Learning Tree

"Knowledge is the best kind of wealth." Dalai Lama

It must be a geek thing because I loved school. Even as an adult with a B.A. I would take night school classes in subjects that interested me. One of my favorite magazines is National Geographic. They have so many fascinating stories now not just on travels to distant lands. They have had articles on how the brain works, earthquakes, and this month on the heart. They are doing stories that make you think.

One thing that disturbs me is the state of education in this country. We are falling behind many other counties in the world in terms of education and college graduates especially in the sciences. We need to refocus our energies on education and getting the best education we can for our children.

Learning something new is one of the joys of my life. When I was a child I discovered science fiction and that got me into astronomy because I wanted to see how the universe works. In my art work I do a lot of pictures based in outer space because it fascinates me so much. I especially like ringed planets as you can tell from their many appearances in my art work because they are so beautiful.

Another field I am interested in is health and diet. I am living in a state where the plus sizes are prominently displayed and you have to hunt to find petites. Double and triple X are considered standard sizes out here. That is really sad because obesity is a serious health issue. It can lead to all sorts of illnesses including diabetes. I altered my cooking style based on what I have discovered about healthy eating.

I am appalled by the number of functionally illiterate people that I have come across in my job. No one should go through our school system and still not know how to read. By the time they become adults they are afraid to admit that they can't read and fake their way through life because they are ashamed to get help.

Reading is one of my pleasures in life. I love to read. In addition to science fiction and fantasy I love mysteries. Based on my track record of figuring out "who done it" I probably won't be giving up my day job to be a detective. The fact that I am hardly ever right in figuring out the villain doesn't spoil my pleasure in reading mysteries. One of my favorite mystery writers in Tony Hillerman and I have learned a great deal about the Native American culture from his books. I lived in New Mexico as a child and have fond memories of the state. I read his books almost as much for learning about the Navaho culture as I do for the mysteries.

The picture is called Guardian of Knowledge.