Author Profile

I'm a sentimental, melodramatic, gluten-free, grassroots, DFL, AFL-CIO, over-educated,
woman of opinion. In 1997 I won the foxy-husband man of integrity lottery, and in 2005
gave birth to the first of my two fair-haired, fierce-hearted lads who are the sons of anyone's dreams.
I'm also a bibliophile, germanophile, lilaphile, chocoholic defender of animals
and of human rights. Professionally I am and have been a writer, educator, researcher, translator
and general pain in the hinder. In 1998 I contracted Influenza Type A from one
of my students--the virus attacked my autonomic nervous system and autoimmune system,
leaving me with a rare one-in-four-million condition called post-infectious autonomic neuropathy.
It has taken me a while to get linked-up, online, plugged-in and what have you, but I think this
new internet thing might be something, don't you?

To know more about me, read between the lines!

BlueCollar Hubby
A man of faiith, education, and great comeliness, BCH has been my husband and technical advisor
for 12 years. When not busting his hump to feed his progeny, you may find him engrossed in
politics, LEGOS or books. Together with our sons, he rounds out my inspirational trifecta: the
three fair-haired, fierce-hearted lads who make everything simple into spectacular.

Blue Collar Lads: Tobias and Reuben

BlueCollarGallery/FarmerToe.jpg

Tobias (Tovi or Toe) is our first-born human son (our male dog Skeeter being older). He's 4 1/2 and loves singing, dancing, planets and rockets, birds of all kinds (especially owls, pigeons and chickens), cats, photography, tools, rocks weather-watching and swimming. Toe can do spot-on impersonations of most wild animals, and usually scares the bejesus out of someone when he does. In his preschool class he is the master of student-teacher negotiations (as in, "No practicing writing--try again! How about paracticing riding scooters???). At 3 he was diagnosed with a mild form of an autism spectrum disorder known as PDD-NOS, and faces some unique communication and social/behavioral challenges. He loves hugs and kisses, sharing, and is very smart. Picky Persnickity is a "selectatarian" (which means there are only about 10 foods in the world he will eat).

Reuben(Roo) is 2 1/2 and nearly killed me while in the womb. Still, despite his matricidal tendencies, we love and admire him immensely. He is creative and caring, and his smile lights up the room. Roo loves apples, popcorn, dinosaurs, wrestling, cooking, giraffes, hippos, ballgames of all kinds, cooking, rocks, running and books books books. He is very quiet and, like a den animal, often disappears to any cavelike area he can find, dragging a pile of books and his baby "Schumer" (a very complimentary shout-out if you can guess his namesake...) behind him. Normally he eats about 6 meals per day and will try anything once. While Toe is the linguini, Roo is definitely the meatball.