Other dimensions

For a change of pace I thought I'd blog a bit about things other than art. Even though I am crazy about oil painting, there are other things that grab my attention. Let me digress...

GARDENING...yes, this has been a long time passion; even a slight obsession in the days of what I called my aerobic gardening phase. Definitely this was in my younger years. My battle with Mother Nature was epic. We lived for nearly a decade on a half acre lot in the Pacific Northwest that had been forested hillside prior to our house being built. Have you heard of a plant called horsetail? Yes, well. Anyway. It's left over from prehistoric times so that should tell you something. But, hey, I won an award for that garden! Here's the proof!

These hot, Southern days in Tennessee I limit my gardening to brief bouts, alternating with dips in the pool and sips of an iced beverage to cool off. It's still not the low maintenance garden of my dreams but it's pretty.

READING...what would we do without excellent writers and wonderful stories that express the human heart. I have been hitting home runs with the books that have come my way the past few months! Let me share a few titles:
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr),  oh my goodness beautiful beautiful writing! I can't even. Read this book!
The Signature of All Things  (Melissa Gilbert) so good, quality writing and such an interesting protagonist. 
Euphoria  (Lily King) a super interesting story loosely based on Margaret Mead's life
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Rachel Joyce) both funny and heart wrenching journey of being lost and found, sort of.
and currently I'm in the middle of Abide with Me (Elizabeth Strout) yet another amazing writer who captures so incredibly the deepest feelings of ... no wait, I got distracted from blogging and finished it. Read it if you are a spiritual person; read it if you have realized your own brokenness; read it if your soul reaches out for meaning and connectedness. 
Now I am in the middle of Station Eleven  (Emily St. John Mandel) and all I can say is don't expect to get anything done when you are reading this book because you cannot put it down. 

Your turn! How is your garden growing? What are you reading? Where do your dimensions express themselves? I love your comments and emails so much!!