Although my greatest escape is writing novels, short stories and poetry, I love he feel of moist, loamy soil crumbling through my fingers as I create my mineature gardens in containers. My flowers and palm trees literally explode out of their pots and planter boxes because of my generous use of composted organic materials I generate through the winter months. Some of the best ideas for my stories happen as I work in my garden. Or, I become absorbed in the music of my favorite composers: Beethoven, Wagner, Brahms, and Mozart, or Dixieland Jazz from the 1920s, and of course, the golden voices of  Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr. :-) 

 Unfortunately, I dont have the time as I once did for Golf and fishing, although I still do some trout fishing on the White River below Bull Shoals Dam. Life is a miracle and I intend to enjoy every minute of it, and yet, I continue to feel an obligation to pay humanity back for my good fortune.