MY HARVEST

I was born in America's Heartland and reserve the right to be called a Midwest Farmer's Daughter or Granddaughter as it could best be applied to me.


I have lived on this wonderful planet called earth for a little more than 50 years. I spent almost my entire childhood without a father present in my home and at the age of 14, had a "Loretta Lynn" moment that lasted for about 10 years. Two marriages, Five children and eight grandchildren later, I am happy to say I have survived divorce, menopause and fudge poisoning. I had decent grades throughout my school career, gave birth to three children when I should have been studying for high school exams, still managed to obtain a High School diploma before I turned eighteen and spent three years in college before the next wave of children started.


I have always thought of myself as being a dreamer and as long as I can remember I have dreamed of becoming an Architect. At the age of eight I started drawing house plans and in college I worked on an Engineering degree that hasn't been completed yet. What I discovered is, I am the Architect of my own future and in the blueprint of my life the floors I laid have not always been as level as I had planned. I have put up walls at times when I should have framed doorways and have had many a roof collapse around me, but I will continue to be in the planning stages of my life until the All-Mighty Contractor says he's done with me.


A big dream from my childhood was to own an amusement park someday. About six years ago we started an amusement business. Although it isn't quite the same as Disneyland, at times it seems like a "Mickey Mouse" operation complete with Goofy!


Another one of my biggest dreams since childhood has been to return to my farm roots. On my last birthday I recieved the gift of an 1800's farmstead and will share the revelations, tribulations and excavations as we do our best to restore it back to life.


I have accepted the fact that I most definitely am OCD. For those of you who do not know what that is, this is an example of what it is like to be me. Imagine you are shopping at a local retail store. As you are walking down the clothes aisle to find a pair of new jeans, you notice that some of the jeans on a display are not folded neatly and are just tossed willy nilly onto the shelf. You are compelled to take it upon yourself to refold the jeans and place them properly on the shelf. But wait, you don't stop there, you very carefully make certain that every pair on the display, all 110 pairs of jeans, are placed in the correct order of size, style and color, oh, and they must be perfectly folded the same. Eventually the display looks perfect and you are free to look for the jeans you came to buy only to discover that they are out of your size. Being OCD may keep me from becoming a speedy shopper but it does give me brownie points with a lot of retail store managers.


I love all of God's creatures and I do mean all. My sister once sent me the book, "All Creatures Great and Small", and today it's still one of my favorites. At this moment in time I share my home with three small creatures; my youngest daughter's aging Chihuahua named Rocky, my Big Guy's spoiled rotten but otherwise adorable Maltese named Christmas Crumb, (he calls her Chrissy but our kids and grandkids refer to her as Crumb) and my sidekick who keeps me on the move literally, a very funny Bolognese named Cookie.


I have experienced first hand tornadoes, a flood, a home fire and a hysterectomy. I've been a Karaoke Queen, raced in a Powder Puff Derby, played in a National Billiards Tournament, been a guest on a T.V. Talk show, (no, not Oprah) and I've even ridden a Mechanical Bull and have the pictures and the bruises to prove it! I've never met a piece of chocolate I didn't like and have a passion for all things pink (for which the breast cancer foundations are very thankful I'm certain).


My heros are the ones that no one ever hears about in the news but if you stick around long enough to read my stories, which are based on many of my own life's experiences, you will get to know them and understand why.


And saving the best for last is the one true love of my life; my husband, my best friend, my lover and the best part of me, otherwise known as my Big Guy.