Page 11 - BWL PipelineAprMayJun2020

CATCHING UP WITH TAMMY NEARING
What is your BWL work history—when did you retire and with how many years of service?
I started at the BWL in 1985 and worked in Steam Heat, Construction Services
and Boulevard. I retired
as a Customer Account Representative in 2013 with 28 years of service.
Are you still living full-time in Michigan?
Yes, BWL retiree, Fred Wilkins and I are still living on our same farm in Vermontville. Although it’s primarily a horse farm, we did raise Black Angus for a few years, not to mention having an assortment of other critters.
What have you been up to since you retired?
Well, having a farm can keep you pretty busy. I currently have 3 horses (pictured horse
is Skeeter, a 7-year-old Friesian/ Arab cross). Over the years, I’ve done horse training (for both the horse and the rider), horse transportation and helped
with horse breeding. I have an obstacle course set up on the farm with 10 to 12 obstacles for the horses.
Besides taking care of the farm, I also enjoy photography. The picture of the baby hawks is from a pair of Cooper’s hawks who nested in a Wood Duck box we set up by our pond.
Halloween Farm Days where we gave hay wagon rides to local kids and to Head Start kids, taking the kids out to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin and feed the goats, chickens and horses.
A big part of my life has also included my 1968 Cutlass Supreme (see photo) which
has a BWL link. I bought the
car in 1978 for my 18 birthday when I was working at Story Olds. Then, in 1992, I sold it to BWL employee Randy McGrath, who put in a bigger engine
and raced it for 10 years, after which I bought it back, thus becoming both its second and fourth owner!
Travels?
I do travel 3 to 4 times a year to horse clinics, mostly in Michigan, but I’ve also traveled to visit friends in Texas, Oregon and Colorado.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I really enjoyed my time at the BWL, but it always made for long days, being away at work for 10 hours, and then coming home to 5 or 6 more hours
of work on the farm. So, I can honestly say I’m really enjoying retirement, being full-time on the farm. With the farm, we’ve built ourselves the kind of life where we really never need vacations!
BWL Retirees Fred Wilkins and Tammy Nearing
A couple times we have hosted
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