ABOUT ME

I'm an organic herb farmer and herbalist in beautiful Bucks Co. Pennsylvania. I love the work I do and I love being outside. My life allows me to live seasonally: to experience exuberance in the warm times, and to hibernate and binge-read novels in the winter (at least, that's what I aim for). Regardless of the season, I feel blessed to get to work with the magical fragrances, flavors, and healing powers of herbs each day. I am grateful that drinking tea and taking herbal baths is a necessary part of my job, and I am always seeking to share the herbal abundance with others.

I'm a certified yoga instructor; I love to practice before sleeping and upon waking -- I'd be happy to give a lesson or two. I would also love to talk about herbs with anyone who's interested in incorporating herbs into their wellness. And I practice reiki, and would be thrilled to give a healing.

PHILOSOPHY

"Expect nothing; Live frugally on surprise." -- Alice Walker

MY FARM
I grow herbs and make herbal products. If you're curious: http://www.locustlightfarm.com/

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Just surfing for now.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In 2013 I spent six weeks traveling through Italy and France, couchsurfing most of the way. I had an incredible time. My couchsurfing hosts and friends really made my experience a great one. I decided that couchsurfing is a great way to renew one's faith in humanity: you meet so many generous, wonderful people who are opening their homes to you simply because you asked and they want to meet you.

In 2014 I stayed with a couchsurfing host in Connecticut while attending an herbalism course. It was great!

Interests

The semicolon. Basil. Falling asleep at my desk each night writing. Jumping off the track to become a vegetable farmer. Jumping off the track again to become an herb farmer. Finding new ways to cook grains. Evangelizing the power of the bitter flavor. Adding even more garlic to pesto. Swimming in thunderstorms. Smelling every book before I read it. Avoiding ticking clocks. And sometimes sleeping in.

• horses
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• cooking
• yoga
• instructor
• drinking
• traveling
• music
• surfing
• track and field
• swimming
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

My reading habits tend toward poetry (especially French and Persian), philosophy, and books about nutrition, herbs, and wellness. I also love young adult lit and am crazy about graphic novels.

I quite enjoy folk and acoustic music. This winter I've been listening to Ben Howard, The Head and the Heart, James Vincent McMurrow, and The Wailin Jennys.

Film noir.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Watching draft horses compete in pulling contests always blows my mind. And terrifies me.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to exchanges ideas of all sorts. I probably have the most to offer on herbalism, holistic healing, cooking and nutrition (I'd love to cook with you!), yoga, growing plants, wellness, and spiritual ponderings. Also a smathering of poetry, graphic novels, and select random genres of literature.

I love to learn about the daily facts of living in other places and am very interested in our interactions with the space around us. I would like to learn more about music and the languages of the places I visit. As a farmer I am of course extremely interested in local cuisine, and as an herbalist I'm very nosy about the "weeds" growing outside.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Yoga Lessons
Herbalism Consultation
Reiki Healing
Cooking

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, France, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Norway, Peru

Countries I’ve Lived In

Peru