When Catherine’s Cottage homemaker Bonnie Halsey was 11 years-old, she rescued her first animal, an injured, flightless bird, with the help of her father. The fledgling had fallen from the nest, but Bonnie couldn’t get to it since the mother divebombed her at every attempt. Her dad, a meat cutter, had a hardhat at home. He donned the hardhat and fended off the mother while Bonnie scooped up the bird, which she then raised by hand. That same year, she also won a parakeet at the LaPorte County Fair, commencing her life-long love of animals.
Other fun facts about Bonnie: She’s a licensed paraplane pilot, an extraordinary cook, an advocate for and rescuer of animals, and a collector of taxidermy. “I’ve always had animals. My dad gave me the love of animals, and my mom taught me how to cook,” she said. On most weekdays, Bonnie makes dinner three times: first for the Cottage Sisters, then for her mom, and again for her and her partner, SASS coworker Andy Skorup.
Bonnie began her career with the Poor Handmaids in 2016 in Environmental Services at Ancilla College, where she kept up the dining hall, both dorms, and the reception area of AC in the Motherhouse. After two years, she became the Cottage homemaker, which she loves. “It’s like working from home except there are more people than pets,” Bonnie laughed. “It’s homey and you feel like you’re not at a job but at a family home and you cook and clean for them.” Her role encompasses much more than cooking and cleaning though.
On Mondays, Bonnie does the weekly meal planning. Tuesdays, it’s grocery shopping. “When I get back from the grocery, I have about 25 minutes to unpack the food and get a meal on the table,” she explains. “On Tuesdays, I’ll make something quick or serve a make-ahead meal.” She cleans one of the three hallways of the cottage each day, including rooms for the Sisters who use rollators, washes communal laundry like kitchen towels, answers the phone, monitors any maintenance at the Cottage, and feeds the birds that the Sisters can watch in the sunroom at the Cottage entrance.
“I love the freedom to know my job and for the (Sisters) to trust me to do it,” she said. Among the Sisters’ favorite recipes are her spaghetti and Rueben casserole. “They let me know if they don’t like a recipe,” Bonnie notes. “I don’t want to cook them something they don’t like.”
The menagerie Bonnie currently cares for includes four dachshunds, eight birds, four chinchillas, and lots of barn cats. She had ferrets in the past, but loves the chinchillas, which she rescued about ten months ago because unlike ferrets, chinchillas are odor free. “They're vegetarian and they can live to be 10 years old,” she explained. “Chinchilla also cannot get their fur wet since it will mold. They take dust baths.” Every couple of days, Bonnie will put a small, dust-filled encloser into their cage, and they’ll whirl around in it to clean themselves. “I can only leave it in their cage for 15 minutes, or they’ll use it as a litterbox,” she laughed. Their favorite foods include shredded wheat, carrots, hay, alfalfa, and fruit. “They love to chew on wood and prefer applewood,” she added. Chinchilla eat twice a day and are most active at night and early in the morning. “They love treats like Froot Loops, apples, and bananas,” Bonnie said.
Catherine’s Cottage leader Sister Jolise May, PHJC, credits Bonnie with helping to create community in caring for the Sisters. “We have fun and we share at mealtimes,” Sister Jolise said. Bonnie concurs. “It’s nice to hear the stories of all the places they’ve served and all that they’ve done. I learn so much from them,” she said.