Poems and Prose About Life By: Mary Ann Kalin Mary Ann Kalin was born in Madison, Wisconsin. She had an older brother and a younger brother. She was the only girl on her Dad's side of the family. When she was ten years of age, her parents bought a forty acre farm and they all moved there. Mother grew up on a farm in her youth. Dad was a house painter. That is where the author grew up. At the age of eighteen she moved back to the city of Madison and found a job and started dating. That is where she met her husband to be, he was in the Air Force in Madison. They got married in Chicago and made it their home. This was were his parents lived. Her husband passed away in his mid forties due to cancer. Her children were grown and self supporting. She decided to move to the state of Tennessee. She had two cats and two dogs in the car with her. They were well behaved except the young cat, she meowed all the way from Illinois to Tennessee. She found work at Emerson Electric. When she came home from work, she would be greeted by two cats and two dogs. Later, she found herself with another dog. A lady at work had a poodle that she thought was too big. Mary Ann took the dog home with her. Now she had three dogs and two cats in her quant little home. She lived in Tennessee for a while and met her second husband. They later decided to move to Kentucky. She has enjoyed living in both southern states. This book is dedicated to her eldest son. He wrote his own book and it inspired her to write a book also.