About Me

I think that things worth doing are worth doing right.  For me, the right way is always the ethical way, the thoughtful way, and usually the long, slow, sometimes hard, way.  The way that is the least harmful to the planet and the most beneficial to the people on that planet. It is the just, compassionate and communal way, which is always the local, seasonal and sustainable way. Right living for me is a way of living into each moment presented to us. It’s opening your eyes, and your heart, and paying attention. Believe it or not, everything matters.

I grew up on a New England  sheep farm, where I learned an abiding appreciation for nature, in conjunction with hard work; one that most people don’t get to experience. I started riding at 6 and started my love affair with all animals, but especially horses. They teach such eloquent, wordless, lessons. We grew much of our own food, raised lamb and chickens and goats and ducks, built our own house, chopped our own wood for fuel and lived a beau colic rural lifestyle. That childhood experience has shaped the course of my life. Farming and growing, working hard and working together have become essential to a life lived with value, courage and joy.

It has not been easy for me. In 2006 I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster over the years, but I try to stay focused, and strive to live a balanced life in harmony with my environment.  Knitting, writing, cooking, gardening, medication and my family’s continual support help me stay on the top side of this crazy tightrope. Always a delicate balance.

I love all the good things; a comfortable bed, good shoes, excellent food, my family. I have been blessed with a steadfast, loving husband, good friends, and interesting people around me. I look for the cycles in things, try to see where it all works together. I try to vote with my dollars.

I currently work at a small private school where I run a garden program and get to teach young adults how to grow their own food (and work hard, and eat well, among other things).   I have a teaching garden whose produce supplies the students, faculty, staff and school kitchen with fresh local produce three seasons of the year.  During the winter I grow in a specialized greenhouse called a Growing Spaces growing dome (Check it out https://growingspaces.com/growing-dome-tours/) The season of Covid-19 has been a productive one for me; I used my time to finish the first draft of my new novel Bridge to Eden, a speculative dystopian story of a young woman trying to find her own delicate balance in a future world of my imagining. I’m just getting started on another. You might see excerpts here from time to time.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  I’d love to hear from you!