Curiosity....why do what you do?

I was just commenting on cooking fish on the 'dinner' thread, and mentioned catching your own fish to cook. Got me thinking, I know why I like to fish and i've heard others mention they paint to relax and release their creative energy. Gardeners play in the dirt because it's a form of therapy, guilty of this too. :) So I was just wondering....why do you do the hobbies that you do?
Bill ~ why do you like playing with rocks so much? (GRIN)
Allison ~Is it the challenge of the seed?
Robin ~ Still sub. teaching and taking classes? What draws you to this?
Iris ~ You hybridize iris's, why or how did you start?

And the rest of you....share with us what you do and why.

Fishing:
I love being outdoors in the middle of nature. Eagle's flying over head, fish jumping in front of me, deer, moose and Great Heron's walking along the rivers edge. Mountains in the distance and birds singing in the background.
I also love the challenge of catching my own fish from fresh clean waters, don't have to worry where it's been before it hits my plate.....I already know. :)
The views....I miss a lot of fish bites because of the views. ^_^

This message was edited Mar 1, 2012 3:32 PM

Oh, the views are spectacular! I've birded for 30 years, just about for the same reason you fish, Pixie....love to be outdoors & enjoying the fields or woods....I paint because I've always had to do some sort of art....earliest memories are begging for crayons & coloring books...it's very soothing for me.....I actually colored a Tinker belle picture with my GDs last Sat.....they wouldn't share the best markers :>( .....I knit to keep my fingers limber, & my mind somewhat sharp.....and I have to read every night or I can't fall asleep....love British mysteries, & if anyone else does, get "The Crossings" by Elly Griffiths....it's haunting as were the second 2 I read...if you're French Canadian, "Still Life" by Louise Penny....see? It's the teacher in me, pushing books!

I need to go backpacking this year!!

Appy Trail?

I like to read Robin, push the books all you want. :)

it's def. seeing a beautiful flower or plant grow from something I did... cuttings or seed it amazes me every time.. and doesn't ever get old.. see the little green sprouts from a seed... feels like christmas

Same here, of course I also experience some frustration with seeds. :)

Baxter State Park - its been a couple years since i last was there

Reading: It's a de-stressor
Riding: Awesome feeling, it's just fun

I like growing in the GH so I dont have to pay anyone 2-10 bucks or even more for a plant. It took 2 seasons to get it down packed but well worth it.

The stinking cups and reselling. It became a challenge to understand the whole process. Name/Age/Quality/Properties etc. To resell and make a good profit.

Then to see Jims eyes when I say: Dont be surprised if I bid up to 300 dollars on that lot.

I ride and mess around with my horse for destressing. One of my fondest memories as a kid is riding my pony to the top of the local ski hill and looking out on the fall foliage.(communing with nature and pony)
I sew for the sense of accomplishment. Love the finished project feeling. Garden for therapy too.

I go through phases. I enjoy reading. I like to do cross-stitch, but, my eyes kind of go wacky after a bit. I now have a sewing machine and have been enjoying making clothes and doll clothes for my grandies. I also like to crochet. Of course gardening when the weather permits is wonderful!
Each activity is enjoyable and I like to alternate to keep things fresh. I like to learn new things.

I'm kinda driven to explore ideas, so education has been my thing. But so is family, so I quit pursuing the university which can demand ones full life. If I can use artistic intuitions to solve a problem that's usually handled badly by blind addition of facts, then I feel very good. Gardening is a way to slow it all down in a more meditative way. My favorite gardening book is The Exuberant Garden and the Controlling Hand, if only for the title alone.

I don't ride horses anymore, but having a stable was once my dream. I still remember the expansive feelings from riding across fields. My parents thought I was reckless, but the thrill was to be in full command of body and mind, so I just loved motion. My work has the same quality, so I forge ahead through tons of depressing stories sustained by the fleeting experience of sometimes jumping over that high fence, figuratively speaking.