Cathleen E. M. Vought
You don't want a rock star . . .
With over ten years' experience in local food production, organic gardening and sustainable farming systems, in addition to a Master of Science in Plant Science, I have the expertise and experience to weave exceptional pieces for your publication, blog or website. As a co-founder of the Well-Fed Neighbor Alliance, an organization aimed at transitioning southwest Missouri from oil dependence through local food, local energy and local economy, I co-organized the County Restoration Handbook, focusing my writing on baking with whole grains, creating naturally productive growing systems, long-term food storage and raising small livestock.
About Me
Organic Gardening, Sustainable Agriculture and Local Foods
Fiber Arts, Glassworking and Jewelry Design
Beginning when I was fourteen, beadworking has been a mainstay of my creativity for over twenty years. In 2009, I took a course on basic glass flameworking at a reenactment event; the mesmerizing material I worked in the flame ran like honey but set into solid glass within a matter of seconds after leaving the flame. I have spent the past four years learning flameworking, glassblowing and kiln techniques to produce intricate and often fanciful jewelry pieces. From Native-American style beadweaving and embroidery to modern metalworked pieces, I get an amazing amount of enjoyment from my jewelry design work.
The women in my family have always done needlecrafts. I've continued that tradition for over thirteen years by learning to spin yarn, knit, felt and sew. I have a particular affinity for knitting, enjoying the knitting styles of the northern Scottish isles, particularly complex Aran cables, colorful Fair Isle patterns and delicate Shetland lacework.
Homesteading Arts, History and Primitive Skills
On a number of occasions (usually when he's trying to argue a point I don't particularly agree with), I've reminded my husband that we met on a field of battle in full armor. Contrary to what you may be thinking from that statement, we didn't meet in the armed forces, but at a local reenactment group's weekly fighter practice. I've always had a deep interest in history, not for the sake of itself but for how people lived in the past. Shortly after we married, we found ourselves essentially homeless and through a series of misdaventures, camped without electricity or running water six of the first seven months of our marriage. While in the wilderness that is the more rural areas of the Missouri Ozarks, we discovered how pioneers created cob mortar, stone foundations, campfire cooking and baking, water conservation, animal husbandry and other primitive skills that we had not already developed. We also discovered the deep and abiding faith we could have in each other while building our first home with nothing more than basic hand tools, natively-available resources and our collective hands and minds.
I currently live on a small farm in the southwest Missouri Ozarks with my husband and our daughter, two dogs, two horses, a dozen primitive-breed sheep, a dozen chickens in a mixed, free-range flock, three geese and more barn cats than you could shake a stick at. We are in the process of building an addition onto our farmhouse to allow for overnight guests, classes in primitive skills and additional workshop space. We've begun converting our gardens to cedar raised beds, and wildcrafting is a year-round event on our farm.
Emergency Management and Disaster Response
As a founding member of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Auxiliary, a Red Cross volunteer and a first responder, I have extensive training in firearm safety, radio communications (KD0SJB), field camp electrical systems, logistics, shelter operations, wide-area search and rescue, mass fatalaty planning, advanced first aid and a variety of other emergency management and disaster response skills combined with over eighteen years' experience in the field. Do you need someone to put together a sensible emergency response plan for your business, organization or school? If you don't have one, or it's outdated, you do! Remember, an emergency is something you're not prepared for; planning prevents an unexpected occurrance from turning into a preventable tragedy.