Peggy Badgett

I was born and raised in rural Northwest Illinois. I spent my childhood riding a lovely palomino pony, playing neighborhood baseball games, and daring my brothers to eat mulberries from the forbidden tree inside a bull pasture. 

It was a wonderful place to grow up, but I couldn't shake the feeling there was more to life than cornfields and pastures. So I moved to the Chicago suburbs after graduating with a pharmacy degree. The urban lifestyle was seductive; while my hometown friends bought houses and minivans for their growing families, I traveled to exotic places, climbed the corporate ladder, and danced weekends away. Then, after a whirlwind courtship, this free-spirited girl transformed into a suburban mother of three toting toddlers.

The glamour of city living faded quickly; we spent most our hours waiting in lines at grocery stores, traffic, and even playgrounds. Seeds of restlessness grew, until we moved our little family back to the place I swore never to return.

Many adventures awaited us on that twenty-acre thistle-filled farm. After two decades of raising children, animals, and patching buildings bent on self-destruction, I realized it was time for me to fly the nest as well. I uprooted my life and moved to a tiny cabin on a  high mesa where I experienced mountain life at its finest. After three years, I decided to return to the Midwest for a bit, but the Colorado peaks called me back. I found another little cabin that felt like home, where I continue to write and paint. Opportunities abound to hike, bike, paddle board icy clear lakes, snowboard powder, and admire the views.  I hope you will join me on my gypsy adventures!