storyspinning

Well, let's begin with my website, http://www.storyspinning.net. That'll give some background on my work as a storyteller. But here's some additional information, FYI. I'm 65 years old (born on Benjamin Franklin's birthday, the year that pennies were not made from copper, and--incidentally--also Michelle Obama's birthday, although she's MUCH younger!) My home state is Illinois, but my husband and I have lived in several others: married in Kentucky, lived in Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, and now Texas. And, no, the law was NOT after us! He's the Presbyterian pastor in Canadian Texas, and our legal residence is in Pampa Texas (look them up....try the panhandle). Besides my storytelling, I'm also a musician, starting piano at the age of 4. My B.A. is in piano performance, from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. I've served as organist at the First Christian (Disciples of Christ) Church in Pampa Texas for nearly 11 years, and have directed choirs, played piano and organ, composed anthems and hymns since about 1958. Whew! (Go figure how old I was.) We've sponsored several children through PLAN INTERNATIONAL (formerly Foster Parents Plan), and currently have two girls in Bolivia. I visited with one and with her predecessor in October 2007. In the 1970s, we were foster parents for four teen-age girls, two of whom we still keep in touch with, and they're now in their 50s. Also, several international students are part of our family, notably from Brazil and Bulgaria. These are now young women in their 30s/40s, who maintain communication and often visit us. These are all our "children of choice." My husband, Ed, and I enjoy traveling, and particularly like to visit Scotland, where we have developed several long-standing friendships. We walked half of the West Highland Way (about 45 miles in six days) in 2001, but probably couldn't do that again. He also enjoys good single malt whisky, and both of us like a good bottle of red wine. Ed spent close to two months in Berlin, both West and East Germany, in January 1987, as part of his seminary study, and I was visiting in Tbilisi in the Georgian Republic when the Berlin Wall was breached, in November 1989. In 2003, we had a serious car crash, and both of us---as well as our Standard Poodle, Ytha---had serious injuries (one reason we probably couldn't walk that Scotland hike again!) As for dogs, we always have at least one. Ed has canine "associate pastors," and his current pair, Lilac and Lavender, are a daughter-and-mother team we found on http:www.petfinder.com. Their first owner had moved to New Zealand, and couldn't take them. We now have a long-distance communication with her, exchanging photos of these two adventurous "girls." My photo included here is of me setting down a rhythm for my storytelling rap, which begins: "Storytelling is about to begin....Come, gather round, let's listen....Listen with your ears, your eyes, your mind....Let your imagination unwind."