nov1107 / started writing 1-27-08
outline / ideas to become a book ...
 

Holly starts a new chapter in her life with High School Sweetheart, and first husband Tom Lynn Winter contact info 5417 martin Lane, Hanover Park, IL 60133  phone 630-289-8677  cell 630-965-4885 Summers we will live on the Yacht, cell phone only...  and e mail  Holly@BengalSpot.com  After a couple of months with Tom... I have a new outlook on life and everyone says it shows in this photo that Tom took of me..

Fall 2007:
For the past 25 years I living a clean quiet peaceful and sometimes adventurous life  with  good friend Geoff ...
After a long while I started feeling like I needed more than a brother. Being Very lacking in self confidence I just sat on the farms and stayed in a rather sedate state of mind and body. Growing older and heavier, occasionally wondering what happiness was.  Fun? what is fun? Just keep on living... Often I felt so empty I had not much reason to live.  I told myself I could not end my life because it would hurt my Mother to much. "Thank You Mom."
Geoff and I had filled out divorce papers years earlier but just had no big reason to file them.
The phone call from Tom were enough to help me make the final decision that a good friend / brother  was just Not enough...

Geoff likes his solitude and now I am not there to interfere with it.
We lived a healthy  lifestyle in the country. Built 2 bran new homes together, one in northern CA, one in West Virginia.  We also built up a big farm in Missouri on the Arkansas border. We both enjoyed raising all sorts of animals from Alpacas to Zebra including a few smaller wild cats.
For the past 20+ years we raised, and continue to raise Domestic Bengal Cats. 

Geoff agreed to stay in my house until he can build another house for himself.
he will take care of my cats for a % of the profits.
I will continue to do all the sales with e mails, phone calls web work and shipping schedules.
I do hope we can remain friends while not living together.

** Chapter  ... All the wonderful animals in the life with Geoff
** Chapter   adventures with Bengal Cats

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Time to move on....
after 38 years... I went back to my High School Sweetheart
 

It was about September 2007 when Tom called my Mom, Imagene Baker, in Charleston WV. to ask for my phone. Then called me!!! He had to get pretty drunk to get his nerve up enough to call me, a married woman. I am thankful that after being apart for 38 years Tom still cared enough to call... I had tried to find his phone number once while in Chicago for a cat show, but did nto know which town he lived in....

When Tom first called we talked about our son Jr. going through a divorce and how bad it was. Jr. had custody of his daughter Autumn, but his wife did not want to let go. It was close to Autumn's third birthday. I reasoned with Geoff to visit the in-laws for the birthday and also a cat show not far from Tom's home. Tom and I instantly decided to get back together... and it has been GOOD....

I asked Tom's daughter Jean to E mailed a photo to help  me be prepared...
I had not seen Tom in nearly 38 years!... Quite a change from when we were both skinny  kids...

Tom...  is also known as " The Cookie Man of Hanover Park"  He, now we, bake cookies every Sunday and deliver then to Tom's clients and city officials  each Monday first thing in the morning. Tom also bakes brownies on Tuesday evenings to deliver on Wed mornings.

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**another chapter....  our youth together, how Tom rescued me from my  father and foster homes...   Yes that is me driving his Harley Davidson Motor cycle. Tom kept this photo all these years...

I spent the first night of this first visit on his yacht.

Tom kept asking if I was OK and telling me it was usually not that rough.  I actually enjoyed the gentle rocking of the boat.  Anyone that has been around me much knows that  when I need to relax I just start rocking, no rocking chair needed :-)

We took these  photos from the club house deck, near the pool on the first night , or morning that I was here..

I moved in with Tom   11-11-07  :-)  Tom did not like my 'Farm Clothes' so he started buying me new clothes. I did not realize more expensive jeans were cut different to show off a female figure... Tom is thrifty but not as cheap as me. He likes to buy quality and likes to shop around for sales :-) I lost about 20 pounds before coming here.  I want to loose about a bit more :-) I have gone from a  size 14 to a tight size 8 in jeans and size 6 in dress pants......  not bad for being 5'2.

In early January Tom and I had lunch in Chicago with a friend. he lives on the 18th floor in a building near where Oprah lives.  That day Tom bought me a BEAUTIFUL Ruby and Diamond ring... when he put it on my finger he said... you know this means we are engaged... Totally surprised... I am not sure what my expression was... or my feeling were... Tom asked.. are you scared or excited? I just said.... we had at least a couple of years to pick out a wedding ring...

Tom spends every summer on the water. He owns a slip ( boat  parking space on the water) on  Lake Michigan.

Prairie state yacht Club has a wonderful clubhouse and heated pool.

If  I make it through the summer on the boat with him.. this fall we will float down the Mississippi to the gulf then across to Florida for next winter.
If I like the trip we will look for a larger sailboat and take off to live in the warmer waters :-0

sounds like a fairy tail..

Tom has many good qualities.... including giving me all the hugs and kisses I could ever want! a far cry from living with a rock for so may years where even holding hands was out of the question.

Tom does drink and smoke... he has cut back but I know he will never stop. no relationship is all roses... so I can handle these things to get what I need in a relationship and more :-)

Tom was doing auto body work when we were married. He also worked at an Electronics laboratory and had a motor cycle speed shop.
Tom has had his own body and frame repair shop for over 27 years. His daughter Jean runs the shop now and Tom rarely goes in.

  www.AaAutoBodyRepair.com

on January 10, 2008, after wearing glasses for most of my life...  I had Lasik surgery on one eye. The other is for up close work. I love it...
I am still getting income from my cats so I can spend a bit extra on myself.
now I am considering laser hair removal on my legs.... I need to get the wrinkles off my cheeks and... oh well
**** Tom tells me I still look like sweet 16  to him :-) and he makes me feel like it too.


I have one kitten here. .. after Tom showered Frangelica jumped on my chair and is wet :-) She is a happy kitten... I feel like I have everything I need in life...

the Yacht Club at Christmas time 2007.

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chapter on Doug,  he is part of  Tom's life...

Tom's friend Doug lives here part time and in FL part time.  Doug is 10 years younger than Tom.  They met when Tom walked into one of Doug's  age drinking parties.  Someone asked who Tom was and why the old guy was there. Tom said " I am a cop so shut up and pass the booze and no one gets arrested". .. They have been friends for about 30 years.
they have always argued like an old married couple. It is in fun, but that gets to me sometimes too... again I just leave them alone.
Doug is 48, a nice guy, contractor, very intelligent but hopeless drunk. when he is sauced he gets mushy sweet, loves everyone like one of his kids and just talks slow and well, sweet :-) Divorced with 2 grown girls and burned in love,  Doug now prefers no commitments.
Doug has his own stateroom on the yacht... he will be part of my life with Tom...
 he is a great cook too, which is why I have not lost an ounce since coming here.
1-27-08  Today I am eating cabbage soup :-) yuck... but it does work to melt off the pounds...
 

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1-26-08 we brought home a 6 person hot tub. Today we hope to get a tow truck friend over to help unload it, then get some of his son's teen age friends to drag it over the snow to the back deck where he used to have a hot tub.

I need to go help ( take photos) with getting the new Hot Tub off the Pick up and moved around to the back deck...
Who says it has to be cold in Chicago !

visit occasionally to see updates as I add more adventures :-)

visitors tot his page since I started writing 1-17-08 

go to Bengal Cats.   www.BengalSpot.com