Who Am I?
If I had to describe myself in one word, that word would have to be "independent." Of course, one word doesn't even begin to fully describe a person, and I am no exception. I've been described as a "pioneer woman," an "old soul," and even an "anomaly." My husband calls me "The Dream Crusher" and I've actually become quite famous for it in Northwest Missouri, where we live.
Let me explain that last nickname. My husband, Jonn Casey, is a high school science teacher and quite a comedian. He once wanted to jump our garage on a motorcycle - on fire! Naturally, I said, "No way!" and the nickname was born. I have actually met strangers who, upon hearing my name, say, "Oh, you're The Dream Crusher!" Apparently, Jonn gets quite a bit of mileage out of that joke. He also finds it convenient to blame "The Dream Crusher" whenever he doesn't want to do something. Anyway, it's all good-natured fun and everyone who knows us well recognizes that, in reality, I've made all Jonn's dreams come true and vice-versa.
We live in the country with our three youngest sons (our oldest two kids are grown and on their own) on approximately five beautiful acres surrounded by corn and soybean fields. Our nearest neighbor is half a mile away, over the creek and through the woods (sounds kind of like a familiar song, doesn't it?). I stay at home caring for my boys, my wanna-be daredevil husband, and our little "zoo" of animals, which includes five dogs, eight cats, twenty-two chickens, three guineas, two pet mice, lizards, snakes, spiders, fish and, at any given time, some kind of wild baby animal (right now it's a baby evening bat).
Did I mention that my husband does an educational animal show for area schools, libraries, etc.? Or that we are wildlife rehabilitators? Below are a few of the animals we have rescued/rehabilitated. The first photo is of "Batman," the evening bat. Notice how he is sucking his "thumb." He did that between feedings, and just like a human baby, always sucked the exact same "thumb." The second photo shows a beautiful copperhead that we relocated from a human-inhabited area to a remote area. The third photo is of "Dexter," one of two baby raccoons we successfully raised and released into the wild. They were very lovable, kissing and hugging me (their Mommy) every chance they got. They were never caged; instead they bunked in with our dogs in the doghouses outside and were free to come and go as they pleased. I believe that is why they stayed so friendly until they wandered off into the wild on their own.
Let me explain that last nickname. My husband, Jonn Casey, is a high school science teacher and quite a comedian. He once wanted to jump our garage on a motorcycle - on fire! Naturally, I said, "No way!" and the nickname was born. I have actually met strangers who, upon hearing my name, say, "Oh, you're The Dream Crusher!" Apparently, Jonn gets quite a bit of mileage out of that joke. He also finds it convenient to blame "The Dream Crusher" whenever he doesn't want to do something. Anyway, it's all good-natured fun and everyone who knows us well recognizes that, in reality, I've made all Jonn's dreams come true and vice-versa.
We live in the country with our three youngest sons (our oldest two kids are grown and on their own) on approximately five beautiful acres surrounded by corn and soybean fields. Our nearest neighbor is half a mile away, over the creek and through the woods (sounds kind of like a familiar song, doesn't it?). I stay at home caring for my boys, my wanna-be daredevil husband, and our little "zoo" of animals, which includes five dogs, eight cats, twenty-two chickens, three guineas, two pet mice, lizards, snakes, spiders, fish and, at any given time, some kind of wild baby animal (right now it's a baby evening bat).
Did I mention that my husband does an educational animal show for area schools, libraries, etc.? Or that we are wildlife rehabilitators? Below are a few of the animals we have rescued/rehabilitated. The first photo is of "Batman," the evening bat. Notice how he is sucking his "thumb." He did that between feedings, and just like a human baby, always sucked the exact same "thumb." The second photo shows a beautiful copperhead that we relocated from a human-inhabited area to a remote area. The third photo is of "Dexter," one of two baby raccoons we successfully raised and released into the wild. They were very lovable, kissing and hugging me (their Mommy) every chance they got. They were never caged; instead they bunked in with our dogs in the doghouses outside and were free to come and go as they pleased. I believe that is why they stayed so friendly until they wandered off into the wild on their own.
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Our sons are homeschooled and that provides lots of opportunity for hands-on learning. I have a degree in Elementary Education and another in Computer Science. I run several websites besides this one, including a homeschool resources website called The Connected Homeschool, my husband's animal show website called Casey's Creatures, a website for my young adult Teenage Survivalist series, Teenage Survivalist, and a website for my non-fiction book Stop Beating the Dead Horse. We also do historical reenacting (a great way to learn history!), especially from the 1800's, and have appeared in three historical documentaries/movies with Scout Pictures. I am a member of the Missouri Writers Guild and the St. Joseph Writers Guild. I have recently started a publishing company, Amazing Things Press, to help local authors publish their books.
After all that is finished, I write.