More About Me

        I grew up on a farm in northern Virginia in a home with a big front porch where we would often sit at twilight and do nothing more ambitious than watch fireflies dancing across the yard.  

        I was an early bloomer thanks to the encouragement of a stay-at-home mother who supported me in whatever I did, and a hard-working father who made it all possible. I accomplished much in 4-H including winning a national award and scholarship for efforts in the 4-H horse project.  My young life revolved around equestrian sports, mostly western pleasure horses and just a little foxhunting.  I grew up surrounded by dogs and cats and livestock and I wish that all children could have this opportunity.  There were no brothers or sisters, but I was never bored.  I had my animals and imaginary playmates and my mother devoted hours to me, probably cherishing the fact that motherhood had finally come to her at such a late stage in her life.

      Later, as a reporter, section editor, and photographer for local newspapers, I found it easy to earn awards from the various press associations we competed in.  But, it didn’t take long after that for me to learn that not everything one touches turns to gold.

        My interests had led to both professional and volunteer service as a firefighter/EMT in a time when women still weren’t welcomed openly into this male dominated field.  The contrast between the poor leadership of the volunteer organization that left deep scars on me, and the equality I experienced in the professional position, became the first of several events that made me realize that life can’t always be full of successes. 

        Later pathways led me to become a Registered Nurse, but rather than working long in this field, I put the skills and knowledge to use overseeing my mother’s care when health problems prompted her move to a nursing home for the last years of her life.   It was a long and wearisome five years, but very rewarding, too. More recently I’ve dabbled in local real estate sales, but our market is now stagnant and I guess I’m a little ashamed of the banks and other lenders who helped people buy houses they couldn’t really afford.  Once an active nature photographer before arthritis gripped my right knee, I’ve now taken up crocheting and a little knitting until such time that I gather enough courage for a knee replacement. 

        My current contributions to the community are made by visiting a local nursing home and an assisted living facility with either of our two Jack Russell Terriers who are registered therapy dogs.  Mosby makes most of the visits and he can be such a sweet little dog with the seniors.  Just like with children though, his good manners seem to disappear when he comes home.

        I’m still wondering what I want to be when I grow up.  And, despite having lived in my present town for more than 20 years, I’m still wondering where I belong.  For now it’s a small subdivision where each home is different and enough trees and open space dot the undulating landscape and nearby lakeshore that one can still imagine the land as it was before all the houses arrived. But, we look forward to the day we can move southwest to a part of Virginia where rural life, community, and great neighbors are still a way of life.

        Whenever possible, we visit the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to divide our time between a cabin in the Hiawatha National Forest and a small garage apartment on the shores of Lake Superior.  Friendships we’ve made up there in the little forest community come closest to my memories of what having neighbors once used to mean.  Even if we never live there for more than a few weeks at a time, it’s been a great experience.