Armadillos Anyone who has visited my house or my practice knows about my rather unusual hobby of collecting armadillos. I have been collecting them for years, and hardly a birthday or Christmas goes by that I don’t get at least one or two new armadillos. Often my patients would bring me ’dillos to add to my collection as well. At last count I had something around 800 of the little critters ... so many that I actually have had to box up some of them and rotate displays. Oddly enough, I don‘t think my sons or daughters-in-law have much interest in inheriting the collection, but my husband says he’ll open an armadillo museum with them someday. But for some reason I can’t quite picture that as a good retirement income.

Dancing I also am very much into dancing (though not with armadillos). A friend and I took tap-dancing lessons together for ages, but now I am content just to do ballroom and historic dancing with my husband. Though he prefers sitting back and writing ballets for others to perform (he has written nearly twenty so far), he will on occasion acquiesce reluctantly to my pleas and join me on the dance floor — just don’t try to cut in!

TV Viewing I hate to admit it, but I probably watch more television than I should. I got into the habit during all my years practicing medicine: After a day of making life-and-death decisions, I found it therapeutic to let my brain go and watch some mindless television show ... I figured it was better than smoking or drinking. Even though I see it as a means of relaxation, I still tend to be somewhat discriminating in my choices — not just any program will do. Among my current favorites are Blue Bloods, Call the Midwife, and NCIS. I also enjoy a lot of older series such as The Rockford Files and comedies like The Golden Girls. Even though they’re old (like my husband) they are far superior to most of the other drivel on television these days. (Now is it time for me to yell, “Get off my lawn!”?)

Reading & Writing I have loved to read since I first learned how. Several years ago I got hooked on period romance novels, which is ironic because I used to make fun of people who read such “garbage.” But when you live in a small town in southern Indiana, it is nice sometimes to escape to Regency England or some other exotic locale and experience the thrill of romance vicariously. Some of my favorite authors are Mary Balogh, Alina K. Field, Diana Gabaldon, Eloisa James, Lisa Kleypas, and Lynne Kurland. Since retiring I have begun doing a bit more writing myself, and you can read more about my projects in my “Writings” section.

History Had I not gone into medicine, I most likely would have become a history teacher. I have always loved history, perhaps from having heard stories of times past related by my grandparents and other older relatives. (My grandfather Maegerlein was in World War I, and one of my great aunts served as a nurse in Europe during World War II while an uncle drove a tank in the Battle of the Bulge in the same war.) Now that I have retired from medicine I am able to volunteer with the local historical society where I not only am able to gain a lot of information about our local history that I’d not known before but also am privileged to help others who are searching for lost ancestors and stories about their lives. History is by no means just a study of dry bones, it is what has made us all what we are today. Visit me sometime at the historical society: Lawrence County Museum of History & Edward L. Hutton Research Library.

Genealogy Tying in with my love of history is my fascination with genealogy — the two go hand in hand. Knowing one’s family history helps one understand who they are, just as knowing the country’s history helps us understand who we are as a nation. My aunt was the real genealogist in the family, but I have been able to do a bit of digging myself (without having to resort to shovels in a cemetery) and have learned quite a bit about my own family’s history. While most of my more immediate family arrived in America in the early to mid-nineteenth century, I’ve traced a few lines back as far as the early 1600’s. You can click here to view my own genealogy pages.