- Gale
Gale in a Nutshell (With an Emphasis on “Nut”)
I grew up on a horse farm in Northeastern Illinois—about midway between Chicago and Milwaukee . My sisters and I grew up with dress codes in our school and the Viet Nam War on our television. We stared in awe as Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech and when Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.
To say we grew up in a simpler time is not quite true, but it was different than it is now. Growing up before the electronic era we made our own fun; we had tree houses and mud pies, we played Tarzan from loft to loft in our friends’ old barn, we showed horses, and belonged to 4-H Clubs. We were creative little artists and Mother Nature was our palette. Sometimes we were more creative than our folks could stand….I mean, how was I supposed to know that the red enamel I painted my sister with wouldn’t wash off with soap and water?
But that was then and this is now. Though I hung up my paint brush long ago and my sister’s skin grew back where Dad scrubbed off the paint, I try to keep creativity within the realm of the computer, or a respectable media like clay or flower gardening.
I love to write, I love all things green, screwball comedy, classical music, classic cars, and classic rock.
A correctional officer since 1996, I also spent about 20 years in the carnival business. In my life I have driven a school bus, sung professionally, trained horses and dogs, dabbled in the theater, played Officer Friendly, as well as earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Education. I am also a Master Gardener and after work can usually be found in a flower bed up to my ears in weeds, or volunteering at a local gardening event.
