Throughout my life I have been inspired by the ponies - because of their patience, because of their elegance, and because of their tireless dedication to working with me in my volunteer work with the North Carolina Therapeutic Riding Center.

Inspiration for my garden and landscape work comes from the ecological visionaries of my time:  Buckminster Fuller who said when working with our environment we should "make livingry, not weaponry," Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, and first lady and beloved naturalist Lady Byrd Johnson who encouraged us to "plant a shrub, plant a tree, beautify America."

One of the best examples of my work is my own horse farm - Finnabar Farm.  I have spent the last 30 years turning what was just a piece of woods with some cleared area for pasture into a working horse farm and seasonal gardens without the use of pesticides, and petro-chemicals.  I work WITH the environment, not AGAINST it.