I graduated in 1988 with a B.A. in Spanish after studying 2 years in Granada, Spain. I loved living in Spain and almost stayed there to marry a man but I decided to return home instead. I continued studying literature at the University of Minnesota in the Spanish department and went on to get a Ph.D. I taught language, literature and film courses there till 2001 when I decided to change course and buy a farm. I had been very interested in traditional homesteading and sustainable farming so I bought a 30 acre farm and raised sheep, goats, cows, turkeys, ducks and chickens. Unfortunately my farm was in the middle conventional farming and affected greatly by adjoining pesticide and herbicide spraying, among other things, so I recently sold my farm and am planning to buy another place soon in the Bluff areas along the Mississippi (in Wisconsin.)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The idea of couch surfing reminds me of the hitchhiking (Autostop) I did in Spain; sometimes it was the best part of a trip! You never knew who you were going to meet, if you were going to get on well and what they were going to share with you. Sometimes it was wonderful, sometimes scary and sometimes kind of boring, but it was barebones life. This is what I imagine since I have yet to do it but this is what I would like to get from traveling. And I plan on traveling quite a bit in the next couple years in order to see my son, who is living in Paris, and attend his concerts or competitions around the world since he is a classical guitarist.

Interests

I love animals, any species, and a wide variety of books & music! I also love cooking and trying different cuisines; lately I've been experimenting with wine and cheese making. My main passion is sustainable farming and homesteading; for the last 5 years I had a 30 acre farm (Bishop Farm) in southern Minnesota where I raised grass-fed lamb, Highlander beef and Nubian dairy goats.

• animals
• chickens
• books
• literature
• concerts
• cooking
• wine
• cheese
• traveling
• homesteading
• music
• surfing
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

I will never tire of listening to the "Concierto de Aranjuez" with David Russell, and I'm a fan of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. I like many other kinds of music such as Bonobo, Devotchka, classical country like Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, as well as Brazilian 'Bossa Nova', Latin American 'Nueva Canción'.

Books I have recently liked: "Alias, Grace" by Margaret Atwood, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith, "Jim, the boy" by Tony Earley, & "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. MOVIES: "El Orfanato" (the Spanish film, "The Orphanage", I've seen many times and am always affected by it.) Other favorites: "Pieces of April" , "Life is Beautiful" & "My Left Foot".

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I will never forget the feeling of helping a ewe (sheep) give birth! One of my ewes was having trouble pushing out her lambs. I checked the presentation of the first lamb and it was coming out 'butt first'. It was the middle of the night and I didn't have anyone to help me. So, with right hand, between the ewe's contractions, I had to turn the lamb around so that it's head and front feet were facing the right way. The ewe seemed to realize I was helping her and started pushing hard when the next contraction came. I was pulling the front feet, keeping the head forward, and with several pushes we were able to get the lamb out. The lamb was alive and well! It was such a wonderful experience!

Teach, Learn, Share

I try to follow the Buddha path of staying open and being present to learn and share. Sometimes it is easy, sometimes hard.

What I Can Share with Hosts

How to milk a goat, herd sheep, rotational grazing:) Are you interested in making cheese, yogurt or hard apple cider? Do you need to learn how to drive a stick shift? ...grow a tomato, make pesto, kombucha?

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Norway, Spain, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Spain, United States