Occupation: My husband, Jim, and I own Shortt's Farm and Garden Center in Sandy Hook. I take care of the greenhouses and the retail end, mostly, I don't get out in the fields as much as I used to, with the kids.
Occupation: My husband, Jim, and I own Shorttâs Farm and Garden Center in Sandy Hook. I take care of the greenhouses and the retail end, mostly, I donât get out in the fields as much as I used to, with the kids.
Family: Jim and I have been married for ten years. We have two boys. James is 4 years old, and Jesse just turned 3 in January.
Pets: We have no pets at home, but we have a farm cat, Jake, and five chickens at the Garden Center.
How long have you lived in Newtown? I grew up here and except for the four years in college in New York and Boston, Iâve always lived here.
What do you like to do in your free time? I do a lot of reading. I have a small obsession with books. Iâm constantly out in the yard, too. Playing with the boys takes up a lot of my free time.
Do you have a favorite book? I read everything â fiction, nonfiction, whatever, so I donât really have one favorite. I just read The Captainâs Wife by Douglas Kelley. Itâs about Mary Patten, the wife of a ship captain in the late 1800s. When he falls sick on board, she had to take over. It was a nonfiction account of her voyage, and very good.
Do you have a favorite travel destination? We used to spend summers in Vermont, growing up, so Iâd like to get back there with James and Jesse. I have fond memories of Vermont. Mostly, we go to Florida. Jimâs brothers are there. We go to Disney World. Itâs so commercialized, but I love it. We used to go there every year when I was growing up.
What is the best thing about Newtown? A lot of my friends have come back to raise kids. Newtown is a great place for families. Iâm a country girl at heart and thatâs what I love about Newtown. But itâs also close to everything. Itâs not in the middle of nowhere. We have the best of both worlds here. And, my sisters and mother are still in the area, so thatâs nice.
Who has been the greatest influence on your life? Itâs a tossup between my mother and my father. My mother has been my guidance over the years and has always been there for good advice and parenting. My father passed away when I was in my twenties, but I look back and thereâs a lot to admire about him. I admire how he came from nothing and made himself a good life.
Do you have a personal philosophy? Just take one day at a time. I try to preach that to my husband, but it doesnât work out so well.
Do you have a guilty pleasure? That would definitely be reading â and chocolate.