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catherine
5-9-18, 8:11am
iris lilies was talking about choosing iris stalks today, and I wanted to ask her, out of curiosity, how she wound up being obsessed with irises--out of all the flora on earth, why irises and lilies? But that would have been a thread hijack, so I'm asking it here...

And to everyone who spends time with a hobby or any pursuit they love, how did you fall into it? When did you realize that this was something that enriched your life?

Sometimes we pick up hobbies but they don't stick; other times we almost can't NOT do them once we've gotten "the bug."

Ultralight
5-9-18, 8:14am
iris lilies was talking about choosing iris stalks today, and I wanted to ask her, out of curiosity, how she wound up being obsessed with irises--out of all the flora on earth, why irises and lilies? But that would have been a thread hijack, so I'm asking it here...

And to everyone who spends time with a hobby or any pursuit they love, how did you fall into it? When did you realize that this was something that enriched your life?

Sometimes we pick up hobbies but they don't stick; other times we almost can't NOT do them once we've gotten "the bug."

This is a great question! I can't wait to read the responses. :)

goldensmom
5-9-18, 8:29am
I live on a farm. In order to make all the work and chores less tedious I call it my hobby. I don’t think I have any ‘hobbies’ aside from tending the farm. How did it come about? I inherited my parents farm.

sweetana3
5-9-18, 8:50am
My hobby is stitching and quilting. I love the color, the work, the finished project. Mom taught me to sew while very young. I did not do anything with it until around 40 and life had settled down. Can do as much or as little as I want each day. I don't really like to work around people (retired from a stressful customer service job) and this suits well. I take classes, go on retreats all over the country and get to know new people this way.

Husband started working on Habitat for Humanity projects after he retired. No construction experience at all. He is now a full time volunteer with several areas of expertise. He has his own group of friends he recruited to help. It helps him socially and physically plus it gets him outside and in the sun during the summer. He works in the warehouse in the winter. I think someone suggested he come and he really liked the people so he stayed.

CathyA
5-9-18, 10:00am
I think I got my love of gardening from my grandpap. I saw him working in his big garden a lot. I remember he grew strawberries and let my brother and me sell them. I think it was 15 cents/pint. I started gardening when I was in my early 20's. The university near where I lived had a "married student courts" garden plots. Others could get one too. I didn't have a car and lived cross town. I remember a friend letting me collect her horse manure and driving me to put it in the plot. Then I had to take the bus home with my rake and empty bags of manure. I'm not sure I was appreciated by the other riders that day. haha

I also have a few small water gardens. My brother did too. When we were young, we lived at a dead-end street and were near a little creek and also a swamp. We played in them. I think that's where we got our interest in that.

Then I was into cross-stitching for quite a while, just because it made neat images.

Now I'm into puzzles......because they make neat images too, and are a lot cheaper than the limited reproductions of the artists. I just love quietly sitting with a puzzle and finding all the pieces and putting them in the right places.
I also love cooking. My mother worked nights when I was little and I would love cooking during the day. Boy would I make a mess. I remember my mom coming into the kitchen after sleeping all day after work and saying "Oh Cathy!!"
haha.......sorry mom! I still make big messes when I cook. :)

And I can't forget riding my electric golf cart through our property......fields and woods. We do it every night after dinner. It's a wonderful time, seeing birds, animals, bees, dragonflies and watching the sunset through the trees. I highly recommend it! :)

Teacher Terry
5-9-18, 1:02pm
My Mom could sew, knit, crochet, etc. I tried to learn as a teen but was too inpatient. About 10 years ago a friend of mine learned to knit. Then she taught me. I now have the patience for it. I knit about 100 scarfs/year and give them to homeless people.

KayLR
5-9-18, 1:39pm
My grandma was my hobby muse. She was of the era where women made undergarments from flour sacks and embellished everything from tea towels and pillowcases to tablecloths with finely tatted and crocheted edging. She could knit sweaters that looked store-bought. Of course she and grandpa had a garden, too, and canned everything they grew plus had crocks of pickles and sauerkraut on the back porch in the fall, too.

