Pat Is Retiring

Sort of…

Last issue, I pondered this cover image from the very first issue of GREENPRINTS, Spring 1990 and wrote, “I like to think of that hand as mine, and the seedling this magazine as a baby tree. The hand has aged in 32 years, but the tree is in its prime, ready to grow for years to come.”

That, dearly beloved readers, was a hint.

Over three decades ago I had the idea, “Why not start a magazine that shares the human, not the how-to, side of gardening?” In time, over 11,000 of you have grown to cherish our small “Weeder’s Digest.” Creating it for you—choosing and editing the stories, as-signing the art, putting the issues together—has been a deep joy.

But trying to make it a successful business? Balancing the books, selling the ads, doing all the promotion, keeping up with the renewals, managing the website, etc.—that’s been hard. Frankly, at 72, that responsibility has gotten heavy.

Then, too, I have other things I want to do in my life while I still can. Now, before getting old gets me old.

It’s time for me to pass the magazine on. I am so very, very grateful for you, the community of GREENPRINTS subscribers, and the ways we all care for each other through this magazine.

“But, Pat!”— I can hear your cries from here—“What’s going to happen to GREENPRINTS?!”

That, oh friends near and far, has been a huge concern of mine for over a year. And now, at last, I can tell you. Put your hearts at ease. I have some very, very good news for you.

You will find it here.

Pat Stone, Founding Editor