Local Flora

My husband worked carefully on the project for his local flora course at the university. He enjoyed the quest for various types of flowers, ferns, and other things growing in our area. Living off-campus, next to state game lands and his father's hunting property, afforded him plenty of area to search. He would bring items home and take his books out, carefully studying each specimen in detail, then pressing it to preserve the color and shape before adding it to his book. By the end of the semester, he was proud of the final project he turned in. His professor was quite impressed, and asked permission to keep it to show future classes how it's done. I admit I was a little disappointed that he said yes. It was a beautiful finished product.

I would never want to be famous. As much as I love acting, I wouldn't want the pressure of being in the public eye, under the careful scrutiny of a nation. Everything you say, everything you do, being judged and criticized. People looking for the worst about you - a picture of you with bad hair or an unfortunate outfit, or making a bad decision.

I heard someone talking about a pop singer recently, saying that she drew all sorts of fire from horrified critics for driving with her young child in her lap. I agree that is unacceptable, don't get me wrong. But I've heard that sometimes the fans and the paparazzi get very aggressive and create dangerous situations. It's possible that she was simply trying to get herself and her child out of a frightening situation.

Celebrities have to be very creative to protect their private lives and there are some who do it well, but there is always that chance that something they say will end up splashed on the front of a magazine, taken out of context, and misunderstood by millions.

I know, a lot of us think, "hey, for millions of dollars, I could live with that." or "I don't feel sorry for them." I'm not taking sides on the issue, just saying I would never want to put myself out there like that. Even here in a blog, I occasionally have my words being challenged and taken out of context. I have received criticism. It's no fun.