Changeling

Hi everyone!

Thank you for reading my profile. I guess I could describe myself as 85 percent nerd and 15 percent hippie. ;)

I've been on swap-bot for years and before that swapped through the group Nervousness. I'd rather do a few swaps that are special to me than lots of quick swaps.

My interests are reading, hiking, gardening, tea, friends & family, cross-stitch, creative and nonfiction writing, more reading, nature walks and nature journaling, pen palling, and my five cats. I'm a big history and mythology buff with a special interest in fairy lore, Appalachian ballads, and ghost stories.

I am a Special Collections Librarian in the beautiful Shenandoah Vally of Virginia. I love libraries, archives, and museums.

I like about everything pleasant scent-wise and don't have allergies. I collect miniature pottery, interesting stones, owl stuff, beckoning cats, fu dogs, bat stuff, figurines of mice, paper ephemera, and religious art of all faiths. I like to burn candles and incense.

I'm a huge fan of handmade soap, especially goat milk soap. I like all scents but not so much citrus.

After having my genetics analyzed and finding out that I have a high normal percentage of Neanderthal gene variants, I am now into Neanderthals. :) And I like saber - toothed cats!

Favorite themes are the gingham dog and the calico cat, tree of life, eastern dragon, paper lanterns, nautical, celestial, saints, tiki, Cthulhu, cherries, gnomes, peaceable kingdom, lucky beckoning cat, cartoonish owls, fu lions, argyle, retro, black cats, and other animals.

I like most styles. My least favorite styles are country, which is odd because I luuurve the countryside, and primitive. Since moving to the Shenandoah Valley, I have started to collect the Pennsylvania-Dutch styles and especially like their hex signs.

Love tea and am having fun trying new types of herbal, fruit and green teas. I like black teas too but sometimes they can be too strong. Teas that have health, relaxation, and energizing qualities are especially welcome. But any kind of tasty teas are good.

I don't eat much meat or many meat-based products.

Am the kind of old fashioned nerd who carries vintage cotton hankies instead of disposable paper tissues. I really like those old handkerchiefs with pretty patterns.

Natural, organic, sustainable, and homemade things are favorites!

Winter's Bone, Everything is Illuminated, No Country for Old Men, Napoleon Dynamite, Apocalypse Now, and lots of documentaries. I like documentaries as much as feature films.

PBS stuff, History Chan, Discover Chan, etc. I'm such a nerd when it comes to TV. ;) Fan of Game of Thrones and Stranger Things!

I crochet blankets for charity, make earrings, cross-stitch, and collage.

About the only things I don't like are dogs, monkeys, and cig smoke. Also, loud and rude people. Please do not send any loud and rude people in a swap. I like wool a lot but cannot have it next to my skin like in a scarf or gloves. It gets all itchy. Also, please no sugar-free sweets or gum. Those artificial sugars do a number on my tummy.

Here is a bit of a poem I like.

The moon-bird's head is filled with nothing but thoughts of the moon and when the next rain will come is all the rain-bird thinks of. Who is it we spend our entire life loving?

~Kabir~

You know what are awesome? Owls!!! I like the cartoonish owls that are in style now and have also had the chance to interact with some live owls! There was a beautiful snowy owl in my area of Virginia one winter! He was quite the local celebrity! I also attended an event where scientists banded the tiny Eastern saw-whet owls. And, I got to hold a tiny owl before it was released!

Can't believe I'm a librarian and hadn't added a favorite books section to my profile during the several years I've been on swap_bot! Here it goes: My favorite book is Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. If this book came alive, I would marry it. :) Another favorite book is American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Favorite series is The Kopp Sisters novels by Amy Stewart! She uses archives and imagination to create awesome strong female characters.

I read lots of non-fiction and enjoyed The Beast in the Garden about pumas in residential areas and The Devil in the White City about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

As fun as they are, I already have enough books with household hints and craft instructions. Thanks for thinking of me if you were thinking of sending one but I think someone else could make better use of it at this time.

Vegan and vegetarian cookbooks are always welcome as are quirky nonfiction books printed by smaller presses or sold by small distributors.