My Story
Welcome to the Firsthorse Sandbox!
Thanks for stopping by.
My name is Jackie and this is my website to test out web design ideas and to improve my skills on Squarespace 7.1. My day job is teaching at the Chester County Career Center and my side gigs include managing the Horses & Humans Research Foundation website.
I love being outdoors and am fortunate to live close to a river. Hobbies include kayaking, fishing, gardening, travel, and making homemade wine. I enjoy a good cup of hot tea with a splash of whole milk.
Cheers!
Gardening
Homemade Wine
Recently, I discovered the joy of wine making. After picking a lot of wild muscadine grapes in the fall of 2025, I experimented with muscadine wine. Turned out great, so I made a second batch. The recipe I followed loosely came from homebrewing.org.
Since then I have made several batches of mead including my version of Viking Blood mead and this summer my first batch of blackberry wine.
Mead recipe from wildsprout.org
Viking Blood Mead from Dointhemost.org.
Blackberry wine from celebrationgeneration.com
This is not my garden, but a typical flower border found in the UK. This combination of flowers is spectacular in the summer months. Found these flowers in Tenby, Wales summer 2025.
Yoga
Check out DoYogaWithMe for some great classes to suit all skill levels and interests.
Straw Bale Gardening
We are located on red clay; gardening has its challenges. Having tried several different methods to improve the soil, I have settled on strawbale gardening for immediate success and to improve the overall quality of the soil. The strawbales create a perfect environment for seasonal fruits and vegetables, and after a year or two they become perfect compost!
Clemson University has a good step by step guide to setting up a strawbale garden. In 2026 I am growing beans, squash, canteloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, sweet potatos, peppers, and herbs in strawbales.
