Colleen
I’m one of those rare native Oregonian creatures. I was born (1951) and raised in Hillsboro, a then-small county seat of a rural farming county west of Portland. I consider Corvallis my home, however, and am delighted to have returned (again) during summer 2007 after nearly 12 years in Portland. My son Luke (a native Corvallis-ite) still lives in town as well.
When my job of 20 years (the last 11+ at Portland State) came to an end in December 2006, I decided to make some changes, hence the move back to Corvallis. Boy, did I not stop there! I became involved with CoHo a few months before actually returning to Corvallis. Moving in was like suddenly gaining a giant extended family (quite an experience for an introverted only child!)
I also had decided to step back from high pressure career positions. After much searching I am now working two part time jobs that are fun and meaningful. I am half time at Linn Benton Food Share as the Agency Relations person and general assistant to everyone else at Food Share. I also work 8-10 hours a week as the admin assistant to the Board of the Corvallis Independent Business Alliance, the organization that promotes Buy Local/Buy Independent in the area. I’d be glad to share my enthusiasm for both organizations, if you have questions.
At CoHo I seem to be drawn to concrete tasks like mulching and weeding our common areas, as well as administrative tasks (but how did I end up tracking budget expenditures for two teams???). I hope to have time in my life to participate in some of my favorite activities – reading, walking/hiking, knitting, exploring Oregon, camping, gardening, laughing and playing with friends, OSU sports, catching a movie, and being with family and with that rascal John (known as “Colleen’s boyfriend” by the CoHo children). Life seems to get busier and busier!
Now to the really important stuff – the answer to the question, What pets do you have? I share my home with Bitty (AKA Bitsy, Itty-bits, Itty Bitty Kitty, or other variations as the inspiration strikes). Bits is a 16-year-old smallish, gray female cat with a stumpy, twisted little tail. Initially an extremely shy cat (most people didn’t believe I had a cat, since no one had seen her for about the first 18 months we lived here!), she is relaxing into the cohousing lifestyle and now attends Admin Team meetings at our unit – although she sleeps through them, curled up next to me with her head on my arm while I take the meeting minutes. Sometimes she even gets to go outside (well-monitored, only) to roll around on the warm cement and eat a blade or two of grass!
Stop by to meet us sometime!
