Today marks twenty years of blogging, creating, and sharing online. I started my blog to connect with my sisters and mother, who lived on both coasts. At that time, I had just begun knitting, so the blog initially focused on knitting, cooking, and gardening. My cats, Bean and Noodle, also inspired the name of my Etsy shop, where I sold hand-knit baby hats starting in 2007.
For a few years, I blogged regularly and found it easy to cultivate an online community of fellow bloggers. I engaged in numerous conversations with commenters, discovered new interests, and even received design job offers from people who found my blog or Etsy shop.
As time passed, social media and my newsletter started to replace my blog as my primary platforms for sharing. However, I never completely stopped blogging. Since 2020, I’ve been publishing a series of Five Question Interviews featuring local women creatives and business owners from my small town and nearby communities.
Looking back at my old blog posts, Instagram updates, and newsletters is a lot of fun. They serve as a time capsule of my adult life, allowing me to see how much the trees we’ve planted have grown, revisit recipes I had forgotten, and remember some of my favorite finds online.
I appreciate y’all who have listened me to prattle on for all these years.
Caitlin Harris Moore is the owner of Shepard’s Flock Farm, a woman-owned and operated Elgin-based permaculture farm specializing in Texas native habitats and the cultivation of seasonal produce. Caitlin teaches classes in her apothecary on the farm.
1. Why did you move to Elgin?
I grew up in a small town near Houston and went to Austin for college (Hilltopper pride). After college, I met my husband and we started our family. I really missed the comfort and speed of small-town life. We weren’t cut out for Austin. So we headed East – in search of bigger sky and fertile soil. Best choice we ever made – I love our community!
2. What compels you to spend time creating?
I’m very stubborn and particular. Once I have an idea in mind, there’s no letting it go. I like to get my hands into new projects. I pride myself on bringing things to fruition – with as little help as possible. I want to live a small life full of handmade things with worn-down edges and coffee stains.
3. Tell me three things you’ve learned in the past five years.
1. The Pythagorean Theorem (for greenhouse building) – I guess I learned it back in high school but those brain cells have come and gone.
2. I’m never going to go through that random bag of stuff I just shoved into the closet – it’s ok to donate it!
3. Getting enough sleep is not overrated. Being well-rested can fix almost anything. So boring but I think most epiphanies are, honestly.
4. What are you currently making, reading, watching, or listening to?
I am opening up a new piece of land for the farm. It’s a brutal process of hard manual labor but to me, it’s the most rewarding part of farming. I’m always reading Stephen King and always listening to angsty ’90s girl alt-rock, or a podcast about farming or murder.
5. Cake or Pie?
This question. Why so cruel? My initial answer is pie. It feeds that human desire to enjoy fresh seasonal native fruits in a simple form. But, I really love making and decorating cakes for my kids’ birthday parties. There have been some complicated ones! They never really turn out quite right but my kids think I am a magician and the joy it brings them is untouchable.
Erin is a South Carolina native who moved to the Central Texas area in 2018. She lives in Elgin with her husband and 3 kids. Together, with her business partners, she opened the Lightnin’ Bar in downtown Elgin with the goal of creating a welcoming space that features live music and helps to create a more vibrant downtown. In addition to running the bar, Erin works at a long-time Austin print shop and community space, Feels So Good, helping to host music festivals, vendor markets, and more.
1. Why did you move to Elgin?
When we were looking for a house to buy, we started checking out Elgin because we had a lot of friends that were moving out here. We loved the architecture and the close knit community of creatives that was beginning to form. It seemed like a great place to raise our kids while still being close to the city and our family in Austin.
2. What compels you to spend time creating?
We saw a need in the community and felt that we could fill that need. Our original plan had a lot more to it, including a small grocery store and deli by day with a bar by night. We quickly learned that we should start small and once we started looking for spaces and found the right one, the Lightnin’ Bar was formed.
3. Tell me three things you’ve learned in the past five years.
That despite the growth Elgin is seeing, getting people downtown is a challenge. I started working with the Main Street Board to do my part to change that!
I’m originally from an island off the South Carolina coast and I’ve struggled with not being close to the ocean, but I’ve learned to love rivers, lakes, and have discovered some pretty great beaches in Texas.
In the last five years, I went from having 1 kid to 3 kids. I can’t even begin to express all that I’ve learned in that time, but I will say that 3 kids is way harder than 2 and we are still trying to figure out a balance. It truly takes a village, but we are lucky to have support here in Elgin and we are VERY excited for the new splash pad downtown.
4. What are you currently making, reading, watching, or listening to?
I do a lot of driving into Austin for work and I’ve been listening to a podcast called “Sounds like a Cult” that dives into all the fringe or even mainstream obsessions that we all follow that can feel very cult-like. Things like the Cult of Disney Adults or the Cult of Lululemon. It’s funny and easy to listen to, which is exactly what I need. And – anyone who has talked to me long enough has probably heard me go on about The Nightowl Podcast. It’s a local (Austin) podcast that visits haunted places in the region with different mediums. The stories that come out of it are wild. I’m secretly always hoping that the bar is haunted, but we haven’t had any weird experiences yet. I’d love to hear of any Elgin hauntings, though!
5. Cake or Pie?
I don’t think I’ve come across a cake I didn’t like. But I have had pies I don’t like. So…. CAKE!
Lightnin’ Bar Follow for information about music, events, and holiday hours.
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Bean & Noodle 