I’m taking a different approach towards today’s blog post. I’m going to write on a topic that I’ve picked from a list of suggested posts on another website. Number 1 is “A recent picture of yourself and 10 interesting facts about yourself”. I’m not sure how interesting they will be, but here we go!

1. I grew up in a small town. Beach City, Ohio is a village of about 1,200 people. As a child, I always thought we lived in an average sized city. Don’t all children think their lives are the norm? My mother always told me that we lived “in town” and she wouldn’t want to live in the country where neighbors and relatives were far away. Between this and the fact that our village had the word “City” in its name, I assumed we lived the city lifestyle.
2. I was an only child until I was 16 years old. My younger brother was born the day after my sixteenth birthday. Since our birthdays were one day apart, we always celebrated with one cake. My eighteenth birthday (and my brother’s second) was celebrated with a Cookie Monster cake. At the time, I found this to be annoying. Now I look at things differently. Since there are two birthdays, there is twice the fun, almost on the level of a national holiday! And it turns out that my baby brother is one of the greatest gifts of my life.
3. Growing up I was an extremely introverted child. I did not want any attention brought to myself. I hunkered down in my chair at school, so the teacher wouldn’t call on me and I never wanted to answer any questions even if I knew the answer. I rarely had much to say unless we were in small groups. This is probably a hold over from when I was growing up. When there were adults around, children were to be seen but not heard. My, how times change!
4. I love all animals! This may be an interesting fact, but I don’t think it is news to anyone who knows me. Over the course of my life I have had many dogs and cats, dozens of fish, a hamster, several turtles, parakeets, various cage finches, and a rabbit. If it were up to me, I would also have a couple of goats and an alpaca.
5. My career for most of my life was as an environmental scientist. I am certified to run drinking water and wastewater treatment plants. I am a certified laboratory analyst. Technical work in various forms, has been what I do. Since I am currently retired, I have been focusing on tasks that require the other side of my brain. Writing, crafts, and thinking in more creative and less regimented ways.
6. I could spend hours reading every day and still not be tired of it. Mostly I stop reading because I have other things to do. Some women shop. A treat for me is a leisurely trip to the library. Just the smell of the books as you walk through the doors to library brings a feeling of peace, and a little excitement. All the magic in those unopened books!
7. I am a vegetarian. It’s not that I don’t like the taste of meat. I can’t bear to contribute to the way the current industry treats animals as they grow and live. Or the way they are slaughtered. I don’t want to be a party to the cruelty. Technically I am a pescatarian. I do eat fish and other seafood. I see them as lower on the evolutionary scale when it comes to feelings and the ability to suffer. Sometimes I worry that I am wrong about the fish.
8. I love to bake. I like to cook in general, but baking is my passion in the kitchen. Yeast breads, quick breads, cookies, scones, cheesecakes, layer cakes from scratch (or a mix will certainly do!), cookies, pies. You name it, and I will happily bake it. And eat it!
9. I practiced Tai Chi for 10 years and Kung Fu for about 3 years. I started when I was in my mid-twenties at the local vocational school adult education program, and then on to a martial arts school in Akron, Ohio. Now that I am a little older (wink, wink) I have taken a few yoga classes and find it enjoyable. I would love to try goat yoga!
10. My favorite place, of those I have been, is the Maine Coast. Especially the Acadia National Park area where you can climb a mountain and look out over the ocean. There is a certain satisfaction and magic, knowing that you have made it up a mountain and are looking down at the ocean and areas of coastline that you were on recently.

So, there are 10 random bits of information that you may, or may not have known about me before. If you have any interesting random facts about yourself that you are willing to share, please do!