An excerpt from my journal

Author Anna Grotelueschen

Published July 21, 2026

The summer solstice greets me with grace and tenderness following a week of stormy mornings. Thursday’s rain brought about my favorite day here so far, all downpours and discarded rainjackets. Farm chores feel easier when everyone is joking about using the landscape fabric as a slip-n-slide. Friday I took to Burlington on my own; I sampled pastries on a graffitied bench and visited Lake Champlain for the first time. Yesterday, I spent nearly ten hours in the wood shop, making only the slowest progress on my bowl… and this morning’s banana pancakes, hand-smooshed by Ela, leave me eager to face the week ahead. As my time at Smokey House creeps on, I have only grown fonder of this place.’

Here in Danby, everything feels surprisingly abundant. The blueberries ripen faster than any hands could dream of picking, my stack of unread books grows taller each time I turn my back, and the rolling hills stretch out so far that I can hardly spot where they meet the sky. Shane makes too much coffee almost every morning, and I am filled to the brim with gratitude. 

I recall my first day on the Smokey House farm. The nervous hum that often accompanies a new job quickly faded, replaced by curiosity and enthusiasm when I was introduced to the summer’s agenda. We were to partake in an assortment of work in forest inventory, maple research, ash stewardship, invasive species management, and agroforestry research, all while forging connections with every naturalist in southern Vermont. I remember thinking that the role’s name, ‘Future Forester Apprentice,’ hardly captured the scope of the experience… and it seems I had hit the nail on the head. Not only have I dabbled in the work of a forester, but I feel adequately equipped in the arts of farming, logging, carpentry, science-communicating, wood turning, frolicking, zucchini-growing, and rock-laying. Reflecting on my time here in Danby leaves me overflowing with appreciation. The staff here have transformed Smokey House into an ever-evolving community of passionate people, each brought here on a separate life path but unifying here in a shared, harmonious mission. 

I was never part of a forestry program, academically. I have only had the opportunity to take a single month-long forest ecosystems course… Yet somehow, I felt entirely competent, supported, and able to grow throughout my time here. The rare opportunity to have all of my most ignorant questions answered, all of my uninformed ideas considered, truly embodied the support I needed most at this point in my learning. It is difficult to express how much I feel I have gained during my summer at Smokey House. I can only send my endless appreciation to everyone involved in making this program possible!

______________________