For two summers I painted my sister Dorothy's home for her. I onlyworked a few hours each day and didn't charge her anything for laboras I occasionally was doing it Just to keep busy. It is a huge home and I realizedit would be the last time I would be able to do anything of thatsize. Working with high ladders was getting difficult.

In the early spring of 1985 1 decided to try oil painting. I sentaway for an artists outfit and bought some materials at an art shop.I had never tried anything like this before so I made a paintingstudio in the basement and started out with pictures from aninstruction booklet. Even the early ones I painted were okay so Idecided to continue as long as I could look at improvement. I sometimes have donemore than 150 paintings over the past two months and am stillimproving. I sometimes have sold some pictures and given away the rest. I alsobuild and finish the frames for them. It makes a good hobby for thecold winter months.