Answers from Patty

Where do you live?

Palmer, Massachusetts (80 miles from Boston) in the part of the state that the politicians  only remember when they want help paying off the Big Dig or want our votes!

Do you have any hidden talents?
I have a wonderful sense of directions and can drive anywhere. If I get lost I just keeping taking left turns until I  get back on the right trail. Not sure if this is a hidden talent or not.

Name two things you consider yourself to be very good at.

Teaching children to realize their potential to become what ever they aspire to become. I'm pretty crafty too.

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at.
This is probably too much information but here it goes.... House work  I hate it so I'm not the best at it. No, my house is not as bad as those Hoarders  or Clean sweep shows. Its very lived in. (LOL) the  other thing I'm bad at is spelling I'm a terrible speller when I write any thing I always have either a spell checker or a dictionary within  easy reach.

Do you have any siblings? What are they like.
I have four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. I'm the second oldest, My older brother is very talented but has made terrible life  choices and has squandered much of his life. My youngest brother is very talented as well, he is a machinist and does things old school, a craft which is dying. He has Polysistic Kidney disease and is not well. He is currently rebuilding his 1969 Chevy Camaro  convertible and it looks awesome. My sister Judy is also my best friend ( she drove me nuts when we were kids), she is a long arm quilter, a grandma and very talented in her own right. She is petrified of mice, and not the bravest about traveling or driving places unlike me. My Youngest sister and the baby, Susan, is a free spirit and marches to her own drum.

Have you ever won a trophy?

I don't think so, and I'm sure I would remember something like  that.

Name one thing that not many people know about you.

I love to sing to my dogs. I was a closet  professional wrestler watcher in college.  Oops sorry that's two things

What is your earliest memory?
Standing at the grave of my grandfather watching them lowering him into the ground with ropes and trying to cry because my mother was. I don't know why this comes to mind but I know I was young.
It's not a bad memory I didn't get was was going on... did I mention I am Irish and Catholic? (LOL)

What was your favorite musical group when you were in Junior High?

Hey Hey We're the Monkeys! I know I'm dating myself.

What are you passionate about?

Teaching... I'm a  special education teacher and I'm love working with children who struggle and don't believe in themselves,  watching them gain confidence and helping them find what they are good a.t Watching them show the "smart " kids how to solve problems, or watching that moment when the light bulb goes off and they get it. I'm so passionate about it that I'm getting goose bumps just writing about it .  I'm also passionate about quilting and reading too.

Who is the person you respect the most and why?

My mother, she has had a lot of adversity in her life and never really had a childhood, she has taken care or a number of her family members when they've been terminally ill. She barely made it out of the fifth grade because of her family situation but managed to  raise  us and teach us that we can do any thing we put our mind to. She is/was a phenomenal quilter, unfortunately is going blind because she has macular degeneration. Despite the adversity in her life, she remains a strong positive person. I only hope that I am half the woman she is.

What outdoor activities do you enjoy?
Camping, hiking, the ocean, gardening.

If your house was on fire what three things would you grab before leaving?

Assuming that my husband and my son were already out and safe... my two dogs and my debit card, or car keys. I know that 's four things but I'm assuming the keys and debit card would be in close proximity.

What is your most favorite place on earth?

I like  my home but home is where you heart is right? So any place that my boy and his father are. But a specifically in the United States, my most favorite place is Monticello VA. Thomas Jefferson's home, my sister -in- law lives in Charlottesville and every time I go see her we have to go there. There  is something so beautiful and peaceful about that place.