FEATURE STOR A trio of horses untryside


helps make rural living delightful for musician


COVER STORY


S


Schoolteacher and musician Mary Ellen Briga has to carefully manage her obligations in order to spend time with her horses.


“I try to make it a priority for my free time,” she says. “They are living creatures that thrive on our attention. Let’s put it this way: It’s easier to play with my horses than clean my house.”


Briga and her husband, Janis, own a 9-acre farm near Marlborough, Conn., a town of about 6,000 located just southeast of Hartford. She teaches elementary string music full-time in the Windsor Public School system; he is a psychologist for the state of Connecticut.


They both grew up in Toledo, Ohio. She earned an education degree from Bowling Green State University, and then a master’s degree in violin performance from the University of Cincinnati. In addition to teaching in elementary school, she is a violinist with the widely acclaimed Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Connecticut’s premier musical organization.


“Although we were raised in the city and now work in the city, we really like the rural lifestyle,” Briga says.


Continued on next page EARLY SPRING 2011 | WorkSaver Homeowner with Acreage 13


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