About the Owl

My name is Kristin Barbieri. I have been a writer and blogger most of my life. As sixth graders, a friend and I started an elementary school newspaper in New Canaan, CT–this was the good old days of running things off with that purple ink…one copy at a time. Sadly, I cannot find old copies of that one. So yes, I grew up in suburban New York and across the state line in Connecticut. In high school, I wrote for the town and school newspapers and was a yearbook editor. A journal keeper. A reader.

I went to Wellesley College where I learned to write better (but not to edit and therefore you get what you get), and am very loyal to my school and purple class. After college, I ran away (haha) to San Francisco where I spent five wonderful years in the most wonderful city ever to be ruined by too much money. Then an MBA at Kellogg/Northwestern and a move to Brazil for three years to market optical networking products (never mind), and then a transfer to Miami for six years and a move to marketing communications. Oh yes, I met my husband at Kellogg; he’s Brazilian which may explain some of these moves. After having twins in Miami, we moved to São Paulo again for six years.

I started my first blog in Brazil called Brazil in My Eyes–it was a daily blog of what was new and fun for me there. A second blog called What Could Possibly Go Wrong – Repatriation started when I moved to Weston in 2014. In it, I proved right what everyone who has ever been an expat knows–it’s harder to move back than to move away. Nothing is what you remembered, not really. Another blog focused on my return to the corporate world – which was short-lived.

I was the admin of the Weston Community Facebook page for the 5 years. I stepped down in January 2021–for many reasons, including the increased nastiness of social media posting. Folks, sometimes it’s just news. Not a battle to the death. In my seven, almost eight, years here in Weston, I have also been on a number of school and town committees including PTO, Open Space and Recreation master plan, Tree Advisory Group, Recreation Master Plan…and I am a trustee and on the executive board of Weston Forest & Trail Association, the major love of my outdoor life. You’ll see it here, because I like to share.

Barred Owls

Why the barred owl as the mascot of this page? Well, the barred owl is relatively common to the woods of Weston–I have seen several on walks. I love their call of ‘who cooks for you.” And the way they turn their heads to focus on whatever is around them–perhaps how I will find my news, too. Not sure my neck can do that.