Hello, hello! Peggy is my name
Up north in Canada is from where I came
Being outside is my happiest place
Days spent with children put a smile on my face
Hiking in the Catskills, touching every peak
Adventures like this are what I seek
Crafting is my secret skill
Knitting, felting, sewing enjoyed while I chill
Born in Toronto amongst the maple trees
Heading to every mountain with a pair of skis
Spending a decade in NYC
Before swapping gritty for pretty, in the Hudson Valley
Livingston Street is my new home
Through the vines of the ‘way back’ I often roam
I love to create and work with my hands
Making phones out of rope and empty tin cans
I’m excited to meet you, be sure to say hi
Tell me what shapes the clouds make in the sky
Show me the cool bugs you find under a rock
Or tell me a joke that starts with knock knock
I am – above all else – an artist and an adventurous spirit.
I am a painter — fascinated with neoexpressionism and stream of consciousness creations. Come over and you’ll see noodlings in photography, ceramics, weaving, and herbalism across my walls, shelves and window sills. While you’re there, give my sweet cat, Leifje some scritches.
Against that wall there, you’ll notice a loom, built by my hands, the same way my grandmothers built theirs. Why is it looped with red yarn and only red yarn? That’s all I had access to at the time it was built. That constraint makes my creations more playful, so I keep it this way. I explore pattern after pattern, the way the light hits each loop and knot.
From my current home, to my many homes growing up in the Hudson Valley, you can find moments my tiny feet left prints of dirt and weather. No season kept my siblings and I from playing “who’s got the toughest feet!” Plunging barefoot through snow and across hot concrete for as long as we could bear, giggling all the way.
These tough feet have settled, once again, in Kingston. My home. This home-sense only comes to me where there is community — inviting, curious and omni-present. I enjoy weaving the Livingston community into my life with waves to my students at puppet shows in the park, with hugs from kids who recognize me working at the farmers market, and talking with parents while I’m waiting in line for coffee.
Kids, like a best friend, are honest. They’re open. They’re free with their joy, and their frustration. There’s no pretense, no show. There’s curiosity and there’s play. These things I want to actively nurture in my life, as much as in theirs.
I have been lucky enough to work with children for over 10 years now. I have had many roles as a nanny, a public school teacher, a garden teacher and as a camp counselor. My background is mostly in farm to school based education and I love getting to spend time with kiddos outdoors and in the dirst. I am very excited to be joining in at Livingston this year and to become a part of this vibrant community.
I grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and went to Lesley University where I received a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.I recently settled in Esopus with my partner, our three dogs (Finley, Zuzu, Iyla) and a friendly bunny named Marigold. I love exploring the Hudson Valley and finding new spots to go hiking + swimming! I live near the Shaupeneak Ridge Park and enjoy going there at every season to observe the changes in the landscape. In my free time I like to go foraging, cook meals for friends, explore various herbalism projects and cuddle lots of dogs.
I grew up in renovated old church up the hill from the magnificent Wurts Street Bridge. My partner is Caitlin, we have a baby named Fiona, and we live in Ponckhockie. I lived for a couple years as a teenager in Toronto and Vancouver as a college student; however, it was too cold and well-meaning so I moved back. I graduated from Empire State College and I spend a tiny bit of free time rock climbing and reading Das Capital. I love fermented foods and I go on really long story telling rants. It’s an issue — I won’t stop unless you’re direct with me. Don’t worry – I won’t be offended.
I first began working at Livingston Street in 2017. I came to cover as a long-term substitute for the summer and when I had to leave in the fall, I was heartbroken. Livingston Street had introduced me to an entirely different way to care for young children and families that felt so natural, so joyful, and so fulfilling, I never wanted to leave. In fact, that fall I spent most of my afternoons after work visiting Livingston Street because I just couldn’t get enough. I relished being in a community of caregivers who loved each other, spending time outside, and witnessing children play and exist in a truly child-centered way. As you can imagine, as soon as the school year ended, I was back at Livingston Street. Lucky for me, I’ve been here since.
One of my favorite things to do is to look closely at something – an object, a moment, an idea – and delve into the meaning behind it. When I was a child, I would sit in my mother’s garden and pluck flowers, dissecting them gingerly with my fingers to reveal hair-like veins or seeds as small as grains of sand, taking it all apart like a jigsaw puzzle until nothing was left. As a young adult, this desire to analyze turned into a love of Art History, and in particular, the study of old cathedrals, where every single nook and cranny promised a world of meaning, if looked at closely enough. These days, I’ve turned my critical lens towards early childhood and human development, sinking deeply into thinking about what it means to raise children, to be a caregiver and educator, and to be in community with others.
I grew up in Connecticut and now live in Rosendale with my partner Rich and our family of pets. I love to hike and scour the ground for fossils and herkimer diamonds; I love to make art, write, and tell stories; and I love to engage in conversation and thought around the nature of being.