minniemack

I enjoy reading a variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction. All fiction must be well written in order to appeal to me. I don't usually read mysteries or science fiction. My favorite author is John Irving, and my favorite novels are Nabokov's "Lolita" and Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany." I also like Barbara Kingsolver. I love SHORT books! Or maybe I should say I like books that are just as long as they need to be, and no longer. And I like to read in German. Unfortunately, the German titles don't spring to mind at the moment.

Definitely my favorite TV show is "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson." He tickles my funny bone five nights a week.

I enjoy watching sports, Book TV, current events, "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," and re-runs of "X-Files," (but otherwise I dislike sci-fi) and MAS*H.

I like a lot of different types of music; sometimes an individual track will appeal to me, rather than a particular artist or composer.

Elvis!!, Enya, Vangelis, Paul Van Dyk, Simon & Garfunkle, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, Bon Jovi, Leonard Cohen, Ingrid Michaelson......

Sometimes I get into a knitting or crocheting mood and can hardly stop making things.! But I often lack a recipient for my projects. I sometimes stay up all night working on something once I get the bug. As with books, I prefer projects that are small and immediately rewarding. I am phasing out all my synthetic yarn, and have decided to only use natural fibers in the future.

I also enjoy paper crafts; about 20 years ago I was very into calligraphy and started a greeting card business.

I like making collage-type cards. I have huge supplies of paper, envelopes, etc. from the business, but if you have something interesting in your stash, feel free to pass it along. I'm sort of a paper junkie.

I haven't done papercrafts in awhile, and it's been fun the last few weeks pulling out things that I didn't even know I had and making things out of them.

I am an ardent recycler, composter, and DIY-er. I try to consume as little as possible, preferring to re-use whenever I can. Please don't buy me anything!!! (Unless it is pre-owned/pre-used, or whatever :-) Most of my knitting and crocheting is done with yarn harvested from unwanted sweaters. I love hand-spun or hand-dyed fibers, even in small amounts.

I love to eat food that has flavor!! Lots of flavor! I especially like bread, cheese, fruit, and nuts. And coconut!! I could survive solely on these items, although I like a glass of wine now and then as well.

I enjoy traveling, especially in German-speaking countries, as learning German is my life-long hobby. One of the best decisions I have made in my adult life was to volunteer to run an inn in Bad Windsheim, Germany (near Rothenburg o.d. Tauber), for six months. I can't explain in this small space what the experience meant/means to me, but it was a wonderful experience for a variety of reasons.

And I love dogs!!!

A recent joy in my life is that my only child, a son, has married, so now I have a daughter-in-law :-)

Other than the thrifted yarns and fabrics that I swear I will soon be "using up," my collections are mainly those of natural objects--leaves, acorns, seashells, stones, etc. When I get tired of them, or when they start to look tired, they take a trip to the compost pile.

I love aqua, turquoise, robin's-egg blue, and other shades of blue-green. There's also an orchid-y color that I love; it's between pink and lavender, but otherwise I'm taking a break from pinks for awhile. (Except for the Color Pink Swap lol)

I enjoy playing tennis and bike riding, and also doing yoga.

I like pieces of handspun or hand-dyed yarn for embellishing or for small projects such as flowers; interesting, unused postage stamps of any denomination; really I'm at that stage of life where I have so much stuff and I'm trying to get rid of it!

Would love to see samples of cleverly re-purposed items, especially paper, fiber and fabric articles that you have made!!!

Please don't buy me anything! (Well, MAYBE if it's used...)

I mostly don't like things that are commercial. so I don't care for Disney or other characters. Please no religious (spiritual is OK) themes; no patriotic/nationalistic. dark, goth, etc.

Not interested in girly or trendy themes/designs, such as purses, cupcakes, etc., or glitter. Not into ATCs.

Please no cosmetic-type samples; can't use magnets as my fridge has a wood surface.

Thanks to the generosity of swappers I think I'm set for life as far as memo pads go :-) I'm also set for envelopes and note cards for the rest of my life!

colorful skies at sunset, thrift shops and yard sales, comfortable clothes and shoes, small town parades, yoga, fireplaces and firepits, apple crisp, and cider, farmers' markets, raspberries, peaches, citrus flavors, recycling,

corporate greed, wastefulness, cruelty, grass, fertilizer and loud lawn equipment, citrus colors