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Well... I suspect I'm probably about the only Bohemian/beatnik/hippie/goth/BoHo of the group. My life has been full of so many and varied interests, most of them either artistic or naturalistic, that all make up who I am today that I hardly know where to begin. Let's see. My childhood consisted of chasing 'hoppergrasses', long trips to the zoo alone, building treehouses with friends, caring for injured and baby animals and birds, including a bat, dance classes, choir and chorus, art lessons and doing lots of cool things with my adoptive parents. Had a crush on the Beatles...each one in turn...and even got to see then at the ballpark in Chicago...front row. During high school I had to quit my dance classes and so I made up for it by going to every local and school dance I could get to, but then so did everyone else. I even dance with a couple of the local bands...those were the days when each band had their own 'go-go dancer'. And I spent as much time in the artroom as possible. I made my own skateboard, sandboard and skimboard and was really into the Beachboys and Jan and Dean, etc. I got married almost right out of high school and Phil and I went up to Toronto where he was enrolled in the university. During the time we were there we did the hippie scene big time, including living as street people in the roped off section of a church complete with baby. What I saw happen to friends would keep me off drugs forever though. But we really did sing and dance down the streets the way you see in the movie Hair. So that chapter of my life only lasted about 2 years and we were back in Indiana again where I turned mostly to rehabbing animals and birds and doing nature talks at the schools and libraries. Even raised a baby tiger cub till it was about 4 months old. The animals that were living with us on a permanent basis (could not be released into the wild) came to 1 racoon, 1 possum, 1 skunk, 1 mourning dove, 1 sparrow, as well as 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 tiger cub, 6 parakeets (most had been rescued from the snow), a couple box turtles, a couple snakes, a couple salamanders and the assorted frog or two. All the neighborhood teens would help clean cages and stuff, and when we took a walk down to the park for a romp, each kid had one of the animals on harness and lead...well except for the sparrow and dove who flew along with us. Yes...we did stop traffic. When I left Indiana and got a divorce the animals were dispersed to their favorite kid and all lived out their lives happily. So...I moved down here to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a place I've always wanted to be. Here I've been general manager, resident know-it-all, personell director, art dept among other things to a small three-store chain of pet shops. In this capacity I started doing more school and library talks to kids, taking some of the animals with me. I've raised and trained baby parrots of all sorts. I've shown and trained and held classes in obedience and confirmation (dogs) and confirmation (cats). Not to mention having several dogs (borzois, poodles, whippets) and cats (rex, Himalayan, but mostly non-pedigreed American) and an umbrella cockatoo, all of whom I've loved dearly. Oh, and this while still being a rehabber. In my 'spare time', I belonged to a group that recreates the middle ages and the Renaissance...the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). In this group I taught the dances, the artwork and the costuming. I was the Chancellor for the College of Scribes for the Kingdom of Meridies for several years. Meaning that I was in charge of the artists and the artwork for about a seven state area. Taking a break from the SCA for awhile, I got into the club scene with friends. I loved going out and dancing, shooting pool, singing karaoke and just getting together with friends in general every weekend, even though I've never been much of a drinker. Then in late December 1999, I came down with what people were calling the millennium bug. I ended up in the hospital the day after Christmas fighting for my life. I was diagnosed with copd for the first time and never did fully recover. Yes, I was a heavy smoker, but I think that the major reason that I got so bad so fast was a mold problem in the house I was renting. It seems as if the roof had been leaking into the attic for years (they never fixed anything) and although I didn't know that the roof leaked, there were tell-tale signs if I'd known what I was seeing. Anyway, within a year, I was so bad that I was pretty much housebound, on o2 24/7, and hardly able to do much of anything. I finally figured out about the mold problem (it was a year and a half before they even patched the roof. In the meantime, every time it rained, my dining room and back bedroom would flood and I was too sick to push it). I was in and out of the hospital and ER several times a year and having these attacks that to this day, nobody has figured out what they were except that they were terrible. One time I even ended up on my hands and knees on the bathroom floor because I couldn't breathe enough to move at all let alone dial 911. But my roommate and I finally moved out and into this tiny little apartment. I had to give up most of everything I owned, but by this time I couldn't work anymore, was on disability and had to go with what I could afford. I can't have a dog anymore because I can't take care of one properly and I'm beyond my allowed limit with just my four cats and Bonnie's one. About two years ago I had my last exacerbation. It came out of nowhere...I'd been fine, but one day I woke up and knew that I had to get to the hospital. I was on a vent for three days that time. But that time was what made me finally quit smoking and I've only had one major attack since then (although I still occasionally get a minor one). But after getting so sick so fast I felt my life was over...and it was...at least the life I had known. I could no longer be active or do much of anything. My friends had all deserted me pretty much. My home used to be THE gathering place, now I'm lucky if someone comes to visit once every three months or so. Oh, and did I mention that most of the time I've been sick up to about a year and a half ago was spent in a constant panic about how I was going to get enough money to live of and pay for my meds and still manage to eat...and all this without any help or encouragement from anyone at all. My roommate is not very good at that...in fact, just the opposite. Yes, I went into a deep depression...over and over and over. And I can't take antidepressants, they make me even MORE suicidal. But I can and do take Atavant for anxiety. I can't tell you how often I started trying to figure out how to go without it being painful. What always kept me here were my feline kids. They're wonderful and I know how hard it is to find good homes for adult cats, so... But then too, sometime during this period, I found copd-support...and that helped tremendously. Talking to others and learning and getting encouragement and giving it in return has pulled me back frequently to the world of the living. But then I finally started feeling better and gaining strength after my last hospitalization. I knew that I had to do something to force myself to get interested in living again. So I decided that one small thing I could do would be to join my favorite author's fan club like I had always planned on but had been too busy to do. The only requirement in joining was that you had to write a story about a character who could have lived in one of the worlds that she created. I did and found that I really enjoyed writing. I joined a online writers community and have now had my first story published, have just finished the first draft of my first attempt at a novel and am enjoying myself thoroughly. And I have so many ideas for future stories and stuff. I guess I've just reinvented myself again to suit the circumstances. I know this has gotten awfully long but I can't talk about me without putting in a section for my four-footed kids. I love my daughter and grandson, but they are in Indiana and the furred are here with me...my only real companions anymore. Pongo...he's my black on black melanistic tabby. He's black, but in the right light you can see his marbled classic tabby pattern well. He developed neurological problems as a kitten and so has very poor balance in his back legs. Consequently, we have to be careful of where we let him climb to so he doesn't fall and hurt himself. Spook...A Siamese and white, she is a talkative beauty who loves the kind of hard rubs and skritches that you would usually reserve for a dog. Oh and she announces it every time she uses the litterbox. Minuki...Spook's littermate but doesn't look anything like her. She looks just like a brown tabby Cymric (long-haired Manx), complete with longer than normal back legs ans powder puff tail. She loves being combed so much that I can't take out my comb without her demanding her share of the grooming...and she just stands there and lets me do it...even to tugging out tiny tangles. Mau...Named after the Egyptian Mau breed because he looks so much like one. He is a bright red spotted tabby. When he was a kitten, nobody could get close to him. But after more than a year of patience and gentleness I finally got him to the point where he loves attention...mine and tolerates Bonnie's to a point. Nobody else ever sees him except maybe as a streak running out of the room. Well, I suppose I should quit now. This, then is a thumbnail sketch of me. There is more...oh, so much more, but I think this is enough...at least for now. Oh and I've been hit by lightning, have personally seen several tornados and water spouts and been through three hurricanes. |
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