I've Been Memed!

I received word that Mr. McGregor's Daughter tagged me for the "8 Random Things meme."
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The rules are:
When tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you, then post the rules before your list, and list eight random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to eight other people.
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First of all,
can anyone identify this bush?

So, now. Eight random (that also means, not in order of importance) pieces of information about me:

1. I don't ever remember not drawing. My first art class was Basic Design as a college freshman, and I Loved it. However, I enjoy doing almost anything that has any semblance of artistic value. So, I pursued more art classes: pottery ("ceramics"), sculpture, printmaking, weaving, etc. And I haven't stopped drawing!

2. I also enjoy sewing, knitting, and (more recently) quilting. I consider these hobbies to be indoor-in-the-Winter engagements! You might check out a new blog I share with a friend entitled One Quilt and a Pillow. It's located on the right sidebar of this blog, under the heading "family and friends." This should be a lot of fun.

3. I took early retirement from teaching second grade, 1 1/2 years ago. (That means I've enjoyed one Spring and two Autumns outdoors in our yard without having to leave things on their own! How wonderful!) I really enjoyed teaching. The occupation was a gift To me and it was a gift From me. I've always known I was going to teach. Ever since I was in kindergarten and collected the photos of my classmates. I'd lay them on the floor at home, and "teach." :-)

4. I like to cook and bake. Now, I must qualify that statement with the explanation that I really Don't enjoy everyday type of cooking. I really enjoy looking for fun, new recipes. Mostly that means waiting until there's company. ;-) Baking is also something I wait to do during Winter. Nothing is better than warming the kitchen with the smell of something wonderful in the oven! Warms you all over more than once!

5. I so enjoy being outdoors and gardening that it's hard to explain! (Hiking and camping fall under this category, I think.) I love digging in the dirt and "landscaping." I've never minded dirt under the fingernails. I pore over seed and garden catalogs all Winter; making my lists. I get very emotional when the "new green" begins to emerge on tree branches, over the ground, etc. I am so excited to be able to notice those first blossoms... (I know you know what I mean, so I'll quit with all that!) However, I must tell you that my life-long gardening heroine has been my Aunt MEA. She has Always gardened. Vegetables and flowers. But it was the flowers that took my fancy. She continues to garden, by the way. And turned a very young 91 years old this year. She also enjoys her computer and reads my blog! :-)

6. I enjoy having friends and making friends! And, I love getting together with them. Sometimes I wish I could take the time to do more "getting together."

7. I get a kick out of using the computer. I liked creating web pages at school. Now, I enjoy this!
Taking photographs probably falls under this category. I will not aspire to be professional, but I really have fun with my little digital camera. I purchased it about a year ago. My only disappointment is that it only has 3x magnification. Especially because of #8.

8. Not only do I enjoy the flora, but I enjoy the fauna! Enticing and watching butterflies and birds, especially. But toads are also endearing. And little things like this Walking Stick! :-)

Now I'm ready to Meme eight people! Have fun with this! :-) Here we go: Connie at Notes from a Cottage Garden; Don at An Iowa Garden; Philip at Mears Garden; Bob at Bob's Garden; Cathy at 2GreenThumbsUp!; Rurality; Iowa Gardening Woman at My Iowa Garden; Christa at Calendula & Concrete.