15 minutes with Helen Madrigal

I grew up on a little farm near Dalton which is about 12 miles or so from Massillon. Even though I went to Tuslaw High School, Massillon's football reputation intrigued many of us and over the years, we attended a lot of games at Tiger stadium.

I was the youngest of four--my brothers were 18 and 20 and my sister nearly 14 when I was born, so I was essentially an only child. My playground was the farmyard and the gardens. I spent endless hours with my cousins exploring the abandoned strip mine at the back of our farm. We picked wildflower bouquets and learned to know their names and to identify the trees by their leaves. I also treasure the memories of mushroom hunting trips and wild berry picking with my parents. Being in nature so much of the time was a wonderful part of my childhood days.

When you were in high school, did you love French and English? Did you plan to become a teacher?

I cannot recall when I did not want to become a teacher. I liked English, but I loved French. I played school with my nieces and nephews who were not much younger than I, and of course, I was always the teacher. For some reason I was interested in languages and foreign cultures at an early age and dreamed of travel long before I was able to do so. My double major was the result of being practical. I reasoned that if I could not find a job teaching French, I could probably find a position in English. In fact, many of the jobs I did take over the years were in small, rural districts where I taught in both areas. I enjoyed the English classes, but my heart was always with the French. It was just such fun for me!

What prompted your decision to attend BGSU?

I hate to admit this, but I followed my high school sweetheart to BGSU. It turned out to be a good fit for me, and I enjoyed my undergraduate years there.

My husband was working on his doctorate at Michigan State. I decided to take a year off teaching and earn another bachelor's degree. I have had a lifelong interest in textiles and design, so I treated myself to that degree, but I have never worked in that field.

You are correct. I did return to school at the University of Findlay for a master's in TESOL. While I did not use the degree to teach foreign students English, I used the principles learned in the program all the time as I taught French to English speakers. I enjoyed the coursework for that degree immensely.

My husband took a job at the Westinghouse plant in Lima. Aaron was nearly 5 and Sarah was 2 1/2 when we came to Bluffton in June of 1987.

We had been living in a Western Reserve farm house near Perry, Ohio when we moved to Bluffton. We thought we wanted to live in the country again but couldn't find a house that suited us. The Diller house on Main Street stood empty and looking as though it was in need of a family to care for it. We decided to tackle that job, renovate it and keep our eyes open for something in the country. We grew to love the house and the convenient location and totally forgot our original plans. I remember much dirty and heavy-duty work, but I loved the results. We had many houseguests, many foreign friends and exchange students and that house gave us the space to do that comfortably.

So many kids played there, came for meals or overnights. It was great fun for us, but I can tell you that the house, though it looks very big --is certainly big enough--the high ceilings and roofline makes it appear larger than it truly is. We enjoyed the Victorian features: door transoms, airing porch, back staircase, window seats and hot water radiators. I wish I had those in my current home.

Yes and no. At first we felt as though everyone was watching us. Plenty of people stopped to ask what we were doing, what color we intended to paint the house that "had always been" yellow-gold from top to bottom. Others welcomed us warmly to the community. My husband, who had grown up in Los Angeles, could not believe that we could run down to the hardware and Jeff would recognize us and put the items we purchased on a tab for later billing. My husband thought he'd stepped back in time. We enjoyed our years there on Main Street, and Aaron and Sarah still think of it as home.

I began teaching in Lake City, Florida, in 1968. Then, during the Vietnam War, I taught on the army base at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; then in Webberville, Michigan; Perry, Ohio; Leipsic, Ohio and finally at Cory-Rawson High School in Rawson, Ohio. My children were born when I was teaching in Perry, Ohio and I decided to stay home with them. Eleven years later I returned to teaching, substitute work first, then at Leipsic.

