Hobbies

I have three hobbies, reading, writing and family history. It wasn’t until I just wrote that sentence that I realized how well they mesh together. Lately though, I’ve been reading a lot. It is nice to be able to do that.

Passing time is not a problem for most Americans. We work too hard and expect too much. We don’t take enough time to enjoy life. Then we retire and die, because we haven’t prepared for it correctly. It’s not enough to be able to retire and live comfortably. Money isn’t the only thing you have to consider when retiring.

A hobby or two or three can make the difference between living and merely existing. Some people golf. I don’t. I don’t understand the game and I don’t believe I am coordinated enough to do it well. I just think that it is probably more fun to do than watch. I suppose that last is not true if you are really into golf, but if you are, you’d probably rather play than watch, so maybe it does hold true.

My hobbies are more sedentary, and therefore, more dangerous. Reading takes little effort, just a good book. Writing is more work, but the work is cerebral. Family history combines the two, which is why I want to start writing up research reports for the research that I do. It can involve walking in cemeteries and climbing stairs at libraries, courthouses and archives. Mostly, though, you sit and read indexes and flip through books, or wear out an arm cranking microfilm readers. As more records come online, you can just sit in you pajamas and search for ancestors. I probably should develop a more active hobby like going for walks. Since it is raining and dark as I write this, I won’t start that today.

Some people let their hobbies overwhelm them. Some turn their hobbies into careers. I would just be pleased to have one of my hobbies augment my income. I suppose I could earn a little money with the writing but that takes some doing. I have to admit that I am a trifle scared to take that step and yet if I don’t, I’ll never know if what I write is good enough to entertain anyone.

Some people blog for a hobby. I guess this blog goes along with that, meshing as it does with my fiction writing. Family members who read the Feline Freedom League say I should publish it. I don’t think they understand that a blog, by its nature is published. I can gather the episodes into a single volume and publish a pdf, ebook or paper version, but I don’t know that I could publish them as is. Why would anyone pay to read what is on the internet for free? I’m using it as a way to let people who might be interested know that I can, in fact, write and write well. At least, I hope I’m writing well.

Perhaps I could write a series of short stories staring my feline agents and develop the background of the FFL and FCIS. If I leave the human world out of it, I could even write a mystery where the agents capture bad cats and send them to jail, or the pound, whichever works for the story. You never know what a writer’s mind will come up with. I might not.

About pebblepup

I am not one who is comfortable talking about myself but here goes. I enjoy writing, family history, and reading. I decided to do this blog because I wanted to try something new. I decided to make it a weekly blog because I wasn't sure that I could keep up with a daily one, and monthly seemed like I was writing a magazine. I think I did ok with my choices. You'll notice that there are not a lot of graphics on my site. That's because there are graphics plastered everywhere on the Internet and those sites sometimes take forever to load. This blog is a place where you can kick back, relax and be ready to be amused. At least I hope I willbamuse you. This blog is on a variety of subjects from my ficitional cat agency, the FFL, which is monthly, to instructional blogs to editorials, which are my opinions only. I admit that I don't know everything and could be wrong -- I frequently am. Now, stop reading about me and read what I have to say!