UPDATED 10/08/09 (see last two paragraphs)

This is a petite, young at heart, and somewhat traveled woman, capable of sophistication and hilarity (not necessarily at the same time), good humored and upbeat, with a great enjoyment of laughter. Lived in Wales in the UK for years and still have a fairly quick wit (but the accent's gone). Find history and cultures very interesting, enjoy exploring historical sites, castles, museums, etc.

I enjoy music, especially playing and singing live with others; participating in vocal harmony is heaven to me. My instruments are piano and guitar, a little flute and penny whistle, and would like to learn 5-string banjo, mandolin, plucked psaltery, dulcimer, autoharp... and more! As you might guess, I really enjoy bluegrass and mountain music; also classical and ragtime (J.S. Bach and Scott Joplin are my favorites to play on the piano), classic rock and blues, Celtic, folk, and other types.

Fairly self-confident, generally I'm "brave, courageous, and bold" (points for being able to call to mind the source of that quote!), yet often crave the shelter of a pair of strong arms around me when the big bad world gets to picking on me too hard (it generally doesn't like people who talk back to it, I've found); after a few minutes, I'll probably be laughing again. Too interested in too many things to feel "down" for more than a few seconds! I have traditional values in many ways, yet can be somewhat unconventional in my outlook, and as curious as a cat - although I do respect and value privacy.

Very much able and willing to relax, which could take many different forms: to have the leisure to concentrate on whatever craft project I choose is a form of relaxation to me. I enjoy working with my hands, making things from fibers, fabrics or wood; like to learn new skills and maintain my manual dexterity. A walk in the woods or by the water is always a tonic to my spirit; I have even sat alone by the sea, pleasantly amused for long periods watching the tiny colorful crabs scuttling among the rocks.

As I'm also a plant person, working in dirt is another recreation for me, and I can happily spend hours planning and planting - mostly ornamentals and herbs so far, but I intend to branch out (pun optional!) into veggies next year - good to feed oneself organically, live off the land somewhat. That also allows me to take advantage of the opportunity to usefully recycle plant materials - I've been a committed recycler (of everything possible) for many years, and that's a permanent passion of mine.

UPDATE:
Qualities I value: Honesty, accountability/responsibility (I don't want to hear the whine, "It's not MY fault..." or "I couldn't help it..."), faithfulness, compassion, understanding, a sense of perspective; some of these may overlap, and taken together, in my view they add up to INTEGRITY (interesting word - if you never have, look it up; I did, before I used it here).

I've specified that I'm looking for "friends" because I'm not willing to go further into any relationship where I don't experience the liking and TRUST inherent in true friendship. That being said, ultimately I'm looking for a life partner: a fit, strong, active (and fairly tall) man of integrity who knows and likes who he is and respects himself, someone interested in many aspects of life and enthusiastic about opportunities to learn and grow. He is articulate and also willing to listen, has his own opinions and allows others to have theirs, is content working alone or cooperating with others. He is sociable with others at least some of the time, and also enjoys being alone with me as well as being by himself. He may or may not be considered handsome (I just really like the way he looks!), and he prefers a petite woman. He has an open mind that moves quickly, a friendly/clever (not sarcastic or cruel) sense of humor, a well-developed sense of the ridiculous, and he smiles and laughs easily and frequently. He enjoys music, and dances with me in public at least occasionally. He’s a one-woman man, openly affectionate at times, and able to express himself verbally; he's also able and willing to listen and discuss. He recycles, likes to cook at least now and then, and is creative in some way, turning his hands to something like building or rebuilding, making or repairing things, producing art in some form, playing music, gardening, etc. He naturally sees me as an equal partner, and treasures me as a close friend.

I'm thinking daytime, so brunch or lunch or coffee, to start with; gives us the option of spending the rest of the day together if we both want that. Weather permitting, maybe a stroll through a park, or along the water (stream, river, lake, ocean), or a visit to an outdoor craft fair, county fair (love to see the livestock!), or botanical garden; even window shopping can be fun - the Arcade in Asheville, downtown Greenville... If I like your company, I'll probably be game for whatever public activity you suggest (apart from scary fairground rides!).