Aurora Maville

I’m a reluctant academic, a soft-spoken person with a calm disposition, and mom to a ginger tabby who considers himself a fellow gardener. I’ve lived in the city for ages now, though not always. I grew up in a fishing and homesteading community surrounded by artisans, and I deeply miss the quiet, unhurried rhythm of that way of life.

I love gardening, visiting farmers markets, poetry, thrifting, antiquing, watching movies, DIY and crafts, folklore, and old, worn, or abandoned things, particularly the stories those objects carry.

I work with kids, and they are truly a joy to be around. I’m happiest whenever I’m outdoors, climbing trees, exploring mountains, or hiking. It often turns into stopping to notice and pluck plants, collect moss, fungi, and stones. I’m (slowly) learning to resist the urge to bring the whole forest home with me.

When I’m not doing all of this, I find myself imagining trading Los Angeles city pavement for a more rooted, hermit life on a patch of soil somewhere lush and foggy, like Scotland, France (Brittany or Normandy), or Ireland, wherever I can live gently with the land.

I’m an avid container and backyard gardener, with a particular fondness for bulb plants. I’ve become so successful with bulbs that I’m now the proud owner of a backyard bistro for the local squirrels. They are very cute guests, though I do wish they would leave a few bulbs behind as a tip.

I’m really excited to join the Permies community to become a better gardener. I want to soak up everything I can about homesteading, beekeeping, permaculture, soil building, and the many forms of slow living I’ve yet to discover, all in the hope of being kinder to the planet. I look forward to finding inspiration in fellow permies’ successes and learning moments and absorbing decades of hands-on wisdom, while sharing my own along the way.