When I got married, my husband, Dave worked long hours running a mining quarry. I looked for hobbies to occupy my time. I decided to give gardening a try. When I planted a seed, it sprouted, grew into a plant and then bear fruit, I was hitched! I loved seeing that miracle performed right before my eyes. And the taste of fresh vegetables was so delicious! And it is so healthy and good for you.
This gave me so much joy when my plants produced fruit. I loved going on a treasure hunt. What goodies can I pick today? Nothing tastes better than fresh grown tomatoes. Slice a big slab of tomato for a BLT sandwich and what a delight! No mushy tomato. No comparison to store bought ones.
Then my next step was to learn how to cook my freshly grown vegetables. I subscribed to various cooking magazines. I picked magazines that displayed colorful pictures so I could visualize how the dish was suppose to look. Print could not be too small so I wouldn’t have to squint my eyes too bad to read.
When my garden produced so many tomatoes, peppers, oregano and basil, I decided to make my own pasta sauce. Berry picking was every day for the month of July. I canned my blueberries, blackberries and raspberries and made preserves. I also froze the berries for smoothies, pancakes and muffins.
It was so rewarding to see my garden multiply and to share my harvest with friends, family and neighbors. And my canned goods made great baskets and gifts.
Dave is my official taste tester. He is my biggest fan encouraging me to try more new dishes. His praises boosted my confidence. Like the saying goes, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach".
I also believe food brings people together. When I bake and share my goodies, it brightens up their day. And it's rewarding for me too. So true, "It's better to give, than to receive." We also enjoy throwing parties and entertaining.
With my many hobbies, that's how my husband came up with my name, Mary Busy Fingers. I do love learning new things and keeping busy.
Being a gardener, I took up art in December of 2017 when it was too cold to play in the dirt. Hobby Lobby was offering art classes and I decided to give it a try. Much to my surprise, I discovered I could draw! Thanks to my art teacher, Carol Weaver who believed that I have talent. She told me anyone can paint and those who are willing to learn will try harder and succeed. She introduced me to watercolors.
Painting very quickly turned into a passion. I painted day and night. I dreamed how I could improve my painting. I would get up during the middle of the night and paint for hours. I checked out art books at the library, flipped through magazines, watched YouTube and got ideas from Pinterest. Friends would email me beautiful photographs they have taken.
Then I started to take art classes at the Margie Weaver Senior Center. My art teacher, Carole Kinzie is so talented and brings the best out of each of her students. She is so inspirational and makes the class fun. She demonstrates techniques to enhance our paintings.
What inspired me to learn how to paint was this adorable lady and close friend, Elsie Dresch, a famous artist. She was so dear to us that we called her our adopted Mom. She painted every day up to her 90’s and passed away at 92. I felt such a great loss and a big void in my life. I missed her vitality for life and enthusiasm to express herself through art. She encouraged me to paint as she told me I am creative with my gardening, cooking and baking. I do feel her anointing, along with God, guiding my paintbrush and helping me select the colors for my paintings. And I do feel closer to her when I paint.
Then I also have my husband, Dave who inspires me too. He’s an artist who uses building materials to produce beautiful shop art. He also loves to paint boats. He helps critique my work as I sometimes struggle with color. Then he helps me frame my work.
Then my sister, Jennifer who used to work at Hobby Lobby comes up with brilliant ideas and bought me art supplies with her employee discount. She passed along her tips that she learned while working in the framing department.
I get my inspiration from so many sources. Painting has opened a whole new world and has opened doors for me. I noticed myself paying more attention to details and surroundings. It has been a learning process each day.
All my hobbies have taught me to apply myself, explore new experiences, step outside the box, use both sides of my brain, be creative and enjoy what I do. Every good and perfect gift comes from above.
