Sign: Cancer


Labors of Love: Farming, restoring houses, landscaping, oil painting
Homestead: Seven years ago, Heater moved into 130-year-old fixed up Italianate house on his farm in Tunnleton, Indiana, pop.50.


Cultivated Friends: Heater, 34,and housemate, Tim, 46, care for assorted chickens, peacocks, sheep, and Lucky, the papa of these border collie pups. “Linwood, my cow had to move on. He kept wandering into town, we made the mistake of buying animals before the fences were ready.”


Tested Poz: August 1996.”I came back from Provincetown with a cold. But this one didn’t go away.”


Vital Stats: Undetectable viral load and 681 CD4 cells. “When I first found out, I had about 200.My doctor has shown me graphs of how the pills work for awhile for some people and then they stop, not for me. I’m very fortunate.


On Mr. Right: “I’ve been waiting so long that I’m comfortable with the feeling of waiting that I am with the person being right in front of me. Maybe I’m delusional with Hollywood movies.”


On Y2K Husbandry: “I’ll get on the computer and go into AIDS or cowboy chat rooms. But it’s not like seeing someone. The eye contact, the smiles—You can’t get that on a computer.”