It’s super humbling — and hard — to live with strangers (now friends!), do work that challenges me mentally and physically as an experiential writer, and live to tell the story! And now, the reviews are in — not of my book just yet (I’m currently working diligently on that) but by my hosts on the time I spent volunteering Round America with a Duck on their farms, ranches, gardens and eco-spirituality centers across the USA as part of the global WWOOF program.
The reviews are important to me for three reasons:
(1) It’s nice to know the WWOOF hosts appreciated my volunteering;
(2) Nabbing WWOOF positions is competitive and I want to do more of it (even if it’s close to home or short-term) and good reviews help future hosts choose me;
(3) Good reviews help promote the WWOOF hosts to other people (maybe even you!) who are considering applying, thereby increasing the sustainability of organic operations in our country and world at a time that’s needed more than ever.
Here are some of the WWOOF hosts, fellow WWOOFers and others I met on the farms, ranches, gardens and eco-spirituality centers:
Here are a few TikToks to show you some of the fun stuff I got to do with alpacas, llamas and chickens (I’ll add a gardening one soon):
THe reviews:
Sheila (Long Look Ranch)
United States • August 2023
Pattie was a superb volunteer to have on our ranch. She had such a positive attitude and was always eager to try new things. A self starter and team player, she volunteered tirelessly in our lavender fields and helped us with this year’s harvest. Regardless of the activity, she joined in whole heartedly whether it was weeding or ensuring all the livestock had plenty of water for the hot days. She set a tremendous example. Her enthusiasm was contagious and inspired other volunteers. Always interested in expanding her knowledge, she participated in our inspection for certification as a producer for farmer’s markets and contributed valuable ideas. We would love to have Pattie join us on our ranch again anytime. Any farm or ranch would be lucky to have Pattie join their team!
Christopher (Charu) (Krishna Community)
United States • July 2023
Patti was a super volunteer. She worked hard in the garden at a time when tons of zucchinis and cucumbers were coming in. She picked a wheelbarrow of both almost daily and kept the plants from being attacked by squash bugs, which were bad in 2023. She didn’t have a car but would go off on long adventurous bike rides and write her articles. Every exchange with her was positive, happy and upbeat. She is very hard working, smart and extremely self reliant. Any wwoof host would be lucky to have her on site. Five stars totally!
Elise (Pleasant Ridge Organics)
United States • July 2023
Patti was at my homestead (not a working commercial farm) for three weeks. She brought tremendous joy and enthusiasm to the chores and people she encountered. Her stamina and strength were remarkable and she loved a shovel and pitchfork to my delight. Diligently, she achieved a lot each day and the improvements are noticeable. She was comfortable with cooking her own meals, sharing her favorite recipes and joining in with group meals. She is a strict yet creative vegetarian. She was conversational and well versed in sustainability and all in the household enjoyed the interactions. Her passion for all things bicycle propelled her to visit and run errands near and far with her bicycle, often to my amazement as the weather was a challenge. Patti arrives without a car so she would not be able to do chores with her own vehicle if that is needed, but the bicycle didn’t hold her back from getting anywhere, really. Patti has a vibrancy and passion for everything she gets involved with and I think she would be an asset to places that she intends to visit on her remarkable journey documenting women traveling by bicycle.
Christi (Heartland Farm)
United States • June 2023
Pattie was supposed to come for 2 weeks, and the stars aligned just right, and we got her for 5 weeks. What a blessing to the Farm Pattie was. She was very quick to learn the routine and was not afraid of hard work. She did whatever was asked of her and did it with enthusiasm and a smile on her face. When we had other volunteers here, she would take them under her wing and show them what to do and work alongside them in harmony. Pattie got along with everyone, and everyone got along with Pattie. She brought her bike with her and would go explore the countryside on her bike along with a Disco Duck and Disco Ducks’ buddy. Besides Pattie’s outstanding work ethics, she is a brilliant social media content creator. She even helped the staff with a few social media issues, and they very much appreciated all the help. I could go on and on about how wonderful Pattie is, but you really need to experience the brilliance of Pattie at your place. The day she left we had a going-away party and I know tears were shed, especially me, as she was such an inspiration to me. Pattie will always be welcomed back with open arms and an open door. I am glad she trusted her journey and reached out to us.
