A Bit of History - Trash Cans, Picacho Peak, and Milking Cows

I was reading blog posts from others this morning and came across an interesting posting by one of my favorite bloggers, Roger Mucci.  He inspired me to take my own trip down memory lane, sharing 10 things that folks may not know about me, from the past.

1.  I sang a solo at my high school graduation to represent the choral department.  Barbra Streisand was huge back then, and I chose, "The Way We Were".  There were about 2000 people at the ceremony, so it was a pretty big deal for me. 

2.  I was a dairy farmer owner for 6 years in Casco, WI.  We had about 100 head of stock, and milked around 40 of them, twice a day.  We also worked 120 acres in order to grow feed for them.

3.  I had/have four children, who often appear in my blogs to help illustrate a point or emotion. 

4.  I grew up with horses, and enjoyed taking the kids out for horseback rides in a neighborhood about a half mile away.  Of sentimental importance, one of the children was severely handicapped with muscular dystrophy and his folks would always bring him out for a ride.  I was honored they would trust me with him, and his joy and excitement for the ride was something the entire neighborhood shared.

5.  I coached dramatic activities at Luxemburg-Casco Middle School for 15 years, including running the Forensics team, coaching the spring play, and for a couple of years, working with Odyssey of the Mind.

6.  I have climbed Picacho Peak twice.  Once with my son, and once with my daughter-in-law. Another time we traveled about two hours on the long path and then gave up.  (It was hot)  This mountain is located near I-10 about 30 minutes north of Marana, AZ. From the base you can see it is flanked with cliffs on all sides. The Hunter trail, the shorter trip,  is the most recommended route up this monolith. It is two grueling miles. The trail heads up steeply to a pass over the saddle, then goes down the other side, loosing over half the elevation in a short amount of time. (very hard on the ankles) The trail then continues back up cut through the rock and there are cables to help you up the mountain. The trail is very steep and you have to find footholds and handholds in the rocks. You must use the cables: You have to use them to pull yourself up the mountain. The other trail, Sunset Vista is 3.1 miles and circles around the backside of the mountain then comes up and connects to the Hunter trail as it comes down the other side of the "saddle".  Here's a great gallery of photos of Picacho Peak!

7.  I used to be an avid weightlifter and quit only after getting a hernia and having surgery.  (I don't think I got the hernia from weight lifting, but from carting the equipment needed for my weekend, live black-tie dj gig I worked for 13 years)

8.  I have made money following my hobbies and have earned dollars singing, painting trash cans, refinishing furniture, writing magazine articles, making crafts, and even creating and producing artisan greeting cards.  I always found that humorous because I've never been fantastic at any one thing, but can fake my way through most! 

9.  My apartment was gutted by fire Christmas night, 1991. It started next door in a vacant home and spread throughout our four-plex.  My home was the only one completely destroyed.

10. I have moved 27 times....unless I missed one.

This trip into the past has been inspired by the following post by Debbie Reynolds of Clarksville, TN.

Contest: What We Have in Common, Getting to Know Each Other Better

I hope to read many of your own stories in the upcoming weeks!