So, in the evenings, I pick up my crochet or my embroidery. I find it meditative and brings forward many comforting memories. It also keeps me from snacking. I find myself thinking of grandma and grandpa often as I work in my garden.

iris lilies
5-9-18, 2:16pm
Often it is my gut, literally a feeling in the pit of my stomach, that engages me in the hobby.

I remember the iris that I fell in love with, “Honeymoon
Suite.” Sure, I had grown irises before that one because that is what you grow when you have a flower garden. I had purchased collections of iris and I got what I got from the sellers, didnt really choose them individually. But this one in a collection was—shazam! It glittered, time stood still when I looked at it. I suppose it is like those people who say “I saw my spouse for the first time across the room and I knew she was for me!”

With my lily hobby, it started withh seeing someone’s tiny yard jammed full of lilies. Until then I had only 2 or 3 kinds. Then I learned about giant trumpet type lilies, and I gained cerebral appreciation because they are very showy in the garden. But it wasnt The Earth Stood Still love like for I have for iris.

I like National Garden Club flower shows be ause I have AlWAys liked competitive shows. For a while it was dog shows, before that cat shows, and I long ago watched beauty pageants on tv for the competition aspect. When I saw a “Floor Design” by National Garden Club ladies at the Homebuilder’s show, I thought that was the coolest thng ever, and I said to myself “I want to do that,” took me a few years, but now I am doing that.

The highlight of my year is Art in Bloom at the St. Louis Art Museum where floral designers interpret works of art. I am not even a competetor (didnt get in this year) but it is almost sacred, my time at Art in Bloom. I would describe it as a time when all of my senses are heightened and I take in information about the designs at lhigh speed. After reviewing 40 designs ask me about one at random, and I will tell yoi about it! Each one stands distinctive in my mind.

JaneV2.0
5-9-18, 3:05pm
I love anything that comes in multiple colors, so I've dabbled in colored pencils, paint, polymer clay, quilting, beadwork, collage...The key word is "dabbled." Polymer clay is a fascinating medium; I've amassed files of 10,000+ images and counting--it seems every day someone discovers new ways to use it. I also fell into genealogy, as many people do, when all the relatives I could ask about family had already died off.

pinkytoe
5-9-18, 3:06pm
I think my love for plants and gardening started in high school back in the hippie days. My very first plant ever was a Baby's Tears. I built wooden shelves spanning the windows of my bedroom in our two story house and loaded them up with plants. I also had grandparents who farmed and grew food out of necessity so summers meant time watching those things grow. I have always felt like plants of all kinds are kindred spirits so I like to help them along. Learning about all the new ones to me here in Colorado has been fun. Nothing quite like sitting underneath a towering blue spruce that hasn't been sheared at the bottom.

Ultralight
5-9-18, 5:37pm
I have enjoyed reading these. It seems like many of you all like gardening. I went through a two year gardening hobby phase. I had a couple community garden plots and then a plot in my sister's side yard.

I have had many hobbies over the years.

My first serious hobby was mixed martial arts/grappling. I competed in jju jitsu tournaments for a few years in high school. My dad forced me to take martial arts. That is how I got into that. During that time I also taught myself to play guitar, so I played in some folk duos and rock bands through college. I got into music listening to a blues radio program called The Sunday Night Root-hoot. So I decided to learn to play.

I have also gotten into sporting clays shooting, archery (primitive, trad, and modern), hunting, meditating, tabletop gaming, and a bunch of others. I have had as many reasons for getting into these hobbies as I have had hobbies.

Woven through all these episodic hobbies have been reading and fishing. I love both of them! When I read my first book at age 14 I thought: "Real rebels read books. I am going to be a brooding, young intellectual who is always reading." So I read to rebel. No one in my social circles was a reader.

