I wanted that title to be even more specific, but it was impossible to do so and not be annoying at the same time.
Hi permies, my name is Nora.
How to begin this intro!? Autobiography is a strange realm.
I’m 29, my husband/partner/bestie/bandmate is B, he’s 37, I think.
We lose track once in a while, when our kids have birthdays (3, 6 year old boys).
I met him while I was
WWOOFing around the midwestern United States. He was a farmhand, I a young intern. We connected over music, started a little band together; kept working on other folks’ farms for upwards of 7 years, even after having one child, then two. Our kids have grown up mostly on farms (occasionally when we run low on funds, we stop into a
city and work for a bit, then go back at it.) and they are so robust and smart for it.
Our work has mostly entailed being a part of huge vegetable CSAs (100+ member, 50+ member) plus harvesting for markets; that includes spring set up, summer maintenance and harvest, fall tear down, and winter upkeep. Animal husbandry
experience is limited to
chickens, ducks, and goats, although we got real intimate with those; many, many seasons growing, harvesting, drying and preparing
medicinal and culinary herbs (me), including long hours in the apothecary; moderate experience in carpentry and natural building; and two seasons maintaining
apple orchards.
B is a teacher, spent many years at Waldorf, but loves Montessori perhaps a bit more. I’ve run a small daycare out of my home (wherever home is for the moment). I’m a birth and postpartum doula, and I
sell herbal folk remedies to my friends and acquaintances. B is an amazing artist and for the past year has cultivated an
art business that we are proud of.
We are most interested in learning .. everything we don’t know. Seriously, very very open. We’d love more experience in
permaculture concepts of
water saving, natural building, tree identification and maintenance, soil regeneration/regenerative agriculture, wildcrafting. I’m sure I don’t have the correct terminology for plenty that I’d like to say so I’ll leave it there.
I’ve posted on here previously asking for advice for a southern climate. B was supposed to inherit
land that’s been in a family trust, but unfortunately, a greedy relative did some shady shit, and the property that
should be ours (and our children’s childrens’) is no longer available for us to be or build on. We’re trying to not be hellishly depressed about it, but of course, we are.
So while we continue to work and save up a bit more, in the city, I want to extend our tendrils into the outer community.
We know there are many old, lovely hippies who did a lot of this work previously, many of whom may not have loving, willing, excited family members to pass it on to. We’re wondering if maybe we can be that for someone, if someone can be what we have lost. We’re looking, very plainly, for land that we can buy, rent, rent to own, or work to own, and we are more than willing to learn from and work alongside said owner for as long as it takes to fully grok the land, the way, and the mission.
We are passionate about the land we live on. (America.) My partner is Anishinaabe and Black (among many other things), indigenous land reclamation is important to us. My ancestors were Norwegian, Scottish and Cherokee.
We aren’t especially drawn toward the northeastern/colonial US, in our experience there’s a lot of racist folks there.
Pacific Northwest, dope. Midwest, dope. Southern US, dope. Southwest? Meh. Not
enough water. Montana, Idaho? Dope.
We are passionate about children, about dismantling the existing educational systems from the inside (yes, including Waldorf
), about creating and re-creating and RESTORING slow, meaningful, intent-full ways of being and living on the earth. We treat our children with love, respect, patience (most of the time lol), and remain conscious of our inherited traumas so we don’t pass them on. Life’s work.
We also love music, and we especially love when music and farming meet. We’ve enjoyed being a part of small to mid sized midwestern festivals that highlight farming and
permaculture in their communities.
Lots more to say but that feels like a full intro to begin with.
So, if you’re a person, people, a family, looking to connect to perhaps purchase land together — comment below! pm me!
If you’re a person, people, a family, looking to pass your well-loved land along to someone who will uphold the vision with integrity and creativity — you’ve found willing, able, and excited folks. Please comment below and/or pm me.
If you read this far, wooohoo! Appreciate you! <3 I’ve learned so much on these forums, and I continue to scour it daily for more
EDIT TO ADD: TOTALLY OPEN TO OTHER COUNTRIES!
POLITICS IN AMERICA IS TERRIFYING
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