On the Inside

Just A Bit About Me…

I was brought up in a town called “Cadillac, Michigan.” I left once or twice but always managed to come back; then decided to raise my children here. They are ages eleven and twelve; I made the right decision to be here in Cadillac. I am going to share with you the person I am from the beginning of living this most wondrous journey.  It’s funny you stop to remember your life as young as you can? I can remember living on Dandy Street, which I must have only been around five. 

 I also remember my sister and I playing in a little green blow up pool. She has always had a thing about pools. Now that I think of it I do remember much from years ago. Especially when we moved from Dandy Street we ended up moving out by Lake Mitchell. We had the lake for dad, for mom land to have horses, and I had the swamp. Dad always enjoyed the lake, whether it fishing, snowmobiling, or just walking the lakeshore collecting treasures.

   When I was seven we’d only been in the new house for a few months when mom brought home a lop eared mutt.  Her name was Dutch; she was a german shepherd, husky, and collie mix. She grew to be my best friend and confidant. She went everywhere with me. She waited outside a person’s house when I was inside, outside the little store we frequented weekly for candy and she waited for me to get off the bus everyday. Growing up in my neighborhood and around the lake I was known as the girl with the dog and horse; especially the girl with the dog.  She was always my pal, she was a family dog but she had chosen me as her favorite.

We had horses from when I was probably ten years old. We first had Princy. He was a pony sweet as could be. I remember the day dad decided to cut his mane; I don’t know who was more embarrassed Princy or my mom. I thought she was going to kill dad that day. We then got Corky, boy she was green broke and very spirited. Very spunky. I learned a whole a lot about horses from her. I did feel she was my Black Beauty and she gave me a new sense of freedom. She was a barn stormier and I can still hear mom hollering, “You better straighten her out” in a get-it-done voice. Then along came this spotted colt that was just crazy. He’d chase you out of the paddock and just race around. His name was Smoky Joe.  It was a dream come true, as a little girl I wanted to have horses. They are a big responsibility, but there is nothing like riding one through the fields and your feet beating against weeds.

The last horse we acquired was Scissors. He was from the Scissors Bar Ranch in the Dakotas. He was our last and what an awesome horse. He was a beautiful and a gentle giant. Anyone could ride him; he was the love of my life for sure.   I was quite the tomboy and loved to be outside. So my riding was quite a pleasure. I played in the swamp every chance I got. Our swamp was filled with snakes and lots of logs. I had a trusty friend when it came to all of my tomboy fun. His name was Ryan. We climbed trees, walked the logs in the swamp, and shot hoop until we were blue in the face. His snowmobile was always faster but I never gave up on trying to beat him. We sure laughed a lot and had a lot of fun. In the summer time when it was to hot to ride horses or explore the swamp we swam all day long.      

Once I turned fourteen I pretty much thought I knew it all and my mother had no clue what was going on in the world. To my surprise she always knew and tried to keep me on the right path. Of course I still thought I was the smart one. School was definitely not for me. I had to keep my eyes on the boys and where to locate the next party. Having older friends who could drive provided us with transportation. One friend had a fake I.D. and would buy beer during the day and we would drive around town. Do realize this is something you could never get away with now and I am not proud of.

Then of course I added marijuana in my freshman year. That was a big thing to smoke a doobie or two a day. I got more and more to where I didn’t care.  More to where I couldn’t understand, because I was so behind, scared and stoned all the time.  I kept dropping class after class thinking I will just get caught up next year.

 My junior year is when things get really interesting. I had been head over heals for many boys by now. My one girlfriend always told everyone I had a shelf to store all my little loves. Good ole Peg, I could always count on her. She had her hands full trying to keep me in check. I met Rob, which in time would be my first husband. He was a senior at the time and he was my everything. He was a very kind and gentle person. His mother wasn’t too fond of him having such a serious girlfriend. I was full of drama and madly in love. When I was in school all I did was dream of him and couldn’t wait to see him. Needless to say my grades were not good, and I had a very bad year.