Joan Kovatch
Member since 2011
Shagbark

i grew up exploring the forests and fields of lancaster county, pennsylvania, and later northern alabama and central virginia. when i wasn’t climbing trees, riding my bike, or searching for a suitable fort, i wandered through fantasy novel worlds and sketched plans for my dream home (spiral staircase, loft bed, tall book cases, and apple trees on rolling hills). i’ve always been one of those folks on the fringe, with an odd assortment of friends, and often on the move. i’d rather be learning or making something than just sitting around, though i do love to sleep. i love doing things for myself, appreciating the simple splendor of the world, and the physicality of a homesteader’s life. i seem to be built for tough conditions and the excitement of a good challenge.

i’m stubborn enough that i have always doubted the whole ‘work, get married, buy a house, spend your life paying off a mortgage’ deal. this has led me to research alternatives on all fronts, like biking for transport, permaculture, edible forest gardening, herbal medicine, energetics and healing touch, natural building, nonviolent communication, local economies, giving up consumer products like toothpaste and toilet paper in favor of simpler home made alternatives, and all sorts of things that fall under the umbrella of ‘primitive skills’. these interests have stemmed both from a lack of money and a deep rage at the destruction of modern civilization.

since 2007 i have lived in and out of community, mostly at acorn community in virginia. living there fostered a sense of place, interests in natural building and nonviolent communication, and a deep resonance with a simpler lifestyle. my journey for the past five years has been focused on gathering skills and building/strengthening connections so that i can live more primitively, sustainably, and happily in community. i found red earth in late 2007, visited in late 2008, lived on the land for part of 2009, and visited some more in 2010. now that it’s 2011 i’m settling in for a long season of homesteading with my sweet dog, franny.

like most of the folks here, every day is a new adventure for me, full of diverse experiences. you can read more about my life on the land at ‘young girl, old life’. i’ve also got a bunch of red earth photos on my flickr page.