May 2nd, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Beltane is the cross quarter celebration halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice of our big sky clock. It is a time of great fertility and we celebrate the fecundity of the earth as well as ourselves! All members are invited to a ceremony, potluck and bonfire, as well as a maypole dance. I do ask that you read through our Community Guidelines before attending. Because these celebrations are deeply ...
Saturday, September 27th at 10:30 a.m.A time to connect with the land and each other through the practical work of the upkeep of the sanctuary. No experience is necessary. You may be weeding a garden bed, carrying wood, cleaning out a chicken coop, or prepping materials for one of our classes. But whatever it is, your contribution will be so appreciated, and will give you a chance to join in community and create a beautiful space for ...
Hi everyone! Our last Mystery School meetup was once again a wonderful time! We had so much fun making the corn dolls, playing Nature Bingo, and harvesting tomatoes and spice bush berries. We had a snack of salsa (made from the tomatoes) and chips, and spice bush berries were sent home for drying (to later grind as a spice like peppercorns). Corn Doll Making Corn Doll Making Corn Doll ...
Sunday, September 14th at Gateway Farm Just a reminder that I will be making a presentation at Gateway Farm in Plymouth on Sunday along with other local folks in the permaculture community. The organizers have now made it a FREE event, by donation only! So if that was a concern for you, you do not have to miss out! Here is a summary of the talk I will be giving. ✨ It's All Connected Do ...
I will be out of town for the next couple of weeks with my family, but before we go, I am very excited to share with you this drawing I received yesterday from Garden Juju Collective. It is the first draft of our land design for the front field area. Behind the county drain (blue line marked at the top), is about ten acres of woods with trails throughout that is not shown on the drawing. This ...
We would like to invite those who have spent time at the Farm and Sanctuary to submit inspired poetry, photos, or experiences from your visit. These then will be posted here for all to enjoy, and to feel together the connections being made within our shared human and nonhuman community. You may email your submissions to: crossinghedgerowssanctuary@gmail.com Sincerely, ~Your friends at Crossing Hedgerows Farm and Sanctuary~
A unique aspect of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm is that we incorporate our spiritual practices with the day to day aspects of caring for the land and creating resilient systems. Sometimes it feels like a lot of balls in the air to juggle community building, ecosystem reparations, seasonal celebrations, and farm work. The mission of our nonprofit is extensive to be sure.To that end, the degree to which we can develop each of these aspects of ...
Spontaneous dandelion offering left by Charlotte for the Spirits of the Land For those who have not been to a recent work day, I would like to share what they are like and how they have been evolving, using our most recent one as an example. To begin, we take a moment to thank the Spirits of the Land for their abundance. We then spend awhile taking a walk around to see what is happening on ...
We have had lots of beautiful snow and ice creating gorgeous scenes over the past weeks. Ice covered maple leaf by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC It is such a joy to be able to share this abundance with all of you. And your support is making it possible for us to do that. You are what is known as the "early adopters". By becoming members, you are reducing others' uncertainty about whether this is a worthwhile ...
We will once again gather at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow for our monthly member Walk and Bonfire. It should be a lovely day for it! Please feel free to bring a dish or beverage to pass, and instruments, songs, poetry, or stories to share. Thank you all for your continued support. 🐉 Jean
We had a relaxing gathering yesterday. It was spent mostly sitting in the shade of a mulberry tree whilst sharing a potluck together. We were serenaded by a catbird, one of which Brennah captured in this photo a few days prior. Gray Catbird by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC According to the Cornell Bird Lab, "Catbirds are secretive but energetic, hopping and fluttering from branch to branch through tangles of vegetation. Singing males sit ...
We had a nice turnout and gorgeous weather for our May gathering. These pictures are mainly from the bonfire and potluck portion of the day. We had egg salad made with eggs from Crossing Hedgerows Farm, crackers, potato chips, and Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble made from our farm fresh rhubarb. Doug also brought a Lentil Salad (made by his wife Pat) that was scrumptious. And Alissa brought a wonderful Rhubarb Mead. But before all that we had a ...
Excavating a fallen log, a little native bee works busily away to build a nest for her offspring. Blossoms of wild geranium, violets, and anemones peek out here and there. Insects go about their business breaking down the detritus that would overwhelm us if not for them. The alchemy of creating life out of death goes on constantly under our feet, in a world that mostly goes unnoticed.Oftentimes, that is the way of things... the true stars ...
It was another good community work day on Thursday. We started with a little walk around the farm... in which I apparently made at least one funny face! The honey berry bushes are blossoming and the lilacs are getting close. Honey berries produce edible, sweet, oblong shaped blue berries. They're in the honeysuckle family and another of our beloved perennials.Next we planted up many seed trays - one of my favorites being nasturtiums. I can't wait to ...
Last year at about this time, just before the lockdown, we took one of our workdays to make elderberry syrup together from elderberries harvested at Crossing Hedgerows. It's the kind of thing we'd like to do more of in the future. crushing the elderberries cooking and stirring the elderberries cooking and stirring the elderberries adding the honey straining out the pulp ...
I thought, just for fun, you might like to see the very first announcement we put out about Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary. Doug Pierce invited me to share his vending table at the Ann Arbor Pagan Pride Day in 2018, and I handed out these flyers to folks. Doug had already agreed to be on the CHFS board with the Cavanaughs if we thought there would be enough interest from the community. I also gathered contact ...
Here is a little music clip from one of our bonfires a few years back. Music is always very welcomed and encouraged at our gatherings! https://youtu.be/ixS_fIdv06w Jean
Before the idea of the formal nonprofit (Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary) was born, the Cavanaugh family held a monthly Potluck/Bonfire that included music, story-telling and dance. Everyone always had a lot of fun and they continued for about three years. spiral dance music at the bonfire young people's drama, story-telling and games Though I've had some health issues and life transitions over these last several years, creating the ...
Happy Imbolc to those who celebrate! As we start to look towards the coming of spring and the preparations needed for our upcoming projects, it was wonderful to gather on a snowy winter day to talk and share together. chatting in the back field As we say farewell to the season of Samhain, I am having a look at Caitlin Matthews' suggested activities for the coming Imbolc months (she is the author of ...
Growing up as the daughter of a minister, I lived and breathed the Church, and was an active member in many ways. For me, the vision of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary is as a similar institution. Meaning that it is bigger than any one person, or particular leadership. The vision that the Sanctuary Board has put forth is one that allows for a long-standing organization that can last for generations. yew tree berries - photo by ...