Since early childhood, Barbara has found meaningful friendships with her pets. With her own children, she had a variety of dogs, cats, birds and rabbits. While living on the Oregon coast, she volunteered at a bird and marine mammal rehabilitation center with many baby seals, puffins, pelicans, a bear cub, a coyote cub, and fawns. Barbara currently lives on the California coast near Santa Cruz. Her husband has two horses and they have two house bunnies. While searching for a word that expresses the deep soulful communication between a human and animals, Barbara's Lakota friend taught her a word: "TECIHILA". It means, "You live on my heart." Barbara is a retired teacher and avid reader. With a traditional art degree and a Masters degree in education, Jeannie spent many years as a graphic designer in film, print, TV, and the web before creating a Digital Art Degree and program at a college outside San Francisco, California.