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Welcome to Shadowood
Our Sanctuary in the Woods

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My name is Laurie, and I welcome you to Shadowood. Allow me to make the introductions and show you around the place. I am a "Jill of Several Trades". My endeavors are all home-based so that I can be here to take care of my large animal family, several of whom are aged with chronic medical issues.

I am a freelance writer with a number of articles published, mostly in national equestrian magazines, but also in literary, humane, and children's publications. Recently, I have been expanding my collection of pet, horse, and iris articles, I invite you to subscribe to my RSS feed to be notified of my most recent writings. You may also view my new articles directly.

I also create and sell handmade, custom switchplates and receptacle covers to beautify homes around the world. If you'd like me to turn your photos or artwork into one-of-a-kind wallplates for your own home, contact me for details. Or you may prefer to peruse my currently available switch plates and outlet covers.

maple leaf double switchplate or switch plate

Another rewarding pursuit of mine is offering several pet related services at Fiverr. With more than a decade of experience doing online research on the veterinary issues of my own cats, dogs, and horses, I decided to make my services available to others in need of information about the medical concerns of their pets or who need help communicating with their veterinarians.

standard dwarf bearded iris SDB iris Beach Baby

beardless iris Siberian iris Banish Misfortune

Irises have also become a beautiful part of my life, gracing my farm landscape with a full spectrum of delightfully dizzying colors from early spring through midsummer. If you love these graceful flowers as I do, you will enjoy hundreds of photos of all classes of bearded irises including MDB, SDB, IB, BB, MTB, TB, and species irises, as well as beardless irises such as Siberian iris, Japanese iris, and Iris versicolor on my iris pages. You will find a large volume of iris information on those pages, as well.

However, my greatest lifelong passion is ...

HORSES

Visit my horse pages to find out about my involvement with these beloved beasts. You will find much horse related information in those pages including my popular horse quizzes, the Equine Answer Board archives, a list of colleges and universities offering horse related degree programs, and a bookstore featuring some of the best horse books available.

Before you run off to explore the horse stuff, I'd like to give you a feel for my life in the remote woods of northern Minnesota where I live on a 40 acre farm surrounded by state and federal forest. Needless to say, it's a quiet life which suits me very well. I migrated north from the Chicago suburbs where I was born and raised. I suppose I'm a prime example of "the grass is always greener on the other side" syndrome.

I'd like to invite you to experience some of what I feel about living on this farm. Perhaps I should first explain my move from the suburbs in Why Rural? before acquainting you with my concept of community. Once you've gained a bit of insight on my living environment, you might want to start meeting a few of the neighbors. Seats at the Table tells of some uninvited dinner guests of the four-legged variety! Can you whistle? Neither can I, but it didn't keep me from becoming a member of this unlikely chorus. And meet the neighbor who dropped by to offer me yet another excuse to avoid a pile of paperwork.

Of course you mustn't leave before I introduce you to a few of my four-legged family members. Clicking on any of the following names will take you to my feline and canine kids' respective pages. The cats: Pea, The Babies (Noddy, Capri, Lamie, Pretty, and BooBoo), Billy, Bitsy, Weasel, Bartholomew, Somer, Annabelle, The Three Mouseketeers (Footsie, Feather, and Phantom [you won't want to miss their integration story]), Sweet Sweet, Roxie, Siliman, Tommy, The GoBoys (Gomer, and Goober), and Bobble. The dogs: Moonie, Sarah, Aspen, Ragtime, Tasha, Pippin, and Wookie. I'm still in the process of writing their introductions, so please check back often to find out more about my wonderful and unique family. Make sure you read the dogs' lighthearted welcome, as well. Have fun and look around; you never know what you may learn from these, my most treasured teachers.

You might also want to spend a few minutes exploring my page of links. You'll find many useful animal, gardening, and website development sites just a click away. For a quick overview of all pages here at Shadowood, visit the site index.

Thanks for stopping by. Please come again soon ... and please sign my guestbook before you leave.

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