thursday 13 - things I like to learn about

My topic for this week is thirteen things I like to learn about.

1. Pruning.

I am a pruning nerd. I won't deny that I will read and google pruning. We visited a friend the other day and in her back yard is a tree in need. I can't stop thinking about it. I need to bust out my felcos and get back over there. Contrary to SOME people's beliefs - I won't kill a tree :)

2. People.

I enjoying learning about people (which is different than "liking" people - LOL). Most of this learning comes in three forms - reading biographies, reading blogs and watching television shows. I am captivated by shows like intervention and obsession and reading biographies is one of my favorites. I spend too much time reading blogs, but by far my favorite are ones where people talk about their lives.

3. Spreadsheets.

I'm not going to lie. I LOVE excel and making spreadsheets. Give me any reason to make a spreadsheet and I am on it. I even made a spreadsheet to calculate which crop on farmtown generated the best revenue. It was more fun than farmtown. For real. I would love to learn more because I am self taught and feel I have a lot more spreadsheet potential.

4. Animals.

The discovery channel is one of my favorites. I enjoy watching anything about animals in their natural habitat. I do think the animal kingdom is a cruel one, but I still like to learn about it.

5. Societies/group behavior.

Here comes the sociologist in me. I LOVE group dynamics and group behavior. This was where I finally found my passion after many different schools and a whole lot of undergraduate classes. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to discover this passion.

6. DIY.

I liked DIY before it was a "trendy" thing to like. If I could fix everything myself I would be one happy camper. Under this category I suppose I could add carpentry, because I LOVE the idea of building things. We get catalogues and buy magazines on "how to build....." One day my house will have at least one room that is wall to wall bookshelves which we have built ourselves.

7. Quilting

Funny thing is I have never made a quilt. I have always wanted to and I have books and magazines and even patterns for quilts, but it has never passed from "book knowledge" to the making of an actual quilt. Hopefully one day I will make one.

8. Treehouses.

My uncle had a treehouse when I was growing up and he never let me into it. I think it developed a bit of an obsession with me because I LOVE treehouses and would love to build an awesome one in our yard. This also gets added to "things I will do one day" list!

9. Bed and Breakfasts

My spouse and I hope one day to retire and open a B&B. I read a lot about them and even have some links on my favorites list.

10. Beekeeping.

I blame my brother for wanting to be a beekeeper but truth be told I think it is MY secret desire (not so secret anymore)? I would LOVE to be a beekeeper.

11. Windmills.

We want a windmill to aerate our dugout and another to provide some energy for our house. The idea of living off the grid seems a little "out there" to me, but I wouldn't mind at ALL reducing my monthly bills.

12. Labyrinths.

I have a stress problem. I can find ANYTHING to stress about. I "gave up" religion and I am interested in meditation and would love to build a labyrinth in my yard so I can meditate. we have a lot of yard, so there's room. I just need to find one I like and build it. I like crop circles also, but I don't plan on making one anytime soon.

13. Buddhism.

I was inspired to read about Buddhism by a man I respect greatly. The few things I have learned I have appreciated and try to incorporate. I need to learn a LOT more.