As for fishing, it is a family tradition. If my niece or nephew want to learn to fish I will teach them our family's traditional methodology, which is highly stylized, unique, often counter-intuitive, but god dang effective.

At the moment my episodic hobbies are drawing and baseball fandom. :)

Drawing is solitary, and I like that. It is also expressive and exercises brain muscles I have not used before. Baseball fandom is social and is a spectacle which I enjoy.

Gardnr
5-9-18, 8:48pm
Quilting! I made the first one because an employee wanted to go on a mission to VietNam and needed to raise $2800 (this is 1993). i had just watched a show the day before called "Quilt in a Day" on PBS. I thought: well, we can do this and raffle it. So I offered to pay for the fabric if a group would come make it. It was so much fun, she bought fabric for a 2nd. We did a raffle at work. Raised $1500!!!!!

I've been quilting since then and have quite a stash. I do a lot of charity quilts for my community and of course, quilts for family, for gifts.....etc......

Gardening: I fall into the "now that I can afford broccoli I'd rather grow it" group. I've been increasing my food gardening prowess since 1995. My goal is to grow and store 80% of our needs by the time I retire. I do high density planting and will work on higher density when i no longer work 50+h/week. And what tastes better than fresh from the garden food?

Zoe Girl
5-9-18, 8:59pm
I kept trying to learn crochet and knitting and was not getting it, however it didn't click for the longest time. Then when it clicked I was totally hooked (hahaha).

What keeps me going is that I can be very freeform, crochet is more forgiving than knitting. It is also more adaptable to not following strict patterns. I learned to make shapes and then put them together in different ways and create new things (dragon puppets anyone). I can follow a pattern when I want, I am working on a unicorn toy that is so stinkin' cute. I actually paid for the pattern which is important to support an artist. I am actually thinking about writing patterns next.

I used to do a lot of writing but this is less cerebral and that is good.

jp1
5-9-18, 9:46pm
So many gardeners and sewers/knitters/etc. I suppose that's not surprising since these activities lead to tangible results that can be pleasing if done well. My SIL has had various hobbies of these types and I love the gifts we've received that were the result of them. (she's a serial hobbyist, spending maybe two years on a given hobby before moving on to try a new one.) The only hobby I've had that ever involved the creation of anything was beer brewing. For almost 10 years I actively did it. It's probably not hard to figure out why I got into it... :~)

My longest lasting hobby is reading books. I've been a voracious reader pretty much my entire life. I got my first library card when I was maybe 7 and can't imagine life without one.

The only other hobby I've put much effort into is bike riding. Like beer brewing this is also a past hobby, not a current one. I always considered it a hobby more than an exercise regimen because the point of it wasn't physical fitness (although that was a nice side benefit). The point was exploring new places to see what I could see. I started in Jr. High School as a way to get out of the house and see what the rest of the city I grew up in looked like, and that carried with me to every place I lived afterwards. Now that hobby has been replaced with walking. Over the past year I've been obsessed with a book called Stairway Walks of San Francisco (which I found at the library of course...) Following the suggested routes in the book I've managed to do obscure meandering walks through little known places all over the city. I've done maybe 20 of the 31 walks in it at least once and will probably have finished all of them before rainy season starts again this fall.

flowerseverywhere
5-9-18, 10:31pm
2181My love of quilting is an obsession. I am making historical quilts now. This is Farmers wife completed this year. Also doing Dear Jane. I started in 1978 making a quilt for my newborn baby and have not stopped

2182African violets, my other obsession. Living in Florida I have extensive outdoor flowers year around and a large rack of fun and unique violets I grow and swap with friends. Just for the fun of it.

Gardnr
5-10-18, 5:40am
Flowers: Your Dear Jane is FABULOUS:cool:

catherine
5-10-18, 7:21am
Thanks for all your replies! It's very interesting to hear everyone's interests, and how they started. Also, thanks for sharing pics, flowerseverywhere! I really admire quilters.

