When I thought about writing an ‘about me’ section for this blog, I realized that who I am is like a patchwork quilt that has been fabricated by the multitude of people and events that have played important roles in my life. I am a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an in-law, and hopefully a friend. I’m the product of all of the people who have influenced and touched my life.
I am the daughter of a sweet and loving woman who left us far too soon, and a hunter / outdoorsman / naturalist father who blessedly stayed with us into his 90’s. From my parents I learned to love and respect nature and the outdoors and to treat people as I would want to be treated.
Summers were spent in the wilds of eastern Canada, remote camping, fishing, and dealing with everything from bears to wolves. When we weren’t in Canada, every free moment was spent in the woods of upstate New York. I was blessed with a gentle mother who exuded love for everyone and every thing, (and who could bake a pie that would literally float off the plate) and a father that knew every plant, bush, tree, bird and animal, and how they all intertwined and worked together in nature, and who taught me that the miracles of nature didn’t just happen, but were created by a master hand. My father also gave me my love of reading, and my belief that we haven’t yet solved all of the world’s mysteries, and for that I’m eternally grateful. Many long hours were spent around the campfire talking about ‘the possibilities’ of those things we might not yet know or understand. And he imparted in me a burning desire to see what lies over the next hill.
I am the granddaughter of two wonderful women – both of whom taught me to take things as they come and to ‘hopefully’ age gracefully but remain forever young at heart. I was also extremely blessed that one of my grandmothers was the most amazing cook I’ve ever met (followed closely by my mother and my mother-in-law). My mother and grandmother imparted to me a love of cooking and the hospitality of feeding people.
I am a sister who survived growing up with two young brothers who invented and perfected the art of ‘tormenting’ their older sister. But as they will attest to this day, payback is hell!
I am the wife of an amazing and gifted horseman who understands horses and how they think and tick like no one else I’ve ever met. He is also a cowboy, rancher, and master craftsman, and who for nearly 33 years has not only been the love of my life, but my best friend. For half of those years we were blessed to work side-by-side in the ranching industry, raising cattle and training horses, and we loved every minute of it. I still feel my heart beat faster when his truck pulls in the driveway.
I am the mother of a son that makes me proud every day of his life when I look at the good man that he has become. He is serving our country as a Chinook pilot in the Army. And I am the mother-in-law of a young woman that I love and admire, am proud to call a friend, and think of as my own. But perhaps best of all, I am a grandmother to an amazing grandaughter who makes me smile every time I think of her.
Beyond that, and because of the wonderful people that have influenced my life, I’ve developed a diversity of interests that span from chuck wagon cooking with Dutch ovens over hardwood coals, and teaching that art form to others, to free lance writing for a variety of publications that is now growing into writing books on a variety of subjects, to researching the amazing creatures the world calls bigfoot or Sasquatch (“Yes, Virginia, there really are bigfoots roaming North America”), and to spending as much time as possible in the wild places of North America.
Best of all in 2016 I came back to one of the most important loves in my life, horses, and I am riding again after a 20 year hiatus. I can't even describe how monumental that is to me. Let me simply say there will never again be a time that I will not ride.
And as interesting and diverse as my life has been up to this point, I believe with all of my heart that the best is yet to come and the journey has just now started. Here’s to the journey and to seeing what lies on the other side of the hill…
I am the daughter of a sweet and loving woman who left us far too soon, and a hunter / outdoorsman / naturalist father who blessedly stayed with us into his 90’s. From my parents I learned to love and respect nature and the outdoors and to treat people as I would want to be treated.
Summers were spent in the wilds of eastern Canada, remote camping, fishing, and dealing with everything from bears to wolves. When we weren’t in Canada, every free moment was spent in the woods of upstate New York. I was blessed with a gentle mother who exuded love for everyone and every thing, (and who could bake a pie that would literally float off the plate) and a father that knew every plant, bush, tree, bird and animal, and how they all intertwined and worked together in nature, and who taught me that the miracles of nature didn’t just happen, but were created by a master hand. My father also gave me my love of reading, and my belief that we haven’t yet solved all of the world’s mysteries, and for that I’m eternally grateful. Many long hours were spent around the campfire talking about ‘the possibilities’ of those things we might not yet know or understand. And he imparted in me a burning desire to see what lies over the next hill.
I am the granddaughter of two wonderful women – both of whom taught me to take things as they come and to ‘hopefully’ age gracefully but remain forever young at heart. I was also extremely blessed that one of my grandmothers was the most amazing cook I’ve ever met (followed closely by my mother and my mother-in-law). My mother and grandmother imparted to me a love of cooking and the hospitality of feeding people.
I am a sister who survived growing up with two young brothers who invented and perfected the art of ‘tormenting’ their older sister. But as they will attest to this day, payback is hell!
I am the wife of an amazing and gifted horseman who understands horses and how they think and tick like no one else I’ve ever met. He is also a cowboy, rancher, and master craftsman, and who for nearly 33 years has not only been the love of my life, but my best friend. For half of those years we were blessed to work side-by-side in the ranching industry, raising cattle and training horses, and we loved every minute of it. I still feel my heart beat faster when his truck pulls in the driveway.
I am the mother of a son that makes me proud every day of his life when I look at the good man that he has become. He is serving our country as a Chinook pilot in the Army. And I am the mother-in-law of a young woman that I love and admire, am proud to call a friend, and think of as my own. But perhaps best of all, I am a grandmother to an amazing grandaughter who makes me smile every time I think of her.
Beyond that, and because of the wonderful people that have influenced my life, I’ve developed a diversity of interests that span from chuck wagon cooking with Dutch ovens over hardwood coals, and teaching that art form to others, to free lance writing for a variety of publications that is now growing into writing books on a variety of subjects, to researching the amazing creatures the world calls bigfoot or Sasquatch (“Yes, Virginia, there really are bigfoots roaming North America”), and to spending as much time as possible in the wild places of North America.
Best of all in 2016 I came back to one of the most important loves in my life, horses, and I am riding again after a 20 year hiatus. I can't even describe how monumental that is to me. Let me simply say there will never again be a time that I will not ride.
And as interesting and diverse as my life has been up to this point, I believe with all of my heart that the best is yet to come and the journey has just now started. Here’s to the journey and to seeing what lies on the other side of the hill…