I live in Corvallis, Oregon with my best friend, Alex. I finally agreed to marry him in 2009. He is a retired Botanist and spends his time now in our garden and photographing nature. I am sixty years old and have just published my second novel. I teach poetry at Oregon State University.

I received my MFA in Creative Writing from Oregon State in 2005 and my PhD in Psychology in 2008. In 2004 I became certified in Poetry Therapy and became a Registered Poetry Therapist in 2006. In 2010 I co-founded The Corvallis Center for Healing through the Arts. I am the Director there and also facilitate workshops. The Center focuses on using the arts (music, poetry, dance, visual arts, and literature) as a vehicle of healing.

I live in a rambling ranch-style home on the outskirts of Corvallis. The house sits on 5 acres and the grounds are covered with beautiful and colorful gardens. Our house has many windows and a deck out back that overlooks the pool. We share our home with our Alaskan Malamute and our Chihuahua.

My husbands best friend moved out to Oregon in 2011 to work at the Center as an Art Therapist. My son, who is 39, moved from Florida last year with his family (wife and three girls) to also work with us at the Center as a Music Teacher.

I drive a CJ-5 that my youngest son, who is 37, restored for me. He loves to work with cars and owns his own auto body shop. He still lives in Florida but makes the trek to Oregon with my oldest son once a year.

I have finally overcome the Panic Disorder that I was plagued with since 1989 and I have learned how to live without fear always hanging over my head. Now I sit in on a local support group for Anxiety suffers here in Corvallis once a week.

I have a few health problems. I am still struggling with my cholesterol, which is always just a tad bit too high. The ankle that I broke in 1992 is still arthritic but the doctor here says that the medical profession has found a new way to repair injured joints. It will be nice to walk without a limp again.

I have yet to publish a book about my father’s life in the Florida Everglades but I am working on it. I have saved it all these years so that I could learn as much about writing as I could before finishing it. The University of Miami expressed in interest in back in 2013 but I don’t think it is ready yet.

So, I am happy with my life. I was tired of the east coast and I love Oregon. The wide-open spaces fill me with joy and the people here are wonderful. I wouldn’t change a thing about my life.