The Unofficial Cat Lady
She’s Got a Story: Annette
Between her hobbies, her volunteer positions, and her professional history Annette has become many things to many people. From cat lady to Mrs. Claus to chorale member to community member, Annette’s love touches everyone she meets.
“I have worn many hats. Since we’ve lived in Culpeper I have worked at Victoria’s Secret, I did real estate for ten years, I did the Free Clinic for quite a while (which was probably one of my very favorite jobs), I worked in a medical office, and I taught painting at Wine & Design (which I also loved).”
When I asked her about what she loved about the Free Clinic, she said, “It opened my eyes to a part of the population and a part of the world that I didn’t know about, and I thought I was pretty aware. I was proud to be working for an organization that was helping people who needed and deserved help. You know, these people who had really fallen through the cracks, and for one reason or another, they did not have health care. It was the best team of people I have ever worked with.”
These days, much of Annette’s time is spent volunteering with Forgotten Felines of Culpeper. “My son and I got into the spring of 2020. We had fostered a couple of young adult cats the previous year. Going into the spring, they asked if we could take a mom and kittens because they needed someone with the space and somewhere to put them. Covid had just shut everything down, so we were like, okay, we can do that. So we turned our office into a cat room, and we got our first mama and kittens literally six hours after she had them. It was a fabulous experience. I have fostered probably over 125 cats and kittens by now. I do a little bit of everything. I help with adoption events, I do some promotional stuff, I do some of the Facebook, adoptions, and fostering. And I am the unofficial cat lady to anybody who knows me and has a question.”
I have been in public with Annette before and have seen all the people she runs into that she knows. (It also helps that she hasn’t met a stranger!) This woman enjoys her small town and connects with her community. Her love for her family, friends, and neighbors is evident as she talks about being a mom, running into former clients at Walmart, or seeing a family adopt a cat. “The thing about the free clinic job and then working with the rescue, I was thinking about the saying. ‘In the end, we are all just walking each other home.’ And that’s what we are here for…taking care of each other.”
Annette works hard to bring joy and encouragement to the people in her life. “I’m passionate about people living their best lives. Everyone. My interests lie in some areas more than others. I am really passionate about gay rights. That’s important to me. If someone is doing something or going for something, I will be in their corner!”
When I asked Annette about what change she would like to see in the world, she said, “Kindness needs to come back.” And I loved that answer, partially because she’s right but also because she embodies kindness. “We need to remember that we are each other’s neighbors, and we are all just walking each other home.”
Full transparency: I have known Annette for over 20 years. She was the realtor who helped hunky hubby, and I buy our first house. Over the last few years, she has become one of my besties. I did my best to share her words in this post…so she could tell you who she is and what moves her. But man. It was hard. There are a million things I could tell you about her (and wouldn’t it be fun to read about all these women from the point of view of someone who knows them well and adores them?!?!). But let me just tell you this: She is already the change she wants to see in the world. She loves well, finds ways to connect with her community and neighbors, and makes everyone feel seen and adored. (Oh, and she LOVES any reason to wear a costume!!!)
