Constance "Connie" KEELEY

Connie's 2011 Autobiography

Mémoires inachevées…

At first I thought, « Oh no, I can’t do this. A life of 33+ years of alcoholism and addiction = a black hole of despair. NOT interesting. And then, and then, I started looking over my photograph albums. What richness I found! I have lived in stunning places, travelled all over the world, made friends with fabulously interesting people, and collected so many really beautiful memories that I could die tomorrow and be happy.

Most unfortunately my collection of photographic memories is already at 31+ pages and I’m not anywhere finished. So – I decided to pick out some photographs, higgledy-piggledy, and caption them. I hope you can get some sort of idea of my life – which has NOT been a life of achievement but rather a life of learning and pleasure.

My grandfather-in-law bought 450 acres of forest with 3 lakes for hunting and fishing in the north of Wisconsin, right on the Canadian border. Paradise. I used to lie up in my hammock overlooking the apple trees and vegetable garden, with Bomber beside me, and read. Bliss.

In Westport I made many wonderful friends and learned so many things: I continued on with my music lessons (ending up with the oboe and the Choir), continued with modern dance, learned riding, tennis (sort of), field hockey, sailing, and I don’t know what all else.