, and showing up here every single week that’s helped me to understand the what, and the why, and the how of what I do.

And it turns out, what I do is essentially who I am. My friends and family will tell you - there’s zero filter. (Sometimes that’s not so good - I know, I know.)

Please Tell Me -

I will make artwork and craft spaces, homes, and gardens as long as I can. My family and I truly relish these environments and the lifestyle they foster every day.

But my greatest pleasure is in sharing all of this with others. With friends and neighbors who pop over for happy hour porch sittin’ time, and meals in the garden. With my design clients who are local homeowners.

And with you - my readers.

The making is part of my life. The sharing is what makes it mean something.

Although I never have a lack of ideas and goals, I do feel like I’ve been writing in the dark a little bit this past year.

And I’d like to know what you are most wanting to find here at The Whiskey Porch.

So I’m inviting you to share that with me today.

This is a one-question poll, just one tap. Less than 5 seconds. And it would truly mean the world to me.

Thank you.

Winding Paths and Impromptu Happenings -

This has been a thoughtful couple of weeks here at Juniper Hill Cottage - relishing all the richness and warmth of garden and porch gatherings, and pondering this past year of writing and finding my voice with Letters from The Whiskey Porch.

I have always dreamed big and had a clear vision of what I want to create.

Not that it’s been a static thing. I’ve been writing a lot about my path to getting here - to this moment in time at least. It’s been a winding road, but always one filled with passion and curiosity.

Still, there have been many Fridays where writing honestly and consistently have been challenging. Because what you don’t see as the reader is the silence that often accompanies hitting send on each letter, but doing it anyway. Or the technical battles behind the scenes with loading the .mov video files from my camera to my editing software that only wants .mp4 files - after Apple changed their formatting standards, yet again.

There’s doubt that goes along with all of this. Wondering if I’m really getting anywhere worthwhile with this project. Will it really matter?

I’ve come to realize:

I don’t need to discard my big dreams and the vision. But I do need to remember that there’s no scorecard along the way. There’s no starting line or finish line or even a better plan that would make it all feel right or worthwhile.

My vision is a compass - it’s the direction I’m headed, but sometimes a smaller starting point and some impromptu twists and turns will get me to an even better, unexpected place. I’ve only just begun.

A peaceful summer evening on the whiskey porch at the cottage in the high-country of northern Arizona. It took 15 years to get here from a dusty lot and neglected home to the one that fit the vision.

If you’ve got a garden that’s more bare than planted, or an expansive back yard that’s at the bottom of an impossibly steep hillside with no access, you already know that feeling of the gap between your dream landscape and the weedy reality you are looking at.

Maybe your older home feels awkward and dated and you’ve got a pinterest board with picture perfect ideas that make you feel frustrated because there’s no clear path to bringing that vision home.

Keep hold of that dream or that vision. But know that making small edits and efforts along the way, maybe a little bit every day, counts as progress. Give it time.

And each step feeds the creativity and energy for the next thing. Take those impromptu ideas and let the dream evolve. Enjoy the process and just start.

What’s coming -

And on that note - I wanted to share some plans with you.

Heading into this second year, I’m most excited about some new concepts with structured resources, frameworks, and cohorts that I’ve been working on. These are the actual methods and hands-on coaching rather than just the reflections and concepts I’ve been writing about.

This will allow me to bridge my design work from local Prescott homeowners to any of you, no matter where your home or garden happens to be.

Think of it as a small collection of programs and workshops that will guide you in creating a simpler, more beautiful home and garden - step by step. One room, one garden bed, one season at a time.

Stay tuned.

Thank you for sticking with me through this first year.

To the reader who often returns a private email to me with a poetic reflection of her own while sitting in her office with a view (Lisa).

To the lovely writer on Substack who faithfully reads my work and even jumped in on my 5-Day Simplicity Challenge earlier this month (Melanie).

To the small handful of readers who actually responded to my recent survey with wonderful thoughts and input.

Whether you’re here for the seasonal writing and stories, the design ideas that give you some direction on your own projects, or that deeper support with your home and garden spaces, I am excited to spend Fridays with you right here.

With contentment & possibility,