About Carmen

            Carmen C. Horton was born and raised in Bridgton, Maine in the 1960’s. She grew up with her parents Betty and Walter and her sister Kim and brother Zak. They were fortunate to be able to be raised on Homeland Farm, surrounded by their grandparents, aunt and uncles, great aunts and uncles, and many cousins and family friends.

       

            It was a childhood full of family gatherings, holidays and parties. The colorful cast of family characters, as well as the abundance of farm animals and pets, offered plenty of material for Carmen’s active funny bone. She has managed to carry that funny bone with her throughout a life which has not been easy due to many health problems. However, thinking positive, in addition to a having a very active imagination and quick wit, have made for many laughs, for many people over the years.

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

              Carmen has always enjoyed talking, and her family and friends will certainly attest to that being a very true statement. Writing down the stories she talked about seemed a natural thing to do as well, and she began to write as she found time during her busy life with a farm and children. She has had stories published in Hobby Farms, three in Angels on Earth, Woman’s World, Mary Janes Farm, and the Portland Press Herald newspaper. She also wrote a blog for Grit magazine.

Carmen also appeared on the A&E Channel series “My Ghost Story.” The segment includes footage of Homeland Farm, and the family cemetery Homeland Cemetery, and features stories and history of the earliest generations of family that called Homeland Farm home, and perhaps still do to this day.

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

                 

 

          Approximately twenty years ago, Carmen knew she wanted to record several of the most memorable family stories and incidents for future generations. She also desperately wanted to record the long list of old family sayings that peppered the conversations of the older generations while she and her siblings were young. These sayings would then hopefully continue to be used by the younger generations. Carmen, being the oldest of the three Horton kids, finds her daily conversations feature many of these sayings, without even being aware they are being used. Once in awhile, one long buried saying will pop out and even her three, now adult children, will say “wait, what was that,” to which she usually replies “you’ve heard that before, haven’t you?” No, apparently not.

            With the birth of Carmen’s grandchildren, there are now six generations of family that love, or have loved good old Homeland Farm, where Carmen still resides. She enjoys mowing in the summer and doesn’t hesitate to pick up a paintbrush, rake or broom to keep the old homeplace looking good.

        She has also found that mowing, painting, raking and sweeping are very conducive to thinking, which brings back more stories and memories. She has decided she better keep on writing, when of course she isn’t mowing, painting, raking or sweeping.