Penny Lane lives in Costa Rica, where she sells hand-crafted picture frames. She seems to be the most solitary of the Lane siblings. One assumes she was named after the popular Beatles' song, but this is never actually stated on the show.

She shows up at the Lane homestead after her craft stand is wiped out by a lava flow, and spends most of her time there on the phone with Costa Rican officials in a hopeless attempt to obtain compensation for her losses from the government.

She has a parrot named Chiquito, who she describes as "very possessive".

Penny dresses for comfort, not style - she wears enormous hiking boots, a tight black T-shirt, and khaki shorts. Her personal manner is brusque and direct, even more so than Jane's.  One gets the idea that she doesn't think much of the institution of marriage.

Like most of the rest of her family, Penny is very art-oriented, being into the knickknack/crafts/gifts sort of thing. Aside from picture frames, she also makes hand-sewn wallets, room chimes (indoor wind chimes) and, gathering from what we see in her room, all manner of crap that one might find in a slightly below average arts & crafts fair.

Based on the photos in her room, Penny has done a lot of traveling in exotic locations. She seems to have a preference for South and Central America.  According to Jane, Penny left home right after she graduated and traveled for ten years, though she presumably came home from time to time as her room is decorated with mementos from her travels.

Penny had gym class with Ms. Morris, and much like Jane, didn't choose to participate.

She is at least 12 years older than Jane.