As for me, I've had several hobbies over the years. I started out in the "art hobby" camp. My father was an amateur artist, so I took his lead and did a lot of drawing back when I was really young. Like UL, I really like it for its meditative qualities. I also did oil painting. Never liked watercolors or pastels, though.

In high school, my great aunt taught me how to sew and I made all my school clothes. When I got into theatre (that was my next hobby), I took my love of sewing there and made costumes. At one point I thought about becoming a costume designer as a career--and I applied to Emerson College in Boston because they had a degree in it. But I took another path. I was also active at that time in community theatre groups.

I took a long hobby hiatus while working & raising kids. But I'm slowly returning to them, although different ones. I draw a little bit. I don't sew anymore. I gave up being on the stage ages ago. These days my hobbies are:

Geneology: When Ancestry.com came out, my son gave me the software as a Christmas gift, and I found it so much fun to research and record my family history. Of course, I went online with it when it became available I still am dabbling in it, and adding photos and documents as I come across them. I've been able to trace some branches of my family back to the days of William the Conqueror.

Permaculture: I was pulled like a magnet to permaculture in 2009/2010, when I saw a course listing for Permaculture Design Certificates in a catalog I get from a New York center for holistic studies. I subscribe to their catalogs, so every year for 3 years, I saw the same listing, and then I couldn't fight the urge anymore. I finally bit the bullet. It was expensive, but I decided that I really wanted to take the 11-week course. (BTW, I just came across the best definition for permaculture I've seen: Permaculture is a system of agricultural and social design principles centered around simulating or directly utilizing the patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems.). I still love practicing and learning about permaculture, and the main reason I took the Master Gardener class this year was simply to give me a chance to expand on that aspect of permaculture--to get my hands in the dirt so to speak. I think following permaculture principles will be essential in the future in order to manage the stressors we've placed on the planet.

Reading: Like jp1 (and I know a lot of other people on this forum), I love to read.

SteveinMN
5-10-18, 8:56am
I've been thinking about this question since it was posted yesterday and two things came to mind: one, that I have had a lot of hobbies; and two, I don't know how so many of the interests I've been exposed to became hobbies.

I've enjoyed photography for decades. My grandfather was a serious hobbyist photographer, but I don't think that's why I picked up the hobby (since all of us kids groaned when my grandfather had to fiddle with his completely-manual camera to take pictures and we didn't think we looked like the results). I've long enjoyed listening to music, but I suspect that's because my brother got all the musical talent in the family and I couldn't learn to play anything despite several attempts. I learned how to cook from my mom, who considered basic cooking (hamburgers, omelets, etc.) a necessary life skill; I enjoyed it enough to become really good at it, though, so I guess the spark was supplied and I went from there. I suppose at this point I would consider square dancing a hobby but I can't remember why I became interested enough in it 20-25 years ago to take lessons.

So I suppose the answer remains a mystery to me....

Tammy
5-10-18, 9:26am
I’m on a multi year adventure watching all of the Star Trek canon in historical order. I’m loving it. 🖖🏼

Float On
5-10-18, 10:01am
Kayaking came rather natural. I've always been drawn to any moving water. Though we live on two lakes my husband has no interest in buying a boat. A few kayaks was my answer and I don't invite him along (well to be honest with his back he couldn't get in one anyway).
Gardening came about because of rocks. I love rocks and our glade has a plenty! Birding came about because of my son's interest.
There are a lot of other things I do but don't consider them hobbies like knitting (picked it up because women at church wanted a group and a group needs a sponsor) or sewing (old skill passed down from mom and 4H) or glass fusing (it was a business for me as an addition to our blown glass work) or photography (skill I developed to meet a need because I didn't like what national jury photographers were doing).

iris lilies
5-10-18, 10:39am
I’m on a multi year adventure watching all of the Star Trek canon in historical order. I’m loving it. 
No! Well, thatbis i teresting.
Our Hermann house has very limited channels on tv and it seems to broadcast Star Trek all the time. DH is liking that.

