she has been at various times and in no particular order , a laboratory technician , a pharmaceutical development manager and consultant , a statistician , a small craft business owner , a mother of two and stepmother of four , grandmother of six , a waitress , a mental hospital aide , a national merit scholar , an amateur painter , a home remodeling do-it-yourselfer , an avid reader , an occasional philosopher , now a fledgling author , and always throughout it all , an passionate gardener .