Laura

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

I enjoy creating music, song nights, gardening, sailing, fishing, cooking organically and mindfully, yoga, walking my dog in more natural settings, and learning about other cultures.

Description

Traveling has always been a life changing thing. It opens me up to new experiences I wouldn't have otherwise had. I grew up traveling and camping out of a custom made Chevy van that my Dad built out. Those travels fed my wanderlust early on, and introduced me to new places that I could not have imagined.

I stumbled upon a fabulous book from a fellow woman nomad. "Tales of a Female Nomad" by Rita Goldman Gelman is the account of an adventurous middle aged single woman who travels the globe, staying for free in private homes, connecting with and learning from people of all cultures. Her tales of pitching in to cook in the kitchens of her hosts bring life, energy and cultural adventure to the seemingly mundane art of sharing a meal. They leave an imprint of shared community that I have never forgotten.

The most life changing travel for me was a 40th birthday sailing aboard a tall ship. Something about it just grabbed me and has not let go. A few years later, I journeyed 2000 miles to see the Tall Ships in Halifax, Nova Scotia. On board, the crew works seamlessly together to move the ship. Its a team effort of sometimes not fun tasks that builds and strengthens bonds between crew. Try changing sails while strung on a yardarm 20 feet in the air during a wind whipping gale and see if you don't feel closer to your crewmates than you did before. The rewards are huge, intangible and fleeting, yet make for good yarns to share around the fire. It takes a bit of a misfit to go that route, but onboard many find that they are indeed tribe.

I am a nomad, writer, mixed media artist, musician, nature lover, biodynamic gardener, radio broadcaster and herbalist. I am upbeat, can find the positive aspects of just about any situation, am very creative, and I have a knack for making people feel welcomed. Savoring the beauty in every landscape is something I enjoy doing every day.

I love traveling, exploring a place long enough to feel a part of it. But I also love walking through the garden in the mornings to see what changed overnight. And the satisfaction of knowing I had a hand in that growth is wonderful.

Of all my adventures, life on my 20 acre Maine farm was the absolute best. I'd dreamed of farming for a long time, through the healing process of learning to walk again over the course of two challenging years. During the wheelchair year, I gave myself an education reading everything I could get my hands on, like "Secrets Life of Plants" and "Secrets of the Soil." The farm not only helped me fully complete my healing process, and, it helped me start a new business crafting herbal remedies. No more journalism or radio show deadlines for me, now my weekly lifeline was the farmer's market. I grew microgreens and started selling them and my herbal teas at local farmer's markets. I was a vendor at United Farmers Market of Maine, an indoor market for five years. At one time, I made 80 different products, focusing on pain, insomnia, anxiety, stress, the immune system, women's health, detoxing and the brain. Now I stick with the top selling dozen or so.

I love getting my hands dirty doing plant stuff. Starting seeds, transplanting them, hardening them off, applying biodynamic remedies (herbal and worm casting "teas") to encourage their flourishing; harvesting, and putting by the harvest are all things I did on the farm. I moved there with 90 tomato seedlings and 60 pepper seedlings that I'd started indoors on January 1st. My goal was to make my own salsa from the garden up. By September of that first year, the cellar walls were lined with floor to ceiling shelves of it, in every heat level from mild to hotter than hot. The personal fulfillment of eating winter soups started with that salsa taught me a lot about the value of doing what gives me long term satisfaction. It makes me wonder if convenience isn't slowly killing the human race, as it prevents us from experiencing that sense of satisfaction in the simple things, and of knowing where our food comes from.

Some of the things I did on the farm:
Foraged for greens, fiddleheads, mushrooms and herbs.
Helped build a greenhouse from storm windows and 2 x 4's.
Raised microgreens and salad greens for market.
Learned to harvest herbs in 3 ways: dry in the wood stove, bundled and hung on nails in the kitchen or spread onto screens in the drying shed.
Learned to cook like a boss on the 1901 Clarion woodstove.
Managed 2 woodstoves, split (on an electric splitter) and stack six cords of wood per winter.
Created a thriving herbal remedy business.
Hosted small farm to table dinners for friends.
Shingled an older shed with cedar shake shingles.
Made an old fashioned fence out of alder branches to grow Nasturtiums & tomatoes on.
Harvested copious amounts of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.
Made vinegars out of the berries, and also some very creative jams.
"Summa Everything" jam was the best.
Peacefully coexisted with the wildlife in the area: Racoons, bears fisher-cats, moose, deer, eagles, bats, hawks, vultures, owls, mice, voles, shrews, gophers (wait until you hear my Sasquachi story....yes they love microgreens in the winter!)

Running the farm alone was a badge of honor after learning to walk again. I tended to help out the farm hand with projects often. When copper overexposure from a pressure treated lumber DIY deck project negatively affected my health for 3 months, it was time to leave.
It was the hardest thing ever, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

During my five years there, I had a recurring vision of building hempcrete micro houses and creating a small intentional community. I wanted to make it a healing place for people to come and live and learn and heal on organic food, herbs and fresh air. When I left the farm, I set that dream aside. I knew that one day the chance would present itself. Perhaps I could help others with their farm dreams in the future.

My lab mix pup Cisco and I have been traveling in my SUV and overlanding for 18 months now. We spent 3 seasons exploring the beauty of the Appalachians and the Blue Ridge Parkway last year. I love the embrace I feel of the "old ones" in the mountains. The cooler climate and similar biome to Maine's in the higher elevations is wonderful for foraging for herbs and mushrooms. I also love sailing, and living life by the water, but I don't get to do that much of late.

How wonderful to be led to Workaway! Now, travel, helping others, finding tribe and expanding the dream are totally possible again.

I am looking for longer farm stay experiences that do not require constant digital connectedness to the outside world. I take initiative and work well solo, but being part of something bigger excites me. I also love to teach others and share what I've learned. I'm able to work 4-5 hours at a time if tasks are physically varied. Because of the soft tissue injuries from the accident, I do have to be mindful of how I'm using my body. Yes, I can pot up and transfer 1500 seedlings in 10 days. No, I don't need to blow my arm out to do it. I learned to be glad for what I can do and celebrate that.

I still make and sell my own herbal products online and at guest vend at farmers markets or craft shows, but these are easily crafted in a few feet of good work space.

I'm excited to discover the new adventures that await via Workaway. Some of my non-farm skills seem to bee needed on many of the farms listed here. I can do web design and graphic design work, and I'm still a great new media storyteller. My volunteer experience of a lifetime includes 16 years of radio broadcasting, both music and interview based shows. I'm great at interviews and have a knack for audio and video editing. Some of these are online at https://gypsyblonde.gumroad.com. (PS: I go by "L. Jaye")

Interests

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent

More details about my language interests
I am fluent in ASL Sign language. I sing and interpret for the deaf, and teach sign to the audience.

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Eco Projects

Life at a Farmstay

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Some knowledge of:  

Gardening

Helping with Computers/ Internet

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Able to teach about:  

Charity Work

Art Projects

Teaching

Babysitting and creative play

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Hospitality/Tourism

More details about your skills

Im an herbalist, journalist, and artist.

Age

59

What else ...

I love gardening, have a knack for herbs and vegetables. I also still love to write and photograph beautiful natural places.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements
  Pescatarian, vegetarian