Kathleen Zier likes horses, mountains, and a certain amount of summer heat; she took time June 14 from her work at Zier’s Prime Meats, 813 Ridge Road, to talk with Pioneer Press.
Q: Are you a fan of hot summers?
A: I don’t hate heat, so I guess I’m a fan. I like when it’s in the high 80s and the mid 80s. I don’t like humidity. I like being able to breathe and not feel like I’m drowning.
Q: What’s the best way to keep cool when it does get hot?
A: At work, I offer to clean out the freezers! But mostly I like going out to the lake to enjoy the cool breeze. When I was training horses in Arkansas, I remember that when it got hot, with no air conditioning, we’d fill a horse trough with water and sit in it. The horses would be looking at me, and I’d tell them not to judge me.
Q: When you go on vacation, do you like mountains or beaches?
A: I’ll always be a mountain person. I fell in love with the Ozarks when I was there.
Q: Is there a summer blockbuster you’re looking forward to?
A: I haven’t seen the new “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and I’m looking forward to it.
Q: Are you doing any summer reading?
A: I’m a big book nerd. I’m reading a couple of series. One series, by Sherrilyn Kenyon, is based on Greek mythology, romance and mystery. Another series, by J.R. Ward, is paranormal romance.
Q. Do you have a cause or charity you’d like people to be aware of?
A: I’ve given to a group called the Black Jaguar –White Tiger Foundation, (blackjaguarwhitetiger.org/) which was started by a man in Mexico. It rescues big cats from cruel circumstances, like circuses or being held as illegal pets.
Q: Finally, what’s your idea of a dream vacation?
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A: I’d probably go back to Italy, which we went to a few years ago. Give me a one-way ticket and let me travel in Italy ’til all my money’s gone. My absolute favorite places there were Venice and Florence, but really, it’s the entire country.
– Kathy Routliffe, Pioneer Press
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy
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