Helping friend turns into full-time career

This column is sponsored by Belwood Furniture, and will appear in The Daily Bee each Sunday. You are asked to identify the person seen in the picture. Next week you will see another picture of this person that will identify her. Here are some hints to help you recognize the person you see today. If you think you know her then call me at 1-800-507-9426. Please spell your name — it helps.)

"I was born in Flushing, N.Y., on April 27, 1949. My dad's name is Jack, and my mom's name was Olinda Carlotta. I have an older sister named Honey, and I have a brother named Rande.

"We lived in the woods of Putnam Valley, where our dad had built our home. My early life was all about building forts, playing at the brook, and being out of doors. We had no television during my early years, so we did not hang out inside the house, we were busy. We had a big craft closet, and if anyone was unsure as to what to do, there were plenty of projects they could work on.

"We had one little girl that would walk through the woods to play with us, but pretty much it was just the three of us. There were many trails through the woods, and when we got older, we would walk to the swimming holes and places like that. But as little people, we pretty much stayed in our section of the woods.

"I started school in Putnam Valley when I was about 6 years old. The name of the school was Putnam Valley Central, and I went there through the ninth grade. Sports were very limited for girls and field hockey was all that we played. We would run around with sticks hurting each others shins. I graduated from junior high in 1963.

"I was never very academic, but I did have a favorite teacher. His name was Mr. Thornton, and he was just silly and dear to all of us. He called me Chinocchio, because I had such a long chin. My favorite subjects were; art, music and gym. I have always loved art and I know it was my mother's influence. The fact that we had no television was another factor. If you wanted to do something, you made it. If you wanted something, you made it.

"I went to high school at Peekskill, which was about 20 miles from our house. I went there three years, and I was on the swimming team. I was a cheerleader, and I loved the social activates at school. I went to the school dances and other school functions. It was a time that I could expand my circle of friends from the woods of Putnam Valley to a bigger world. I graduated from high school in 1966.

"After graduation, I got a full academic scholarship to Hiram Scott College, in Scott's Bluff, Neb. There was no art program in the school, but they brought professors from the University of Nebraska to teach. I was there for four years and received my degree in secondary art education. I graduated in 1970. After graduation, I went back to the little school that I had attended, Putnam Valley Central. I did substitute teaching there for two years.

"I met my husband while we were in college and we were married in 1972, in Fort Collins, Colo. We have been married 33 years, and we have one daughter. We moved to Sandpoint in 1979.

"I worked at the Hydra for a while, and then I was the art teacher at the Sunshine School. It was a kindergarten and a pre-school, located in Sandpoint. I started there in 1983 and I taught there for several years. A good friend needed help with her business, and I started working with her. I later bought the business and it became a full-time job.

"I am a maker and a doer, and my hobbies center around that. I don't know how to tell you about my hobbies, because they are always different.

"I am a charter member of the Angels Over Sandpoint, and I am very proud of that. I am a past member of the Historical Preservation Commission. I also do a lot of volunteer work."