Good Afternoon:

Marsha's suggestion for new topics is well received, at least by me, so thought I'd start a new topic for discussion. 

I have taken on the project of painting the entire interior of our home, including all of the woodwork which was previously stained a shade of "could be" (could be oak, could be maple, etc.).  Anyway, I am painting it all white and have undertaken the chore of painting the French doors (2 of them, 2 front and back = 60 panes of glass to paint around).  While it's very tedious and time consuming, it gives me time to think of other things, so I don't mind doing it and have music to work by playing in the background and on this beautiful day, all of the windows are wide open!

So, while wielding the paintbrush, I've been giving some thought as to what I might contribute to the blogs besides ranting about national and local politics, so here goes.

My personal interests are gardening and my very patient spouse and I have become quite good at growing things here in Florida, which is not easy when you've lived in the Northeast and the snowbelt for most of your life.  We use native plants and mostly plants which require little water.  Water conservation is another passion of ours (we have 2 rainbarrels and are going to get 2 more this year) as is using sustainable materials when practical. Sometimes it's just too darned expensive to be "green" or as Kermit sang "It's Not Easy Being Green".  If I can answer questions for anyone who is interested, I'd be happy to do that, and if I can't answer, I have some good resources on gardening, landscaping (xeriscaping), etc. 

My expertise is in Microsoft Office applications and if anyone has questions about things that make you crazy with Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and MS Publisher, I'd be glad to try to answer them.  I have used these products since they were invented, so am fairly proficient.  I do not have Vista, but use XP Pro and I haven't moved up to the 2007 Office yet - am still using 2003 - just so you are aware I cannot answer Vista questions.   I am for sale, but would be happy to answer questions or refer you to a helpful website link, so this is not a personal advertisement for my business.

Some of my favorite things are of course, gardening, sitting on the deck and watching it grow (impossible - there's always another weed to pull or trimming to do), watching the back yard birds, and the satisfaction of looking at a newly painted area and giving myself a "pat on the back, job well done".

Let's hear from some others who have some thoughts on their own area of interests, expertise (everyone has something they are good at), and favorite things. 

Thanks,
JudyB