What do you do for fun when you're not gardening?

I remember crocheting a very long time ago. I, and everyone else on earth it seems, made the hanging crocheted planters with some wood beads on the fringe at the bottom. I've never crocheted since.

Remember macrame ? Talk about Prison Work !

I did a lot of macrame in the late '70s and made a decent amount of extra money, too! I also crocheted items for people when I was in HS, supplementing my babysitting. I keep hoping for a return to these crafts so I can make a little cash on the side.

Everything comes back sooner or later, mamasita, hang in there. I used to do tatting, anyone remember that?

I have some tatted pieces from 1929 but I've never done it.

I never did get the hang of the shuttle, but have all the equipment to attempt needle tatting. It always seemed like a lot of work for such a tiny piece of material!

Oh, it was a lot of work. I made collars for my daughters dresses. Good old Aunt Helen, here again, taught me. I still have a few shuttles, but never got the hang of using them either.

Mamasita, maybe it was macrame that I did. Too long ago to remember.

When I was first married, I had one of those large burl wood tables hanging in a macrame hanger in the corner of my living room.
I used to sew big time too, lots of clothes as a teenager, then my daughters clothes, curtains, pillows, baby crib accessories, baby blanket gifts etc.. Then discount stores like Target and Ross came along and it was faster and cheaper to buy. Besides, I got too involved with gardening.

I need to get back into something productive for the winters though.

I can't see my granddaughter in home made clothes though, unless they had Hannah Montana on them. Maybe doll clothes. I'm not much for stuff around the house, crafts and things.

Napping has been big this winter.

Polly, last year I had a brainstorm about something to do in the winter. Something that was creative and kept my hands busy. I researched and ultimately ordered stuff for mosaic work. I would make table tops and stepping stones. It's still in my closet. And by last year I meant 07, not 08. Now that is a bit pathetic.

That's something I would definitely do, Louise.

OMG, now this is going to sound kind of stupid considering that I've had the materials and done nothing for a year and a half, but your picture of the Iris for your website would be an awesome mosaic. I think that is what I needed....an inspiration!

Don't know why it took so long for me to find this forum - you all are fun.

I used to do needlework, but that stopped when my fingers started to lock up! My sis is the needlework artist in the family and yes, she tats. Besides gardening, I love genealogy and collecting cousins from all over the world (well, England, Ireland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand and Canada). Haven't found one yet that I'd throw back. Also like to read mysteries and some fantasy (esp Arthurian stories) - we've been working through the J.A. Jance books and love P.D. James and several other British authors. Recently I started a pottery class and I really like that. Other than that, our parrots keep me busy.

Yes we are a fun bunch. Glad you joined us.

I think my iris picture would make a great mosaic. I have another one that I think would be nice for a mosaic too.

I used to do a bit of mosaic, made a few stepping stones. Then one year my brother in law came down and saw them and made several of his own, and he was so artistic with them, I never made another one! LOL
I photographed them last time I visited them up in Canada. They would be a fun winter project!

This message was edited Feb 9, 2009 8:58 PM

sunflower

dragonfly

waterlily

and his last one, a lizard

Mine were more informal. I should make more but I think DH got tired of storing my supplies in the garage and tossed them. I had tons of plates I collected from thrift stores and garage sales.

KaperC, I like the JA Jance books, too.

My Grandson, Jamie just read the Twilight series. I debated about getting them for him, but we never censored my daughters reading (not giving her XXX of course), and when Jamie turned 9 I thought he might like reading them. Well he loved the books. He then asked me to read them one by one as he finished them, so we could discuss them. And we had so much fun talking about them. I am on the last one now. For anyone that doesn't know the Twilight series , it is a love story between a vampire, Edward, and a mortal, Bella. I was so impressed at the way Edward was portrayed as being protective towards Bella, I told Jamie that's the way real men treat women.

For Jamie's tenth birthday coming up Feb 13, he asked me for a hoodie that says 'Real Men Read Twilight'. Going to look kind of silly on a 10 year old, but that's what he's getting. And protective and caring is the way he's behaving towards the females in his life.

Anyone else read the books?

Welcome Kaper, How many parrots do you have? Keep them safe because there a lot of cat owning gardeners here!

Sue, those are wonderful. According to the groundhog I have 6 more weeks of winter. I should put it to good use.

Those are really nice Sue. I especially like the Dragonfly one, and the one you did.

I have not, Polly, but I'm thinking of giving it a shot. I liked the Rice vampire series.

Polly - I just finished. I liked them alot. Reading another book by the author - HOST. Not so easy to get into.

