Bonnie
All you ever wanted to know about Bonnie: Artist, Honey Bee charmer, French Bulldog Wrangler, Chicken Herder, Plant Sorceress, and Domestic Goddess.
Chapter 1
Bonnie Enters the World
It was a minus twenty-something bone-chilling February morning when I, Bonnie Sue Leick, purple-skinned with swollen eyes and a rather grumpy look, made my presence known two weeks early, with one wailing screech.
But the ice of my premature, cold entrance to the world soon melted away. With bouncy, wild blond hair, big hazel eyes, and ruby pouty lips, I welcomed the wonders of life given to me by my loving and nurturing parents. It was a sunshine-filled world with cows, kittens, and dragonflies. I spent my days meandering in my mother’s lush vegetable and flower gardens, sampling their bounties, and exploring enchanted woods bordered by lush green fields of corn and hay.
Chapter 2
Then there was School
I was a good student. My favorite classes were English, Science, Math (which I abhorred until I took Algebra), and Art. My teachers saw from early on that I had a talent for drawing, something my parents had already known, so I was highly encouraged to explore and nurture my ability in school.
I graduated with honors from high school and continued my education with every intent on becoming an illustrator. Instead, I got my degree in film, with a focus on animation.
Chapter 3
Life as an Artist
I started my professional art career in the animation industry in Los Angeles, concentrating on background layout. It was rewarding, and I was immersed in an art-filled world full of highly talented people. But there was always the need for something more. Since I was a child, I had dreamt of illustrating children’s books. After a lot of research and soul searching, I took the plunge. I updated my animation portfolio to focus on children’s book illustration. I sent out art samples to publishers and was soon hired to do my first book. After that, I got an agent and continued working on multiple books and magazines. I finally felt at home. This was what I was meant to do.
(Pictured here is the gift my publisher gave to me after my book, Goodnight, Little Monster, sold 100,000 copies.)
Chapter 4
A Green Thumb
Even though I have been gardening my whole life, it wasn’t until Doug and I moved to Wildflower Lane that I finally got my dream gardens. We transformed an old Door County apple orchard into a small hobby farm. Our vegetable gardens are now filled with a diverse selection of vegetables, along with apple trees and berries. In the many flower beds on the property, you’ll find bees from our beehives, buzzing about, and a dizzying array of birds enjoying seeds and insects. A stroll through our small orchard will present to you an assortment of fruit trees, such as cherry, Asian pear, and our favorite, peach. It’s truly our own Shangri-La.
Caption
Life on Wildflower Lane
Since moving to Wildflower Lane, we have experienced death, happiness, and discovery. It has made us better humans and helps to keep us striving for more.
But most of all, even though Life on Wildflower Lane has been full of hard work, trials, and tribulations, the best thing it has given us is true and unbridled joy.