Cross Quarter Club: Autumn Gathering 2023

In early 2022, I started a seasonal living club for gardeners and nature lovers in York, Pennsylvania. We come together four times per year, at the height of winter, spring, summer, and autumn, to work on a project that connects us to earth and season. Each gathering is an invitation to pause and deepen into the season we’re in, try our hands at something new, and circle together in community. We are a welcoming and inclusive group for cis and trans women and non-binary people (who are comfortable in spaces centering on women’s experiences) of any age, race, religion, or sexual orientation. There are no entry or membership requirements to join. If you are feeling the call to live more mindfully with the cycles of nature and enjoy plants & flowers, then this is the group for you!

Our fourth and final 2023 gathering was held on Sunday, October 15th, at our favorite park pavilion in Yoe, Pennsylvania. We met at 2 pm and enjoyed a lovely fall afternoon with a dried wreath workshop led by Jennifer Lubman of Muhly & Cedar, followed by charcuterie, hot apple cider, and the sharing table. Read on for the complete recap!

Welcome & Introductions

After everyone arrived, we took a moment to ground and center ourselves in the season with a poem by Mary Oliver. Then, I shared a little about where we were on the Wheel of the Year, approaching Samhain, the third and final harvest festival. Traditions around the world and throughout history during this time focus on themes of gratitude, remembering the past, and looking forward to the future. Autumn is a season for wrapping up unfinished business and readying our hearts and homes for the coming Winter. Crafting dried wreaths was a perfect way to remember the abundance of summer and spend the afternoon creating something beautiful to adorn our homes through the colder months.

Then, we got started with brief introductions. As an introvert, I am not the biggest fan of icebreakers, but I cherish this time for Cross Quarter Club! We kept it simple and just shared our name, where we’re from, and what we’re excited about this season — which could be something you're growing in your garden, a new recipe you’re trying, something you’re doing, or a place you like to go in this particular season. I love hearing what everyone else is passionate about and always walk away with many inspiring ideas! Plus, this an excellent opportunity for us to discover like-interests and similar projects we might be working on, which provides ample conversation starters for later on!

Dried Botanical Wreath-Making Workshop

Our workshop was led by Jennifer Lubman of the botanical boutique Muhly & Cedar in Shrewsbury, with assistance from her landscape designer husband, Dave. Jenn and Dave are such a cool couple! After 20 years working alongside eachother in the horticulture world, they are combining their businesses and relocating to their new farm in Collinsville, PA. Look for a feature on Muhly & Cedar coming soon to the journal! They brought a stunning selection of dried flowers, seed heads, botanicals, mosses, mushrooms, and fresh eucalyptus for us to create with. The whole pavilion smelled heavenly! Jennifer walked us through the steps of designing and crafting our own wreaths, and it was so amazing to see how unique everyone’s wreath turned out!

Seasonal Snacks & Drinks

A beautiful spread of seasonally-inspired snacks, baked goods, and drinks has become a Cross Quarter Club tradition! This time, we enjoyed an autumn apple and cheese charcuterie board, with creamy fig spread, nuts, olives, crackers, fresh bread, and hot apple cider. 

The Sharing Table

We conclude each Midseason Gathering with The Sharing Table, where we put our club values of reciprocity and community care into practice. Each person is encouraged to bring 1 item for the table, but it’s not a transactional thing — it’s no issue if someone doesn’t have anything to share, just like it’s no issue if someone has an abundance to share! Everyone gets a chance to “shop” the Sharing Table before they leave.  In the past, I have planned themes to fit our club’s focus on gardening & seasonal living and the time of year we’re in (like the garden bounty share for summer, and houseplant and perennial division swap for autumn) but other items have always been welcome too! More and more we are leaning into this practice, bringing whatever we have to share, whether that’s books, plants, produce, homemade bath & body products, a favorite recipe, or home decor items. The Sharing Table really is an evolving ritual we have created together and something that I really cherish and enjoy!

Read my blog post: The Story of the Sharing Table

This was our eighth Cross Quarter Club gathering, marking the end of our second year as a club. It is such an honor and a joy to see the beautiful and vibrant community we're growing, around the simple idea of living with the seasons. I can’t wait for 2024!

Thank you once again to Britt McCreary for capturing these images!