… me being a woman of a certain age, born & raised & living in Marin County, California.

And what prompted me to join the thousands of other bloggers on the Web? I don’t want to say, sheer irritation, but that’s kind of what started it. Irritation with the widespread perception of Marinites as wealthy beyond everyday dreams of wealth; entitled, arrogant, snobbish; conspicuous consumers of everything under the sun. Like every cliché, it’s based on a certain set of facts, but it doesn’t reflect nearly all the facts. The facts being that, despite Marin’s undisputed status as one of the 25 wealthiest counties in the United States, there is a substantial population of real people living a real life, people like me: middle class, working class, whatever you want to call us.

We don’t drive Lamborghinis, Teslas, or even BMWs; our mortgages, if we are still paying one down, are a comfortably low percentage of our take-home pay; our yearly property taxes are nowhere near five figures, let alone six. And we don’t share our space with a housekeeper, personal chef, au pair or even a daily.

We have chickens in the back yard &/or suburban organic farms; we hang our laundry out to dry when there’s sunshine enough, & reluctantly use the dryer when there isn’t; we have a pantry stocked with the fruits (and vegetables) of our labor; we cook our own food, wash our own dishes & maintain our own houses.

We are, if you will, grounded in Marin. And, despite all the misleading national press, proud to say we’re Marin natives. Because we know that the down-to-earth life in Marin — the El Dorado of northern California — is alive & thriving.

This blog is a window into one small piece of real Marin. Welcome.