Hi folks, and welcome! So glad to have you swing by. Me? I'm just some everyday gal, ya know? No big deal. However, if you're curious as to who this weirdo actually is that is behind this site, read on.

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Born and raised in Minnesota in the heart of Minneapolis, I'm the little awkward inner-city redhead who never really fit in. I liked bugs, animals, plants, spiders, and even thought the big crawly centipedes that occasionally skittered across our living room floor were super cool. I had calloused feet, dirty fingernails, and frequently found myself exploring any patch of wooded areas I could find. I was a lucky kid - my grandparents had a tiny little lake cabin in northern Minnesota. We would go there sometimes on the weekends, and I could see owls, fish the lake, catch minnows by hand, have big warm bonfires with smores and pick dandelion bouquets for my grandma. The place wasn't a palatial "lake home" like you see on TV - it was a run-down little one-room log shack where nature was everywhere, the rules included "if it's yellow, let it mellow" and we kept a lighter and an ashtray on the table for burning ticks. That kind of place. And you know, it was perfect.

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I spent most of my years yearning for life in the woods surrounded by nature. In my cubicles that paid the bills I would surround myself with any plant that could tolerate the environment, going as far as to uninstall the dumb florescent lights that came in the cube credenzas and installing grow lights instead. At home, I had massive aquariums of freshwater fish, saltwater reefs and aquatic and regular house plants. I kept a vivarium with African giant millipedes, had a red-tailed boa named Dave, a veiled chameleon named Bach, and a mali uromastyx named Schubert. I rehabilitated squirrels volunteering for a local wildlife rescue. Exciting times, I tell ya.

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I settled down in my late 20's.

Well, okay... let's get a bit more specific about that, actually.

I moved to the suburbs, joined my local fire department and became a Fire Fighter, EMT, and later a Paramedic. I became a mom to the most fantastic creature I had ever seen - my now adult daughter. I had cats. I started teaching at a local college and in my community. I was so dang busy and running myself ragged that I lost sight of who I was, and fell into a rut. A big deep alcohol-fueled gnarly icky rut. Bad juju. Change was inevitable. Fast-forward past 13 years of mistakes, hard work, determination and grit to arrive at today in this story.

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I now live in the middle of the woods in a perfectly run-down old house with my dogs, cats, (spiders, wood ticks, daddy longlegs, mice, etc) and my lovely (goofy) husband Brent, who I'm certain you'll see make some guest appearances on whatever social media source you follow. He's an Army Infantry Veteran, and we both have a good heaping plate of PTSD from the junk we've been through - him from his time in combat, and me from my Fire and Paramedic career.  We've both been through the ringer, and you should hear the hilarious nonsense that goes on around here sometimes. It's both comedy gold and mind-blowingly ridiculous at times.

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PSA: There is no shame in seeking help or therapy, folks. Just do it. You matter. People care. Shut down those demons in your head telling you otherwise. They're jerks.

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All that said, I am finally surrounded by nature, not to mention the plants that take up more square feet in this home than the furniture. I have passionately taken care of my family, community, coworkers and the world around me for years, and gosh darnit, I'm going to keep that shizz up here.

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That's what this is all about. That's why I'm here. Taking care of you - and in turn we can both take care of nature. With the right tools and smarts, the hope is that we can all be happy doing it. Do you like plants? Because I freaking love plants, and I am ecstatic to be sharing that with you. Let's do this.