Oakland County, Michigan, Thursday, May 31 - They wanted to know about her background, about her job as Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds and, more importantly, just what happened to her little finger.

Johnson lost half of her little finger in a tractor mishap years ago.

"You know when your parents tell you to be careful? Listen to them!" said Ruth Johnson, smiling as she spoke to more than 60 third-graders at Webber Elementary School in Lake Orion this week.

Johnson fielded questions like, "What's the hardest part of your job?" and "Do you ever get a vacation?" to "Do you have any pets?"

"I got involved in government because I wanted to make a difference," Johnson told the kids.

Several children at Webber had written to Johnson as part of a project to learn about Oakland County government and another project on writing proper letters. They invited her to come to the school.