Our Story

It all began when…

I am often asked if I grew up on a farm.  Heavens no! However, I do remember as a young child daydreaming of living on a farm. Even as a young adult, riding on trains, something about the passing farmsteads was intensely attracting.  I longed for that life. Nope, I’m a city slicker that had some interest in horses and gardening. That’s where it started I suppose. My suburban vegetable garden seemed to not be getting pollinated very well. I went to "bee school" to learn how to attract and keep bees. About this time we started looking at properties.  My mother, a long-time supporter of land conservancy and a wonderful landscape and wildlife photographer, purchased the Laurel Hill property in 2008. We moved out into the woods soon after and began a beehive and blazed footpaths and trails through the woods. We bought our first chickens and there our farm lessons and "life" lessons began in earnest.  The chickens were attacked by a wandering dog, three survived. Coyotes, foxes, snakes, and owls all shared the woods and our affection for the chickens. Oh, the stories we can tell and love to tell!  

The long story made short is now we have around 6 miles of trails, 2 retired horses that we call ‘pasture ornaments’, a dozen or so Nubian goats, chickens, guinea fowl, 5 Great Pyrenese, 2 Australian Shepherds, a cat, bees and the occasional pigs. 

We continue to learn and seem to be collecting stories- from the ridiculous to the sublime. Amy has begun to offer classes and host talks and events in order to build a community around the farm and in order to share in the learning.  So the adventure and education continue. We invite you to join in and see for yourself what it means to be on "Laurel Hill Time". —- Amy