About Me

I spent my early childhood in Ocean Bluff, a tiny coastal town in Massachusetts. My fondest memories are running on the beach and playing in the tidal pools in my back yard. Our patio overlooked the crashing waves below, which sometimes shook the house during Nor’easters. This idyllic setting shaped my lifelong love of the ocean and salt life.

I married my husband, Neil in 1982, and we purchased a 1888 “fixer-upper” in the suburbs of Boston. We poured lots of blood, sweat and tears (and lots of money) into our project, and also began raising our two children amidst the sawdust. Just as we completed the last of our renovations, Neil received a job offer which brought our family to rapidly-growing northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC.

In 2021, with with our two children ‘grown and flown’, we moved again. This time we escaped the busy suburbs and moved to the Shenandoah Valley. We now live with my brother on a hobby farm we call “Hickory Grove”. The farm is strictly agricultural and apiarian. (We keep honeybees!) Our short-term plan was to enjoy the slower pace of country life. Our long-term plan was to retire and become snowbirds.

A Walk of Faith

I publicly embraced Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior on March 28, 1999, and have been on a fascinating journey with Him ever since.

Life is full of twists and turns, potholes and pitfalls, with many detours along the way. Sometimes we make a wrong turn. Then, like a GPS, we have to “recalculate” and begin all over again. But amidst all the distractions in life, I’ve discovered that detours have a purpose. God provides lovely scenery along the way. He enriches our lives with deep friendships, exciting adventures and new opportunities. It takes time to learn that when you carefully choose each step, He will faithfully guide your path. Then at the end of each day, I count my blessings and thank God for the lessons I’ve learned and the people I’ve met.

A Test of Faith

When we first arrived at Hickory Grove, my husband and I never imagined how this little farm would become a place of respite and healing.  In April 2022, Neil was diagnosed with Central Nervous System Lymphoma, an extremely rare type of cancer. Untreated, life expectancy is only a few months. We put our retirement plans on hold and braced ourselves to battle Neil’s cancer.

Initially we traveled to Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City every two weeks for his early rounds of chemotherapy, then later transferred to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. Our brief visits home between treatments  provided rest and renewal. Neil completed his chemotherapy in July 2022, and achieved complete remission.

In October 2022 Neil underwent a grueling stem cell transplant that ravaged his entire body and tested his mental fortitude. His doctors told him this was his best chance at long-term remission. In November, we returned home to Hickory Grove to begin the long road to recovery.

This has been a detour like no other. Yet throughout this terrible ordeal, we witnessed God’s love in action. We will never forget the amazing people we met, including cancer warriors and their caregivers, and many doctors and angel nurses who helped saved Neil’s life. Thanks to God’s grace and mercy, we are looking forward to many years of health and harvest at Hickory Grove!

Unlike my husband, I do not possess a green thumb, so I leave the gardening to him. In addition to blogging, my hobbies include cooking (especially Mediterranean-style recipes), genealogy, and bird watching.

Thank you for visiting. I hope you’ll come back often. Please follow and leave your comments.

Dawn

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