1) Autumn is my favorite season. I come alive when the world around me begins to turn gold and scarlet and the air is crisp.

2) I love to ice skate. In Colorado, I grew up ice skating. My first pair of ice skates were blue with grey fur on top. I loved them because no one had a pair like mine!

3) I love to read. Right now I am reading “Atonement” by Ian McEwan . I am always reading poetry. I toggle back and forth among Collins, Strand, Kooser, Hall, Dickinson, Frost, Sandburg, Whitman, and Shakespeare. I have copies of poetry books laying all over the house. 

4) In high school, I won fourth place in the Colorado State competition of poetry reading in a speech meet. I read e. e. cummings, “Death.” I can’t stand that poem now; it’s totally creepy. But in high school, I thought it was really cool.

5) I am totally disorganized at home, my drawers, closets, etc. I can’t take time to straighten or organize. I feel like it takes away from creating. I know it is ridiculous. Someone else cleans for me, thank God!

6) Indigo is my favorite color. True indigo is hard to find–it is deep purple and deep blue mixed. It is rich and deep and dramatic. I even love the word “indigo.” I would like to develop a publication called “indigo,” but I haven’t come up with a solid or profound idea about the content yet.

7) I love white roses and white flowers of any kind the best. But white roses are the most romantic of all.

8) I love black pearls, black swans, and black sheep.

9) I love the beauty of the desert–the hidden muted colors of gold, creams, tans, and even violets. The heat of the desert is penetrating and purifying. I love barren branches in the winter against a cloudy sky. They are lacey and austere at once. Austerity has a singular and divine beauty, set apart. I find the austere beauty of the desert and of winter’s barren branches compelling.

10) I hate saying good-bye and will avoidit. I am the typical American who doesn’t say “good-bye”  when leaving a party. There is a saying, “Russians say good-bye and never leave, and Americans leave and never say good-bye.” Well, having lived in the former Soviet Union, I know this saying to be factual.

If your are not nodding off to sleep, the first ten simple things can be read here.