Zu - have you read the Glass Castle - I think you would enjoy it. Triumph over Adversity. True story - gal grew up to be a CNN correspodent. But ah, what a life.

Polly do you think your grandson would enjoy the Dune series? A great bit of stuff to learn from the book (ecology, preservation of resources, politics) and I think he could relate to Paul the character who is quite honorable.

It's not nearly as complicated as the Rice ones are. I think it's geared to teenagers. But it's a very compelling series, actually hard to put down. I would recommend the series. It's got a group of vampires that don't attack people, and a group of werewolves that don't attack people, and they gang together to get rid of the bad vampires. Sounds really odd, but you see the people in them, and really grow to care for them.

I can't wait to see the movie with Jamie, and hope it's not a let down as some are.

That's why it's always better to read the book first, and then see the movie. The movies rarely do justice to the book.

He loved the Dune series. I'm not sure if he read them all. I'll ask him. Thanks.

I considered Host, but it sounded a little older.

What did you think about the Twilight series for a young boy.? His mother wasn't sure as she understood there was some sexual content in it. But I don't think any more than a child sees at home. I loved it when Bella and Edward were kissing and she wanted more, and he said he was pure and planned to stay that way until marriage. I thought that was a great lesson, but in actuality I think Jamie just glossed over that for the vampires flying through the woods, and the werewolves turning into giants. I tried discussing that part with him, and he was just like uh huh, OK, Grammy.

True JD.

Has anyone seen the movie Twilight?

No, I haven't read The Glass Castle, but I've seen Jeannette Walls interviewed, and I've even seen a brief interview with her mother, who's a real piece of work. She's completely egocentric and would never think of apologizing for the lifestyle she forced on her children. She bristles at the suggestion that she was ever homeless, and when she's reminded that she lived under a bridge for some time, she replies: "Well, that was my home."

I think Twilight fine for a young boy. It is full of lessons on responsibility and restraint and waiting for what you want. I have not seen the movie.

Host is really really hard for me to start. No real attachment to the characters is established at least not early on. Too much 'explaining' has to get done to 'get' the story and setting. I may plow through it -but it won't be pretty.

The Glass Castle is worth the read if you want to take it on Zu.

I think I saw the Twilight series at the bookstore and shied away from it. Now I'll look for it at the library. We don't mind stories for youngsters if they are well written - they are a nice relief. Enjoyed the Eragon books - need to get the last one. Our favorite is Mary Stewart's Arthurian set - Crystal Cave, Hollow Hills, Last Enchantment. All told from Merlin's point of view beginning with his childhood. There's another series that starts with the Romans in Britain and was very interesting.

In my 20s and 30s I read a lot of nonfiction, historical books, but they just don't interest me anymore. I do a lot of reading on the 'net and my genealogy keeps me reading about history.

We have three parrots, BIG, medium, and little. Better watch out for your cats, our Miss Juliette would just freeze them with her screech! JD will be able to tell you what she sounds like after our roundup next month. LOL I'll be sure and give him a sample.

I forgot about the Mary Stewart books - agree were great.

Also Clan of the Cave Bears and the subsequent books.

Well, Twilight is evidently a hit at my library - 146 copies and a long waiting list. :-)

OK, I'll have to join the line

I like novels and I like to read them in the bathtub every night. I really don't have time to read otherwise. It does occasionally turn the pages wavy, especially if the book falls into the tub, but I buy all of my books and then keep them after I've read them, so it doesn't matter. The last three novels I read were Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns," Elizabeth Berg's "The Art of Mending," and Joyce Carol Oates' "Missing Mom." Berg and Oates are two of my favorite authors.

I think I already told you about just finishing "Mockingbird", Harper Lee's biography, and an excellent work. But then I love Harper Lee, though she only wrote the one novel. She was a pretty straight forward talker.

I also just finished "Three Weeks with my Brother", a true story by Nicholas Sparks. It is very much about how he handled so many unexpected deaths within the space of a few years, and the knitting together of two siblings after those deaths. It was also a very good read.

I have read all of Jean Auel's "Clan of the Cave Bears" series, and sometimes I just take them out and read them again. I also have read all the Jance books, love Oates, tolerate James Patterson, and have two rooms that are nothing but wall to wall books. I keep them too. Of course many of my treasures are my Gardening Books, and all my Art History and Ancient History Books. I like Mary Alice Monroe, too...and just bought her most recent one.

Oh, "The Shack" was really interesting, too.

Today one of our patients came in to exercise. I don't remember her age---but fair to say mid 70's. She was wearing a black tee shirt with "Team Edward" across the front. Guess Twilight has crossed some generational lines!

I love it!

I might need to get one for myself, to go with Jamies hoodie.