CathyA
5-10-18, 11:25am
There are sooooooo many things in this life to enjoy!

Float On
5-10-18, 12:30pm
Permaculture: I was pulled like a magnet to permaculture in 2009/2010, when I saw a course listing for Permaculture Design Certificates in a catalog I get from a New York center for holistic studies. I subscribe to their catalogs, so every year for 3 years, I saw the same listing, and then I couldn't fight the urge anymore. I finally bit the bullet. It was expensive, but I decided that I really wanted to take the 11-week course. (BTW, I just came across the best definition for permaculture I've seen: Permaculture is a system of agricultural and social design principles centered around simulating or directly utilizing the patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems.). I still love practicing and learning about permaculture, and the main reason I took the Master Gardener class this year was simply to give me a chance to expand on that aspect of permaculture--to get my hands in the dirt so to speak. I think following permaculture principles will be essential in the future in order to manage the stressors we've placed on the planet.


I'd love to take some permaculture courses. I probably know just enough to cause problems and I'm cheap so I'm a DIY kind of girl. A lot of projects I learn the proper way after I've already done it. And I love that defination. I'm going to have to write it in my bullet journal! I've been watching a lot of the central texas garden series on youtube and learning a lot. though I'm 2 states up and 4 seasons my glade is much like their focus.

catherine
5-10-18, 1:16pm
I'd love to take some permaculture courses. I probably know just enough to cause problems and I'm cheap so I'm a DIY kind of girl. A lot of projects I learn the proper way after I've already done it. And I love that defination. I'm going to have to write it in my bullet journal! I've been watching a lot of the central texas garden series on youtube and learning a lot. though I'm 2 states up and 4 seasons my glade is much like their focus.

Float On, If you are a DIY learner, I recommend Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway. Great informative, passionately and clearly written book about everyday permaculture. I've read several books on permaculture, and Gaia's Garden is the best. Unfortunately the author died just last year, but his work will live on.

Zoe Girl
5-10-18, 2:00pm
No! Well, thatbis i teresting.
Our Hermann house has very limited channels on tv and it seems to broadcast Star Trek all the time. DH is liking that.

I have been getting back into running, I really want the t-shirt that says "red shirt running team, probably not going to make it"

Simplemind
5-10-18, 10:50pm
I have always been good with plants. People gave me dying ones and I was always able to revive them. I got into small container gardening with my first home and expanded when I married for the second time and suddenly had lots of property. I got my young son involved and had him grow veggies for our local food bank. He loved picking, washing and putting the boxes together. He did it for years and I kept putting in more and more. My husband and I now deliver Meals on Wheels and give our produce to our clients.
I have always been interested in art and design and was always in some type of art class. I picked up watercolor (which I had never liked) a few years ago from a gal who had a style that drew my attention. It is a brain cramp for me which is why I continue it. I bring it into my volunteer work by painting cards for my clients. It kind of started as a light hearted thing and has really grown. I have a few clients that keep every card I give them and some frame them. I can't even think about missing a season, holiday or birthday occasion........ Have been into photography since HS so I'm also using that for painting inspiration as well as photos to go with my travel writing.
Started getting into landscape design with my love of art, design and gardening. I painted a picture of my dream front yard (a difficult triangle shape where grass never grew and previous designs never looked right) and found a contractor who didn't think I was crazy and was willing to do the heavy stuff. I now have a great koi pond in my front yard with a path over it to the front door. Designed with Japanese garden elements and a total surprise because from the road you can't see it. I've received a couple of job offers from that. I've got a couple of neighbors that have walked down with friends to see it. This property is my Winchester House..... I'm just going to keep installing different areas until they scatter my ashes out in the daffodils.

Float On
5-11-18, 11:01am
Float On, If you are a DIY learner, I recommend Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway. Great informative, passionately and clearly written book about everyday permaculture. I've read several books on permaculture, and Gaia's Garden is the best. Unfortunately the author died just last year, but his work will live on.