There are many reasons for the move. One of the biggest is humidity. I seemed to find each Ohio summer more difficult than the last in that regard, so I wanted a drier climate, yet one that had a definite change of seasons. Also, all of the many moves I made throughout my life (at one point I moved 8 times in 10 years), were made because of graduate school, the military or my spouses' jobs. I did not have much choice regarding locations. Retirement allowed me to choose where I could make my home in retirement. I have to admit that I have a certain wanderlust that needed satisfying, too. I had lived in Bluffton for 21 years, and that was a record for me. Colorado is simply beautiful. People are very friendly here, and there is an emphasis on things that are important to me: organics, gardening, recycling, sustainable living and so on. I belong to a group of ladies of a certain age who like to hike. They know the trails and the best times to hike them to see the elk herds or the wildflowers in bloom or the golden aspens. I enjoy seeing the wildlife here, too. Foxes are so common and so are deer and elk, and I have seen all of those near my neighborhood. Late this fall a mountain lion was seen roaming a couple of blocks from my house, but that is unusual, I am told. Another reason for the move? I guess I felt I had at least one more adventure in me, and moving to Colorado certainly has been an adventure, a good one.

Where are your children now? What are they doing?

Sarah was married this past June 6 in the Roosevelt National Forest. She and her husband live in Loveland about two miles from me. Sarah is working as a barista in a coffee shop. She earned her BS in International Business, but now hopes to use her fluency in Spanish to teach. She intends to return to the university for education classes later this year.

Aaron still lives in Cincinnati, but enjoys Colorado so much when he visits us that he is beginning to talk about moving here himself. Aaron finished his engineering degree a few years ago, but along the way he realized that his passion in life is writing music, singing and performing. He organized a rock band called Madras Lounge which performs in the greater Cincinnati area. From time to time he takes temp jobs in the engineering field to keep his foot in the door, but most of the time he valets at some of Cincy's posh restaurants to put food on the table. I encourage him to explore his music interests while he is young and carefree.

Our group is very informal and rather social. We help each other according to our skills. For example, another member and I held a class on canning, then we did a hands-on demonstration at a potluck dinner (a hundred mile dinner) and helped the others to can applesauce. Others have taught artisan bread making, home-brewing and grafting trees. We discuss concerns about food and water issues, health issues and so on. We feel free to bring up just about anything. Sometimes we just go to a music event or movie or dinner together. Last year I hosted a Christmas party and storytelling at my home. Some have gotten together to make artwork in nature. I do have a garden and find the biggest difference from Ohio is the lack of water. My son-in-law installed a drip irrigation system for me which saves me much water and back breaking work. My first garden was a huge success, so I have even bigger plans for next summer.

What are some of the interests you've developed over the years? What has retirement allowed you to do now that you have more time?

I enjoy sewing, knitting , reading and gardening. I have found more time for these pursuits since I retired, of course. I have completely altered my backyard space to have very little grass to mow, a large perennial flower strip and even larger strawberry bed and vegetable garden. Luckily, I found a house with a larger lot than most. Retirement has allowed me the time to do more canning, preserving and pickling again. I have been busy knitting baby gifts for at least seven young friends, mostly here in Loveland. I belong to a group of people who work on issues relating to sustainable living, and I am a member of a local food co-op that has as its goal to support local organic farmers and growers. I count the 24 members of my Bunko Club among my new friends here. Since we also celebrate all the birthdays, we seem to be together quite often. I can assure you that I am never bored. I think I will have to schedule some extra time to finish a quilt that I started four or five years ago back in Bluffton.

How is your current hometown similar to Bluffton, or is it completely different? Do you find people in general to be welcoming anywhere you live? When you think of Bluffton, what do you remember the most? Do you stay in touch with people here?

Loveland feels smaller than it actually is. The population is around 58,000. I live at the far south end of town in a '70s housing development. It is quiet and tidy much like Bluffton. The people are very welcoming, and even Aaron notices this when he visits. People are more apt to strike up a conversation with total strangers and are helpful if you need directions or information. I remember my Bluffton friends most and do keep in touch with several of them. I hope to encourage them to come west for visits. It would be great if they could all manage to come at the same time. What a cackle fest we'd have! Just like old times. I do miss my Bluffton friends and I am grateful for cell phones and the Internet.

I'm writing these questions on New Year's Eve. Looking forward to 2010 and beyond, what plans, challenges, pursuits, do you have in mind?

In the past year and a half I have supervised repairs and updates on my house, decorated it, planned and did much of the work for a wedding, and now I'd like to try living each day in the moment without any specific plans or goals. At some future point I'd like to do more international traveling. A friend in Abu Dhabi wants me to visit her. I suppose that will be my next travel adventure.