TMT #10

1. Where were you born? Did you grow up there?

New York City! We lived in NY for 6 years. My father built a summer cottage right on the beach in Long Island, South Hampton. Imagine if we still owned it. I would be a millionaire!
Form NY we moved to La Mesa, Ca. My parents promised me a horse when we moved to Calif. That was the beginning of my horse show days. My father was an aeronautical engineer with TWA, so we moved with his job.
Next we moved to Leawood, Kansas...just a block form the Missouri (Misery) state line. I detested Kansas, and had difficulty fitting in at their large high School. I didn't mind the huge amounts of snow we got, but I hated the humid, hot summers, and the chiggers!
My parents sent me off to boarding school for the last 2 years of high school. I took my horse with me. I finished high school at a girl's college prep in Tuscon, Arizona, Valley School for Girls. I believe my graduating class had 16 girls in it. I got to ride a lot on my quarter mare and did some 3 day eventing with a noted horse trainer. That helped the transition. But, I was a bit of a loner and often was in trouble. I guess, I still am today :0)
From Kansas, my folks moved back to California, this time in Sand Canyon (Saugus). They had a beautiful mountain home with a barn for my horse. I moved back to California to go to college.

2. How did you come to end up living where you are now?

I have always lived RURAL. When Wayne and I were looking for a house to buy, I didn't even want to look in the city even though parts of Santa Clarita were pretty rural back then. Wayne did a lot of move jobs with his Uncle (Valencia Movers). He said, "Let's drive out to Green Valley." As soon as I saw our house now, a partial A-frame on top of a mountain, I fell in LOVE. We have been here almost 30 years now. I love it just as much as when we moved in...all except for fire season. Fire scares me.

3. What is the most unusual trick you have taught your dog? Or the most unusual animal you have taught tricks?

Actually, I teach anything and everything 'different behaviors.' I don't think of them as tricks. But, nothing unusual that I can think of at this time. I try to keep the BCs mentally busy with clicker training and shaping new behaviors. I also, did that with my last horse, too, with the help of my neighbor, Clyde Kennedy at the time. My running quarter mare would bow for me to mount, lie down, smile, etc.

4. What is the most unusual food you enjoy?

I'm a jalapeno, hot sauce type of lady. My craving when I was pregnant was Salsa Bravo hot sauce. I drank bottles of it. Everyone thought my baby would come out saying, "OLE!"

5. I know this has been asked before, but I'm always looking for a great book to read so what was the last book you read? Did you like it? Would you recommend it?

I haven't finished Snowman, the eighty dollar jumper. I bogged down about 3/4 of the way through it weeks ago. I love horses, but I have found this book hard to get through.