[Teresa Ford]

My name is Teresa and I live in sunny Fl. I think I am one of the oldest members. I was born before color TV.and push button phones, I was old enough to remember John Glenn orbiting space, schools were not intergraded, most moms stayed home, and no one got pregnant in my senior class. Free Love, hippies, and pot all happened in College. We did Sit Ins and went crazy for awhile. I have read the entire thread. We are certainly a diverse group. I feel like I have lived at least 3 different lives.

Met my husband at OSU. married, moved to Fl., had 2 sons, I worked in Fine Jewelry Sales, wrote stories, did crafts. We raised and , trained dogs and was wonderfully happy on our little farm, for 26 years. Richard my husband got cancer. Our youngest child was away and in his 2nd year of college. Richard died after 3 years of horrific surgery and chemo. I kept it together and was strong all during his illness. When he died. I got very depressed. Somehow I lost about 3 years of time. I lost my home, our tuck and car,and the bank had zero money in the checking account. Everything I could carry I burnt in a bond fire in our pasture. I am blessed that my adult sons, did not have me committed. I basically ran away from home taking only Noah my Yorkie and a shopping bag of clothes. I lived in a hunting camp in a tiny camper, with no running water or electric. I cooked for the hunters and served their beer. I must have told my sister enough to find me. When my sister found out where I was, my sons came and got me. I got treatment and faced the fact I had to learn to live and make a life for myself. I lived with a friend. We went to dog shows and bred a few litters and I went back to work . I bought a sewing machine and began to make artist bears and we would do teddy bear and doll shows on week ends. My dear friend died from breast cancer. I kept going, one day at a time. I trained puppies and helped my sister with her dogs and grooming shop. I wrote short stories again and verse for cards. I was a widow for 10 years. Then I met my husband at a dog show. He had a wonderful Yorkie named Zacky. We got married in 2007. We are retired and spend most of our time with our dogs,my grown kids and grandchildren. I still write, craft and train dogs. I feel very blessed.