About Me

Hi there,

I'm Ronald Patterson, but you can call me Ron.

The mug shot to the right is the best I have for now.

Pookie left us in the spring of 2007 yet is still part of us.

Akita (the little pooch) is our spoiled one and we love her.

We have two house cats from a local rescue center.

Yolanda, our special needs daughter (brain injured in a car accident several years ago) lives with us.

Dori, the oldest child lives nearby and our son Jason (middle child) lives in California.

Born April 18, 1954 (Easter Sunday).

I'm the fourth of eight children of Ray and Betty Patterson.

I have six brothers and the one sister.

Growing up a middle child was rough at times and when your only sister is right above you in the chain, that makes it even more difficult.

I did the typical boy things like scouts, lots of sports, getting into mischief etc.

Scouts and sports were fun, but also teach discipline, teamwork, respect and a host of positives.

I grew up in rural Dorr township in Allegan county, Michigan.

Dirt roads, farms and a two room school house was the order of the day. Meadows, woodlands and cornfields meant wildlife and lots of it.

Fields and woods were all there to run through and explore.

The world was our play ground, and later on a learning center for me (Sad, much of that is gone today).

One thing I had over my siblings, was the joy of nature and gardening.

Gardening was a bond I had with my parents and we had a large garden (one acre plus)

My first memory on gardening was planting peas with my dad when I was six years old. I found a love that continues to this day.

Again, as a young boy six or seven years of age, I began a life long passion for birds.

I'm sure it was the freedom of flight that struck my fancy. Who wouldn't want that ability to move around so freely.

A few years later, I would share this passion with my parents and got them hooked on backyard birding.

As a 10 year old, I built my first feeder. A crude platform built from scrap wood and placed on a brick.

Cracked corn (I ground myself) was all I had to feed the birds, but they came in great numbers during the winter months.

Like many country boys, I went to the city to find work and in my case, the love of my life as well

As they say, "The Rest Is History".

I married Karen and have lived in suburbia ever since (you can't win them all).

Still, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.

We have a great love for the Lord and serve him where we can.

It wasn't until the early 1990's that I finally realized what I wanted to do when I grow up.

I don't think I'll ever really grow up, but you catch my drift.

I want to share my knowledge, passion and expertise for birds nature and gardening.

Through much of the 90's to 2002, we owned and operated our own wild bird specialty store. We could no longer make it when the new mall moved in down the street.

Today, I'm still a "Michigan Certified Nurseryman."

I help others design their yards and more important, I help them to garden for wildlife by using native plants and encourage them to bypass harsh chemicals.

Studies and research brought me closer to the world of birds and nature.

As a "Wildlife Habitat Naturalist" I continue to nurture my passions for wildlife and gardening and I spread the word.

I give lectures and seminars locally on gardening and backyard bird feeding (hopefully a book is in me as well).

We continue to live and love life and "Nature". I believe God made us stewards of his planet and we are held accountable for how we treat his creation.

I wanted to do more!

I want to share my passion and experience with others.

The Internet!

That's it!

Now I'm the kind of guy that came kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

I refused to get a cell phone at that time.

I never owned a pager.

When pagers were the in thing, I wore my garage door opener on my belt just to look cool.

So the Internet was new territory for me.

I researched and explored different options and hosts.

I even tried a couple of them before I came upon Site Built It (SBI).

More time and research for me.

SBI's feature by feature comparison made it so easy for me, they do everything but fill in the blanks

See for yourself.

Do you have a passion you want to share?

Are you a stay at home parent?

Retired and want something to do?

Site Build It can help you like it has me.

Now I have a growing web site.

I have a chance to meet new people and have a slew of new friends across North America.

Friends like you that share with me.

All because of a passion and the willingness to learn.

Life is Grand isn't it?

Now I can share and teach about God's fauna and flora.

Each of us have at least one special gift, talent and or passion.

What is yours?

Let Site Build It help you to help others.

That's a brief line on me.

Share a smile today.

"Treat the earth well

Hope to hear from you soon,

Your Friend,

Ron Patterson