Thanks Catherine, I use to check that out from the library but never bought my own copy....I should.

frugal-one
5-11-18, 1:04pm
I used to love to do many things but now appreciate doing things that don't require a lot of followup. Gardening used to be fun but now I HURT after bending, etc. and the plants die when we go on vacation. So, I am more into the Farmer's Market now. When I first retired I learned to play MahJongg. It is a difficult game and changes every year so it does not get old. I think it took me about a year to get good and fast at playing. It makes me think in a way that I normally would not and that is why I enjoy it. I can play with people or actually play the game with or without people on line. I also LOVE to read (as many here) and am always studying something new. Travel has always been a passion!

I am enjoying reading about others interests too!

rosarugosa
5-12-18, 5:17pm
I've been pondering this one since it was posted, such a cool topic!
I've had an abundance of hobbies/interests/enthusiasms over the years, but I'm going to focus on the ones that are with me currently. However, I do need to at least mention that I was a passionate rock, shell and spoon collector as a kid. As a little girl, I loved nothing better than to break open rocks with my little pick-axe to see what was inside! Oh, and birds! My second grade teacher used to brag about the time she asked what you call someone who studies birds, and I answered ornithologist and could spell it too. I asked for a bird feeder and suet and seeds for my birthday when I was 6 or 7, and I got the whole family hooked on something quite delightful. That passion is still with me and I've passed it along to DH.
Reading - the adults in my family all enjoyed reading, so I guess I got this one by osmosis. I was the tiny little girl with glasses reading her book as she walked to school (long before everyone was looking down at something while they were walking along, haha). A favorite memory was going to the Boston Globe Book Festival as a kid. I spent the whole time reading a hardcover MAD magazine compilation I had stumbled upon. (MAD magazine played a huge part in shaping my character, it was like my third parent). At the end of the show, the vendor asked me if I would like to have the book. "Really? No kidding? YES!! Thank you!!"
Gardening - I was surrounded by surrogate grandparents on the street where I grew up, and a couple of my grandmothers were gardeners. One in particular used to give me tiny cosmos and sedum and feverfew to transplant in my backyard, and I think she was my earliest major influence. Many years later when we bought our home, I wanted a garden, but realized I was lacking in knowledge and skills. We started taking classes at the Arnold Arboretum (DH and me). We became reasonably knowledgeable amateurs, and this became a great shared hobby and passion for the 2 of us. Gardening is really amazing, because one could live several lifetimes and still have so much to learn. I think I'll shut up now, but I do have at least one more to share.

Tradd
5-12-18, 10:20pm
I got into diving because of a guy, but I ran with it and really made it my own.

You can read my diving thread for the details. :)

pinkytoe
5-12-18, 10:32pm
I find it interesting how some people get intensely involved in new hobbies every few years. For several years, my older brother was into wine collecting and filled up a cellar. Then he got interested in genealogy and spent two years producing family books for each side where he had to travel to old cemeteries and libraries. Now in his 70s, his new passion is wood-working and he is turning out beautiful furniture.

Zoe Girl
5-12-18, 11:07pm
Can I share, this turned out so cute. $40 sale also. 2185

iris lilies
5-13-18, 12:12am
Can I share, this turned out so cute. $40 sale also. 2185

that is so cute! Love it!

Lainey
5-13-18, 8:23am
One aspect I've been thinking about is how a hobby can be a shared interest for a couple. I'm remembering a poet, Donald Hall, who talked about how couples need that "third thing" to focus on (I'm paraphrasing). Basically, you have each other, and you have work, but it helps to have that other interest/passion.
I know for some couples it's their pet, others it's a shared love of the outdoors, others love cooking, some are active in their church, etc. For some it's raising their children but when the children leave the nest it leaves a big void which can become a big strain on their relationship.
So I've been pondering that myself and will be exploring that more. Right now it seems one of our regularly shared interests is going to matinees in mid-week with the other retirees :-)

