February 2020 ~ well it's a new year and I thought I'd re-write some of this profile, as it was beginning to sound a bit depressing... I had some losses and health issues but now it's time to haul up those big girl panties and move ahead! I still miss my Newfie girl Ebony, and someday I might bring another "giant" home, but we're doing okay for now. I'm still taking heart medication & probably will for life, but again, that's okay, the immediate fear has passed.

I am a retired/disabled elementary reading specialist teacher ~ I love to draw, doodle, paint, and craft.

I live alone in a log cabin in the woods with a couple of super cats & a knucklehead rescue dog, Coco who is terrified of the cats. I like to read and bake, old movies are fun too! I like mysteries and novels ~ I also have a bunch of puzzle (sudoku, crossword etc.) books lying around. I own quite a few DVD's too, because there are so many movies I just don't mind watching again, and yes I do have the entire Harry Potter series ~ both book and DVD :)

I have RA, so when I am able and my hands are willing, I like to cook, draw, crochet and try all sorts of crafts. Sometimes I even finish one :) Since I live alone, it seems my whole cabin is a craft room some days! I often have 3 or 4 partially read books lying around the place and art projects in various stages of completion ...

I usually have a few mysteries in progress as well as a fiction or two ~ I'm not a fan of pure romance but humorous/comedy romance is okay! I also like inspirational, The Shack for example. It's easier to say that I dislike gory horror - I have read Stephen King, but I like his older stuff, before he began swearing every other word... I do pretty much read everything from historical fiction, general fiction and fantasy to even some self-help :)

I also used to write, so I love journals, and junque journaling ~ and art journals are just an extension of that... I've only recently been trying my hand at creating/binding art/junk journals and while it hasn't always worked as planned, it's been fun. My biggest problem right now is storing and then finding the papers, ephemera, etc I've been collecting for these journals!

I recycle, upcycle and just try to re-use everything! I use a variety of papers, from junk mail to old maps and damaged books for art & crafts. This is because I am poor and also, I'd like to be far less wasteful. I think we're becoming too much of a disposable society and that saddens me. I have actually refrained from purchasing things in the grocery store because of too much packaging. Cardboard boxes I can re-use but when an item is packaged in a huge amount of plastic I often will pass it up!

The colors I use the most are warmer earthy tones. I know neon has a place, but I find it often too glaring. Otherwise I love all colors and am not too picky in that respect :) I will admit that last summer I looked at the clothesline one day and noticed I had 7 shirts/t-shirts all in different hues of red!

I respect art of all styles, but I am not fond of dark/goth gory images. I also am not overly fond of cute "safe" rainbow type images, but I understand others are and if that is their style then so be it! I feel the same way about religious art ~ it doesn't often speak to me, but if it's your passion, then go for it! I feel that we make art for ourselves & not to please another. We can tailor our style to gift to another person, but our style just is.

Collections: I love papers and save just about every different kind of paper I come across, up to and including maps, old book pages, brochures and even takeout menus that are unique in any way. I love ocean related themes (I lived for years on a cabin cruiser in the Hudson River in NY), poetry, and cats & dogs. I would be so happy to receive the Cryptoquip puzzle from your daily newspaper!! I love them and sudoku puzzles. I really don't want to do the entire alphabet of likes here, but I do love crayons (plain old Crayola or the like) they're one of my favorite art tools. I love flamingos and the smell of freshly cut grass or cedar. I love a good thunderstorm and rainy days do make me blue...

As for daily likes and dislikes, I'm pretty easy going usually. I love my coffee throughout the day, hot or iced! I drink way to much of it, and in the evenings I often switch to tea! I love tea almost as much as I love coffee & I enjoy a wide variety ~ love to try new blends too!

I guess if I had to choose a motto, it would be "live and let live."

One of my pet peeves are people who always complain they are bored. I have been too tired, just not willing to do something, or run out of time, but I have never ever been bored!!

Also, I live in an extremely rural area and I won't mark "sent" unless I have posted an item. However, my mail carrier may or may not pick up & have the mail processed - depending on his schedule, so sometimes I realize the actual postmark may be a day off from my marking an item "sent." This is just life here :)