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I am a 56 year old female living in the eastern portion of the state

of Oregon in the US. Vegans are extremely rare in this part of the

state. It is a wonderful place for my work; I work with endangered

species, lots of land and wide open spaces but few Vegans to share

ideas. I have many sustainable projects on the schedule and I would

enjoy exchanging concepts with like minded individuals. Last Summer

I had great hopes of having a year-round green house up and

operational by the Fall of 08 but I don't see that happening until

09. We get a great deal of sun and wind here and I plan on utilizing

both as alternative energy sources as well as exploring the

possibility of a geothermal system. Unfortunately we have no

environmentally friendly contractors in this zip code so I must be

resourceful. There is a large shop on the ranch that I hope to clean

out this winter so I can organize and set up all my new power tools.

I purchased many of them during the last year. I have been using

them up at the main house on a remodeling project that should be

complete by late October or mid November.

If I have a fetish, it would be gardening (not that I am good at it)

but I am determined to learn. My short term goal is to learn to

operate my tractors. I find it inconvenient to rely on others to

operate my equipment. When I am overwhelmed with my projects, I

remind myself of what I have accomplished since I cam to the ranch in

01. At that time it was a working cattle ranch. Animals are no

longer raised here for slaughter. The locals find my ways odd and

aren't timid about making their feelings know. In addition they are

not entirely comfortable with a single woman owning property. There

are good people in the community but many are paralyzed by their fear

of change. The recent escalation in wheat prices that saved many

from loosing the family farms was a direct result of bio fuel

production but few of the locals I have spoken to appreciate or

support the exploration of alternative fuels. The personality trait I

admire most is a sense of humor. The single thing I laugh at the

most is myself. People who take themselves to seriously can be

tiresome. I don't like drunks, they find themselves hilarious while

simultaneously boring those around them. I do enjoy a nice dry red

wine or good scotch accompanied by stimulating conversation. My four

children are adults with active lives. I have a strict no deposit no

return policy on children. I try to recycle most things with the

exception of children, once they become adults they need lives of

their own and so do their parents. Fall is just around the corner and

I am looking forward to sitting around an open fire (I have a fire

pit on the hill out back) on a crisp fall evening and visiting with

friends, sipping a little good scotch and eating steaming vegan

chili. The Blue Mountains are breathtaking at sundown. If there are

any vegans out there that share my interests, please get in touch

with me. I believe that all relationships romantic, platonic, work

or social are like a potluck picnic, everyone attending brings

something for the others to share in the form of a talent, skill, or

knowledge. If I only here the sound of my own voice, I can never

become more intelligent.