SteveinMN
5-13-18, 9:20am
One aspect I've been thinking about is how a hobby can be a shared interest for a couple. [...] So I've been pondering that myself and will be exploring that more. Right now it seems one of our regularly shared interests is going to matinees in mid-week with the other retirees :-)
I see nothing wrong with entertainment being the shared interest. DW and I have been square dancing the last couple of years. At first it seemed like just a fun way to get some (non-strenuous) exercise without worrying much about the weather in which it was done and it provided set times (lessons and dances) for us to get together (if it weren't for deadlines, lots of things would not get done). It turns out that we really enjoy it so it's what we do together right now.

When DW retires in a few years, we may add some more volunteering to that mix. Or more grandchildren. Or both. I'm sure the activities will evolve as time goes by. In the meantime we really enjoy it and it does not matter that we're not working on a cure for cancer or anything like that.

frugal-one
5-13-18, 3:20pm
I find it interesting how some people get intensely involved in new hobbies every few years. For several years, my older brother was into wine collecting and filled up a cellar. Then he got interested in genealogy and spent two years producing family books for each side where he had to travel to old cemeteries and libraries. Now in his 70s, his new passion is wood-working and he is turning out beautiful furniture.

I am like this too. I study until I can't find much more of interest and then move on to something else.

JaneV2.0
5-13-18, 3:27pm
I am like this too. I study until I can't find much more of interest and then move on to something else.

I do this too, but I often cycle back through my list of interests, reading being a constant.

iris lilies
5-13-18, 8:39pm
Today I won a trophy as big as my head for Best Iris in the Greater St. Louis Iris show. But really, there isnt much competition any more. I am taking the traveling trophy, a big thing with its own travel box, for a year because it is sort of retro and funny in that way.

I also won design sweepstakes, which means “most blue ribbons” and won the Artistic award. Did not win Best Design in show however, but that’s ok! Gotta give someone else a chance.

2186

Tradd
5-13-18, 9:03pm
Yay, Iris! :)

razz
5-14-18, 7:18am
IL, well done. You have won in so many ways - the prize for the entries but more important, IMO, you entered to give some life to the competition , demonstrated artistic effort in your own unique way inspiring others and simply giving enjoyment to those who attended the viewing. i always appreciate the participants showing the multiple dimensions of any competition.

iris lilies
5-14-18, 7:42am
IL, well done. You have won in so many ways - the prize for the entries but more important, IMO, you entered to give some life to the competition , demonstrated artistic effort in your own unique way inspiring others and simply giving enjoyment to those who attended the viewing. i always appreciate the participants showing the multiple dimensions of any competition.

Thanks for that! Our big iris show is often on Mother’s Day which is super crowded at the Botanical gardens, so it is fun to have such a big crowd view your works.

SteveinMN
5-14-18, 8:23am
Congratulations, IL! It's always good to see passion and skill recognized and rewarded!

iris lilies
5-14-18, 8:31am
One aspect I've been thinking about is how a hobby can be a shared interest for a couple. I'm remembering a poet, Donald Hall, who talked about how couples need that "third thing" to focus on (I'm paraphrasing). Basically, you have each other, and you have work, but it helps to have that other interest/passion.
I know for some couples it's their pet, others it's a shared love of the outdoors, others love cooking, some are active in their church, etc. For some it's raising their children but when the children leave the nest it leaves a big void which can become a big strain on their relationship.
So I've been pondering that myself and will be exploring that more. Right now it seems one of our regularly shared interests is going to matinees in mid-week with the other retirees :-)

I have been gardening for decades, and DH has been gardening since he was a child. It is a strong mutual interest of ours. So great, right? It keeps us together. Hahaha not always. This has led to us fighting (or, ahem, “negotiating”) for every square foot of ground on our properties.

