My beginnings

In the beginning...In the late afternoon on a cold winter day about 62 years ago, a behind was smacked, a cry was heard and YEP, there I was. Ok, we don't need to go back that far!

I grew up the youngest of four children. An animal lover from the start, I had a passion for cats and horses. To this day I have two cats and one horse - Evie, Bubbles and Spanky. 
They are near and dear to me.  I'm sure many of you have fur babies that are the loves of your life.  Our fur children typically make us happy and lower our blood pressure while
those human offspring... well need I say more.  Anyway, I come from a family of medical people and artists.  Starting with my grandfather to present day - there are 7 MDs,
1 Phd, 1 nurse practitioner, 1 speech therapist, 1 sports therapist and me, a registered nurse. Throw in a professional potter/educator, a commercial artist and a couple painters 
for good measure and that's the lot of them.

Mom

In 2002, Mom had quadruple bypass surgery.  She had a moderate stroke the day after.  For the next 4 years I managed her care directly and indirectly. I learned so much about medicine and nursing care from her.  She was a tough nut with an extensive list of medical problems or co-morbidities as we say in the medical biz. She was my inspiration to finally join the rest of the family in medicine.  She died in 2006.  I became a registered nurse in 2010 and have worked in skilled rehab and long term care as a floor nurse and supervisor for more than 11 years at a 150+ bed facility in Florida.

Career #1

Although I should have been a veterinarian to round the family out, I was graduated with a BA in Communications from Rutgers University.
I pursued career #1 in television and radio advertising with a broadcast ad agency in Princeton, NJ.

Career #2

The advertising work evolved into an independent contractor position for 16 years as an executive recruiter in media industries. In 1992 while head hunting, I lived on a 40 acre farm in Mississippi. I raised horses, hay and emus - that's right, those big goofy Australian birds with huge green eggs. My mother was excited about this unusual new livestock industry and joined me as my "not so silent" partner.  It was called the WRS Emu Ranch, named for my father who died in 1991. We started with six birds and within two years had over 100.

Career #3

1998, my husband took a job in Texas and most of my critters and I relocated to a small ranch in the Hill Country.  He packed up his car, went off to Texas and left me in the middle of hatching season to sell the farm and move everything to someplace in Texas.  My farm sold in six weeks. Needless to say, the move was difficult for me in many ways.  Thank goodness for close friends who helped me during this
very stressful time. Two years later, we split up, sold off the birds and the ranch.  I moved to a small farm in Maine and remarried. After several years of snow birding, we moved permanently to Florida.

Career #4

After caring for covid patients for nearly two years; and now that the IRS considers me a senior citizen, I've decided to take my skills: medicine, communications
animals and art (my new website is under construction - artbyabigail.com) and start career #4. I call it

SEMI RETIREMENT and I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

Together, we will venture into new and exciting prospects for living, loving and learning.

AND TODAY, THAT'S MY STORY###