A full-blooded Irish lass, Mary M. Bauer was born and raised in Lutefisk Country. She and her husband jumped the state line over a dozen years ago and bought a Wisconsin dairy farm. Her two children ran off to college, then found careers to avoid baling hay and fence painting. A former nurse and interior designer, Mary began her writing career as a weekly columnist for a regional newspaper. She discovered ranting in public and getting paid for it is a lot of fun. She is the author of Adventure Publications' Wisconsin Day Trips by Theme. Besides family, her major loves are traveling, hiking, books, decrepit Christmas decorations, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. She is a dog and cat person, and is thinking about adopting a pig.