But really, gardening is such as big discipline that there is room within it to pursue sub topics (ornamentals vs vegetables, houseplants vs outdoor plants, specific genus vs wide variety of plants) that we can share an interest yet have our own sub specialty. At theend of a summer day DH will often come by “my” garden areas to see what I accomplished that day or what flowers opened, and I will go by his areas to see what is growing well and what he is doing. So we are separate, but still shari g.

rosarugosa
5-14-18, 9:49am
I am in agreement with that "third thing" concept. DH & I share a love of gardening and nature and our pets.
Congratulations, IL!

Float On
5-14-18, 11:45am
Congrats IL!

Selah
5-14-18, 11:50am
Honestly, my favorite hobbies are those that make me money! Doing surveys. selling used books online, tutoring, doing the odd voiceover gig, searching for rebates, etc. Every once in awhile I'll do something crafty, like woodburning, beading, painting, baking, etc., but I do that far less often than I work on my multitude of "side hustles"!

IshbelRobertson
5-15-18, 8:14am
I have loved knitting and tapestry work since I was a child. My Mum was a great knitter, ditto my two Grannies. Dad’s Mum was a highlander who knitted the most wonderful FairIsle patterned sweaters, cardigans, tammies, scarves and gloves for all the grandchidren. All the patterns were memorised, none written down. I still do my tapestry projects but have had to give up knitting because of arthritis.

Genealogy and history. Have traced my family lines back to the 1500s but having hit a wall, I haven’t done much for 5 years or so.

Gardening. Nowadays I call myself Head Gardener and my husband plants what I want, where I want it planted! The garden is now getting too big for him to manage and we employ a gardener for a few hours each week.

Visiting National Trust properties all over the UK.

Cooking. I’ve taken lots of courses all over Europe, some with Michelin-starred chefs. I first got interested as a teenager and managed to take a 6 week, intensive course at Cordon Bleu cookery school in Paris when I was 19. You should see my knife skills!

Teacher Terry
5-15-18, 4:27pm
When we lived in WI people never made much off their crafts. A friend of mine quit doing it for that reason. My Mom kept doing it because she was retired and it was fun for her.

Circa1948
7-3-20, 12:05am
I really couldn't say other than I'm a Christmas fan. I'm 72 and have collected snow globes as long as I can remember (6 or 7?).
At first any globe would do and I had to use a large spare room to display them. Through the years I condensed and sold many except for went for rare, hard to find and old ones. My oldest and prized globe is from the 1880's with an oyster and pearl, a seahorse, seaweed and tiny stones.

rosarugosa
7-3-20, 6:04am
Welcome Circa1948. Your oldest and prized globe sounds beautiful!

happystuff
7-3-20, 7:51am
Hi Circa1948, That snowglobe sounds beautiful! Would love to see a picture, if you are able. Thanks for sharing.

Teacher Terry
7-3-20, 12:10pm
That sounds great circa!

KayLR
7-3-20, 6:32pm
Since we've dug this thread back up, I'd like to show off my last needlework finish. It's called, "Hidden Trellises," designed by Merrilyn Heazlewood.
3323

SteveinMN
7-3-20, 8:01pm
Wow, Kay! Great work! I really like the colors.

Circa1948
7-3-20, 8:59pm
It's packed away in storage now (not close by). Will do next time I get them out. I don't have display room where I live now.

Circa1948
7-3-20, 9:00pm
Very nice.

iris lilies
7-3-20, 9:02pm
Since we've dug this thread back up, I'd like to show off my last needlework finish. It's called, "Hidden Trellises," designed by Merrilyn Heazlewood.
3323

very pretty. Reminds me of aerial views of formal gardens.

rosarugosa
7-4-20, 6:20am
That's beautiful, Kay. Will you frame it and hang it?

happystuff
7-4-20, 8:41am
That's so pretty, Kay! Such talent!

Teacher Terry
7-4-20, 12:17pm
Kay, that’s beautiful!

KayLR
7-6-20, 12:19pm
Thank you, all. Yeah, I will frame it someday, when I feel comfortable going to a framer and discussing it.