My husband, George, and I got married and settled in a Minnesota suburb. He worked in construction and I taught science and coached girls volleyball. We played league volleyball, camped up north, and visited our families in Chicago--when we got the chance. I picked up some pencils and pastels and drew. But something was missing. I was restless. I wanted to do more, get more, give more, out of my life. My older twin sisters had a whirlwind affair overseas while I was still in grade school. Marie had gone into the Peace Corps in Malaysia and Vera traveled to New Zealand to teach at a girls high school for two and half years. THAT was something. They lived my quest.
George was not thrilled with my idea about joining Peace Corps. In fact it took nearly two years just to convince him I was really serious about joining and that there were no huge bugs where were going (as if I knew). On a visit to Chicago one year, I set an intervention for George with mutual high school peers and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Several hours later, the deal was sealed. It took another year and a half before we were officially Peace Corps Volunteers and heading off for Swaziland, Africa. Once again, I was on the edge.
So here I am, on the edge, eighteen years after Africa. We live in Hudson, Wisconsin, on the edge between the Wisconsin and Minnesota borders. We live on a twenty-three acre hobby farm we call, Wild Earth. It's the edge of suburbia and rolling farm land. Half the parcel resides in one township and the other half is in a second township. Our telephone number prefix is a town of Roberts exchange. Though we've got a Hudson mailing address (our even numbered address is located on the wrong side of the street),we're one house shy of the Hudson school boundary, so our kids attend schools in the cities of Roberts and Hammond .
We are truly, on the edge.
So what am I doing? Well, guess what? I'm on the edge. I decided teaching in a school atmosphere, becoming part of the cattle call to move to the next classroom when the bell rang, just wasn't cutting it for me. Still love coaching volleyball, but I desire something else.
I'm trying to make a go of my earliest plans for being an artist, an animal trainer, and a writer. I want to make a difference. Despite being on the brink of fifty, I think I have more to offer before I kick the bucket. I've taken on becoming a Healing Touch practitioner for animals and I'm on the edge of completing this training.
George, Meghan (age almost 16), Ginny (nearly thirteen), and George Joey (just ten), and I live and work on Wild Earth. George instructs woodworking in his woodwork shop on our premises. He also creates videos for The Woodworker's Guild of America's website and has made a name for himself in the woodworking arena as an expert woodworker and instructor.
Meg and Ginny go to high school and middle school. Both are in Girl Scouts and Pony Club. GJoey attends elementary school and is in Boy Scouts. He plays soccer and wrestles.
I freelance write and have several animal related artwork in a small gallery in town. At present, we own three horses, one dog, two ducks, ten chickens, and two cats. This is subject to change.
We have a boarder, Krista. She is a recent college graduate. She holds a job at the local physician's clinic and boards two horses with us. She also gifts us with two cats in our house.
That about brings me up to date, minus several adventures and stories here at Wild Earth and beyond, but we'll get to those in other posts.
