Occupation: I work at Bent of the River Audubon Center. I am an educator and volunteer coordinator plus I plan all the events, do the communications for those, social media, fundraising, monitoring the Bluebird boxes, and am part of the bird banding team.

Family: I live with my husband, Miles (we’ve been married for 33 years), my daughter, Elizabeth (who will be graduating from Quinnipiac University in a couple of weeks), and my dad, who has recently moved into our home.

Pets: I have two large mixed breed dogs named Lola and Duffy, a sun conure named Cheeto, a blue-crowned conure (conures are parrots) named Skye, three parakeets, and numerous exotic fish. Can you tell I love animals?

How long have you lived in Newtown? We moved into our home in 1994, so have lived in Newtown for 28 years.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love reading, cooking, hiking and, of course, bird watching. Watching my feeder birds has been a favorite pastime for 35 years; however, the bears have put a halt to that pleasure this year.

What is your favorite book? This is a little like answering who is your favorite child or your favorite pet. I love books! I was in the book business for 18 years prior to staying home with my daughter. I love all the Diana Gabaldon books and have read them many times. I love literature, mysteries, and non-fiction books about China, Cambodia, and other books about survival against the odds.

What is your favorite travel destination? We love Scotland!

What is your favorite TV show? I really enjoyed an Australian drama series called Offspring, which made me laugh a lot and cry, as well. There are seven seasons.

What is the best part about Newtown? I love our picturesque town. It’s a big place with a small-town feel. I like going to our local businesses where people are friendly, and I am recognized. I also enjoy all the open space.

Who is your favorite musical artist? I have so many since I have a really eclectic taste in music. If I have to choose just one, it would have to be Natalie Merchant. I have listened to her since she was part of 10,000 Maniacs and then, of course, when she became a soloist. I think her music stands up after all that time.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? I would love to spend the day with my mom. I lost her almost five years ago and miss her every day.

What is something you cannot live without? I can’t live without my family, and this includes my pets!

What is your proudest accomplishment? My proudest accomplishment is my daughter, although I can’t take all the credit.

What is a recipe your family has passed down to you? It would have to be our spaghetti sauce. My mother's parents were immigrants from Italy and always made their sauce from scratch. My grandmother would grow her own tomatoes and grind them herself. I don't go that far, but I always make the sauce with her rules in place — like this one: oregano only belongs in pizza sauce.

What is a tradition your family does that is important to you? Every year we celebrate "Family Day." It is the anniversary of the day we were in Changsha, China, our daughter was handed to us and we immediately became a family!

What would you like The Newtown Bee to cover in the future? It would be awesome if The Newtown Bee could do a story about the Bent of the River. We may be located in Southbury, but we do outreach in Newtown through our school programs, our partnerships with Newtown's environmental non-profits, and of course many of our camp families live here.