VH community memoir

I moved from Modesto to Davis to attend UCD when my three children were in Junior High.  By the time I graduated, they were in High School and I became interested in buying a solar house.

Because of time constraints, Village Homes was the only contractor who could meet the building requirements.  Mike asked what I needed in a home, and my reply was three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a double garage.  Mike suggested that I could have a great den if I gave up the garage but I stayed with the garage and have been thankful ever since.  Teenagers come with a lot of stuff, sports equipment, and cars , etc. 

I was raised on a farm so the green belts and open areas appealed to me.  I loved the fact that there was nothing on the land when they began to build which gave me the opportunity to plant whatever I wanted, so I set about turning my little piece of land into a mini-farm. Over the years I have grown numerous and assorted fruit trees and vegetables, keeping what grows and changing what doesn’t. Watching the seasons change with the change of crops is probably my favorite part of living in the Village.

There have been some adventures over the years.  We had a flume fire in the wood stove one Thanksgiving.  Just as my mom and sister arrived so did the fire engines.  Terror and excitement for a time but all was fine.

My neighbors, two college students, had steaks outside on their hibachi and had gone inside to fix a salad in preparation for having a nice dinner for their girlfriends.  Of course, we had no fences at the time and my black lab had followed me outside.  She slipped away when I wasn’t looking and grabbed both steaks off the hibachi.  It all turned out well when I paid for more steaks and they got them cooked in time.

There was the time a visiting possum got into my chicken pen and killed a few of the chickens. After that, I decided my mini-farm did not need livestock.

There is always something to do in the Village from walking over to the Community Center to listen to music at the Performance Circle or a visiting group or participating in the annual Arts and Craft Fair that I helped establish.

There is also the opportunity to serve on one of the active Boards that help keep the Village going.  I have had the pleasure of being on all the boards over the years except the Plumshire Board. 

As with all things, there have been many changes in the Village over time, some good and some not-so-good.  The saddest change for me is the loss of the almond trees.  My house is next to Arlington and in the Spring the almond blossoms would snow down on my deck, it was like living in the middle of an orchard.  The trees also acted as a buffer from the traffic noise of Arlington.

When I first moved into the Village the medium age of the adults was probably around 40, of course over time the children grew up, moved away, and we all got older.  The Village was getting gray, but a few years ago new life moved in with younger families with young children.

Not too long ago there was a play evening at the Community Center with food trucks, music, games for “children of all ages” and adult drinks.  Fun for all and much laughter.

There has been a shift in direction from an emphasis on the use of solar energy to the conservation of the use of water.  The constraints on water use will continue to bring about a change in what we can grow and how we use the land.  For now, I still enjoy my mini-farm.

This morning I looked out my kitchen window to see the snow peas hanging heavy on the vine, the broad leaves of the Bok Choy glistening with dew, and the last of the persimmons adding a dash of burnt-orange color.  The tree was bountiful this year and I was able to share with family, friends, and neighbors.  Life is good in the Village.