I Have Too Many Hobbies

I also have three giant birds of paradise growing in pots because I found the pretty fuzzy orange seeds fallen from my tree. I don’t know what to do with them, but I can’t just throw them away. It would feel like murder. That’s why I also have three palm trees growing together in a little plastic planter. I found the seeds while I was on a walk in the neighborhood, brought them home and stuck them in the planter mixed in with a geranium never expecting them to germinate and grow. But there they are. I should replant them in separate pots and give them away. It just seems like too much trouble right now. My husband volunteered to throw them away, but I couldn't let him murder the little baby palm trees. Whenever I prune a succulent plant, I have a hard time throwing away the cuttings because I know they will grow. I’m happy to give away these plants but nobody wants them. When I was working, I was in charge of all the plants in the office. When we closed for remodeling, I brought home sixty-five plants of all shapes and sizes and returned them healthy and thriving. Gardening is therapy for me. I’ve had to give up vegetable gardening because of my bad back so I’ve resorted to container gardening. I even have an apricot tree in a large pot. It bore fruit last year.

Then there is my guitar class and ukulele class. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed with all the practice required to learn to play the songs, the riffs, and solos. There are so many YouTube videos I could learn from, but my brain can’t seem to make sense of where to put my fingers unless it is written down in a diagram called tablature. I have found one very good tutor for the ukulele. He provides easy written music sheets with the words and chords, a new song every week. The guitar class also provides song sheets but only for some of the songs. This is hard because I don’t know the tunes or the words to these traditional Spanish songs. Sometimes after class when there is a new song that I have never heard before I look it up on YouTube just so I can learn the tune and the words. So, which do I give up? I love playing popular songs on the ukulele and traditional Spanish songs on the guitar. I also enjoy the social aspects of the two groups. Everyone is so friendly and non-critical of my attempts to sing and play. I have no intention of becoming a performer except maybe at family gatherings.

I also am a quilt maker. I could just buy a quilt if I needed one. But making a quilt is a creative outlet for me. I get to choose many fabrics for each quilt making sure that the colors are complementary. My friend can make the same quilt pattern but mine is different because of the fabrics I choose. They make great gifts for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, and Christmas. I have joined a quilt guild and also a mini group where I have made friends. People who understand the need to create. Also, this group has several charity groups within. Quilts for wounded veterans returning from battle, placemats for “Meals on Wheels” program, and doll quilts for the woodworkers who make doll cradles for underprivileged children. “Quilters for Others” make and donate quilts for “Doctors Without Borders” and also for the children’s ICU in Northridge Hospital’s yearly fundraiser.

I have left for last my newest hobby, writing. My Aunt Celia encouraged me to join because of some of the stories I have told her. I mainly tell funny stories. I sometimes confide in her the not so funny stories. I might write some of that stuff down too, but I hate to be a bummer.

Now I have to confess I am addicted to mystery programs on television. Now with Netflix and Amazon Prime I have a lot of choices. I waste a lot of time watching these programs but sometimes when my back hurts too much to do anything else (which is often) the mystery stories keep my mind off the pain. When I was working at DMV, I often approached a client’s problem like a detective. I guess that’s how my mind works. The car might have out of state plates and no title. I would have to contact the state in question, find out where it was purchased, explain to the customer how to apply for the title, request a bill of sale, get the required inspections, and calculate the registration fees all while being gentle with the client so they wouldn’t get upset. My advice is never to purchase a vehicle from out of state or without a title. The fees are exorbitant, the paperwork is tedious. I could never understand why someone would buy a vehicle without a title, and why from out of state when there are plenty to choose from right here.

This is the topper. I watch my grandchildren after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Elisa is fourteen and very self-sufficient. She might like me to make her a sandwich and she can help herself to whatever snacks we have in the house. She does her homework, goes on the computer if she needs to all on her own. Last week Elisa brought groceries to make pupusas. She mixed them up at my house so she could take them home and cook them there. She gave me some the next day. She often makes dinner at home. David who is seven wants my undivided attention the whole time he is here. We have multiple car crashes with his little Hot Wheels cars. Sometimes we go outside so he can play in the dirt also with the toy cars. Sometimes he pretends he’s wrestling with the pillows on the bed while I announce the wrestler’s names and describe the punches and takedowns and count when he wins the fight. He loves to pretend to be a zombie while I pretend to shoot him with a machine gun, or a pistol, or even a grenade. I have to make the right sound effects. He’s very good at acting like he’s being shot and falling down dead (on top of the bed of course). Lately he brings his video game and plays with it for an hour or two so I can rest. They make my days so much brighter.

I wanted to explain how much I love doing all these things and how fulfilling they are for me. I like talking about these things as well as doing them.