Hello, my name is Margaret Roesch and I have been lucky enough to share the past 27 years with my wife, Pat McAulay. Pat moved to Durham from Flint, MI and I am a transplant from West Lafayette, IN. We met in Durham and chose to create our 55+, LGBTQ+, cohousing community here in Durham, a very Gay-friendly city in the liberal part of NC called The Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill). Our condo-style homes on 5 of our 15 acres in N. Durham consist of 28 individual 1-story homes. The homes are connected in side-by-side quads, brightly colored, and are within close distance of the 2600 SF, Common House.  We’ve been here 3 years, and I still smile every morning when I wake up and realize we really live here! There are challenges for us to learn new ways to communicate and navigate the process of making decisions with 27 other homeowners. I feel like there’s always something coming up to do, and something new for me to learn which is essential to keep our minds active and engaged!  Pat and I wanted to avoid the loneliness and isolation we often see as folks age and mobility becomes more difficult. In addition, we wanted to be in a community with like-minded neighbors who could share resources and give and receive neighborly support. Village Hearth was a dream in 2015 when we hired our Development Consultant, Katie McCamant (Cohousing Solutions) and by 2020 we were moving into our completed homes. We are a lovely mix of well-educated, well-traveled, politically aware, partnered, married, widowed, divorced, and living single or with partners/spouses. We also are a mix of LGBTQ+ folks and folks who identify themselves as “straight”.  All of us at Village Hearth have a special bond because of all we have seen affect the LGBTQ+ community over the decades. We have rejoiced and cried at the events we have seen in person or on TV.  We have come too far to have to go back into the closet. And, in a community like Village Hearth, we know we can always feel understood, respected, and free to be who we really are. Check out the story on CNBC! https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/12/how-lgbtq-seniors-can-tackle-their-special-caregiving-challenges.html.Village Hearth Website: About Village Hearth - VILLAGE HEARTH (villagehearthcohousing.com)Village Hearth Co-Housing Facebook Page: (10) FacebookResources:Cohousing.orgCohoUS (Cohousing Association of the U.S.)Ic.orgFoundation for Intentional CommunitiesCohousing-solutions.comKatie McCamant, President, Cohousing Solutions(0ur fabulous Development Consultant)Senior Cohousing Handbook, 2nd Ed. A Community Approach to Independent LivingCharles Durrett, Author (ebook or paperback)…and one of the best ways to get a feel for Village Hearth and Durham is to look through our newsletter archives: tinyurl.com/VHCnewsarchiveVillageHearthCohousing.comSure, here are some quick facts about Durham, North Carolina:Support the showIf you enjoy these podcasts, please make a donation by clicking the coffee cup on any page of our website www.wheredogaysretire.com. Each cup of coffee costs $5 and goes towards bringing you these podcasts in the future.If you or you know someone who is interested in being a guest on the podcast, please contact me at mark@wheredogaysretire.com. Thank you so much for listening!