ALICIA (Spinning Plates Farm)
United States • March/April 2023
Pattie is a miracle worker. She started up our farm this spring, despite heavy rains, almost single-handedly. She worked tirelessly and often independently to ensure our large kitchen garden and two dozen fruit trees got planted, the chickens got fed and eggs gathered, and the goats got cuddled and cared for. She was interested in helping with everything from dump runs to tractor driving. She even took bike rides with our dog! She is practical and reasonable and gives good advice. Her positive energy, especially with my children, was deeply appreciated and will be sorely missed.
Judith (Judy) (Our Giving Garden)
United States • October 2022
Pattie was only with us for a short time, but we had an incredible experience with her. She is very knowledgeable about gardening, and always happy to jump into any task with a positive attitude. She has a warm, joyful demeanor and has so many interesting stories to share. She is easy to get along with, works well with others, and fit right in with the rest of our wwoofers and Farm crew. She is also a writer and great at creating social media content. If you are like us, and don’t have much time for that, then you may appreciate that! In short, we would love to have her back and wish she could have stayed longer.
Here’s my WWOOF profile, by the way:
About me
Hi! I just traveled 10,000 miles around the USA via bike, bus, train and WWOOFing for 5.5 months, volunteering 505 hours along the way.
In March/April 2023 I stayed at a repurposed tobacco farm (now a goat farm) in North Carolina, after first completing a two-week WWOOF assignment at a non-profit farm that donates 100% to those in need in Mableton, GA to road-test in preparation for the cross-country journey. Both trips went extremely well and I loved them. In Mableton, I lived in a tiny home and helped with the garden, animals and communications . In North Carolina, I lived in a trailer, planted the garden and 20 fruit trees, collected eggs each day, and helped with the other animals and family. I left a farm in Missouri because it didn’t meet WWOOF standards.
I then herded alpacas on an eco-spirituality farm in Kansas; gardened at a homestead in Boulder, Colorado; led llama tours, helped manage an acre in crop cultivation and helped lead volunteers at a Krishna temple/llama ranch in Utah. I finished my cross-country WWOOF journey by living my best lavender farm fantasy at a really cool llama ranch/lavender farm (during harvest time!) in the high-desert mountains of California.
I started organic gardening and creating community, food pantry, school, refugee and home gardens in 2001 (inspired by the tragedies of 9/11). A natural morning person who brings a lot of positive energy to everything I do, I am very fit (I am a habitual daily gardener and bike rider). I am good with people across generations as well as alone for hours. Trustworthy. Playful. Vegetarian.
I am married and have two grown daughters (who grew up with our huge home garden and as members of local farm CSAs). I WWOOF alone, with logistics support from my husband at home. I look for diverse, new experiences and people doing good on whom I can shine a light. See my website/blog RoundAmericaWithADuck.com and TikToks (cross-posted on Instagram) @RoundAmericaWithADuck and @SpeedOfBike
What motivates me to WWOOF
I would like to help on your farm, applying and growing my skills in food gardening, animal care, value-added products, markets, construction, agritourism/intentional communities, and the impacts of climate change in order to be able to share resiliency skills with others in our country-at-a-crossroads and world-in-crisis.
I can also use let’s say about five hours of WWOOF time during my stay to provide professional communications skills. This could be starting/reviving your blog, or creating engaging social media content such as what I donated to Our Giving Garden (I especially love making TikToks — see #RoundAmericaWithADuck).
I am an experiential writer who is working on a book (and more) during my travels while growing my skill set for our changing world. In addition to Round America with a Duck, I also blog at Traveling at the Speed of Bike and Food for My Daughters (both blogs are companions to my books by the same names). I will, of course, respect your desired level of privacy.
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