Q Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I have two adult children who are both wonderful, generous, adventurous people
Q Please tell us about your current career. What do you love most about what you do?
I am a shepherd and lease out my herds to eat overgrown landscapes. I love working outside in all seasons, working with animals. This is me doing what I can about climate change…saving trees that capture carbon, from strangling vines using goats and sheep
Q What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
Broken tulip and Metzger’s
Q How long have you lived or worked in our community?
Lived here since 78
Q Who is the most interesting person you\’ve met here in our community?
Ralph White is particularly interesting due to his indefatigable work ethic and can-do regardless-of-setbacks attitude
Q If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Uganda so I can see and experience the cities and countryside where my oldest daughter lived and worked for 3 years.
Q What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
I haven’t had a TV in decades
TV show: I don’t know…
Movies…Monty Python and the Holy Grail…it’s my go-to wacky fun movie
Q What advice would you give to people?
Consider that people who have radically different opinions from yours…that they really do mean well and so find that light, some piece of goodness within each person you encounter.
Q What is something on your bucket list?
Hike the continental divide, probably solo
Q What is your go-to band when you can’t decide what to listen to?
Kate Wolf was a lovely singer-songwriter-guitarist. Trampled by turtles is a good high energy folk-inspired band I enjoy
Q What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
Grace place vegan restaurant
Q If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y\’all meet for this lunch?
Jane Goodall and we’d go to galaxy cafe in Carytown. She’s inspiring and I’d enjoy hearing about her dreams for the Earth’s future
Q What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
Richmond is a not very big, small town …really all of us are only separated by one or two degrees at the most. I can’t go anywhere and not meet some people that I know. Or people that know people I know.
Q Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Well as a farmer I want to expand my goat weed grazing work into sheep grazing under solar panel farms so I’m sure I’ll be doing that in at least five years if not sooner. And I’ll be expanding this entire industry by training others to take up this line of work. and hopefully integrating vocational training opportunities into this work for young people with autism or other challenges who want to work out of doors but don’t necessarily want to work directly with people.
Q (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don\’t know about you?
I used to be insanely afraid of bugs and got over that fear to become a beekeeper
Q What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
Cimmaron valley new Mexico
Q Favorite month? favorite holiday? and the best single day on the calendar?
Favorite month is April,
Holiday is Thanksgiving
Summer Solstice because it’s the longest daylight day of the year
Q What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
The experience of farming…it’s a great way to spend a life
Q Who inspires you to be better?
My mother. She overcame a lot of tough situations as a young woman and has made her own choices in life and cheers me on wholeheartedly. I strive to be more authentic because of her example
Q What are one or two of your favorite smells?
Spicebush leaves and the interior of a honey bee hive
Q Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Acres of Rolling land where I know every rock and tree and celebrate each spring’s birdsong
Where I will lay beneath the soil for eternity after living a life full of curiosity and joy and sharing with family and friends
