Hobby Hoedown Features the Hobbies of Author Heather Greenis

Please welcome author Heather Greenis to the Hobby Hoedown! Thank you, Heather, for sharing your hobbies--knitting, gardening, and curling (and I don't mean curling your hair!)

Heather Greenis Talks Hobbies 

Thanks for welcoming me onto your blog. A hobbies theme got my attention, Yes, I have a few.

As a kid, Mom and Grandma taught me to knit and sew. While in high school, I knit two sweaters without using a pattern.  I was complemented regularly on both.  My friends loved them. I also knit pure wool cardigan sweaters for my mom and sister for Christmas. I haven’t picked up knitting needles in years.

My next hobby was and continues to be photography.  That was an expensive hobby before digital came around. My hubby and I share this passion although I admit, he is better, more meticulous than I am. We have boxes of pictures and negatives in the basement. I’m always thrilled when we return from a holiday and question who took a particular shot. Nature is truly inspiring. Keep the camera ready, just in case.

Yes, that is grape jam in the feeder. We went through over 20 jars of jam this past summer.

When I decided to take an early (really early) retirement from my full time job friends questioned what I would do with my time.  “Are you kidding me?? I won’t be bored”, and I’m not.

Gardening is my summer hobby.  Living on a little over an acre, we have more gardens than I can possibly maintain. I can spent an entire day outside and barely scratch the surface.  Those darn weeds keep popping up. If it wasn’t for the weeds in the grass, our lawn wouldn’t be green, but being environmentally friendly, we’re not spraying.

The season changes and curling begins. It’s a sport that is almost impossible to explain.

Some facts -

•   Curling is played on ice with rocks and brooms.

•    It’s a non contact sport with 4 people per team, although they are coming out with a 2 person team.

•    The game involves teamwork, communication, math, physics and strategy.

•   It’s both mental and physical

•    It’s a great sport for all ages. At our club, our youngest member is 6 and the oldest member that I know of is in her late eighties.  My husband and I manage a league that has a junior and seniors. Where else does that happen??

•    The goal. To have a rock or rocks closest to the ‘centre of the house’ (painted rings on the ice) once all 16 rocks are thrown.  Sounds easy but it isn’t.  Strategy comes into play.

•    As for physics, each rock weights 44lb. When they hit each other, and they do, they       don’t break, but move. Physics dictates where the point of contact must occur for the preferred effect.

•    Each rock slides down the ice and needs to stop in a certain location to remain in play.  The ‘house’ is 12 feet in diameter.  Anything in this area can potentially score.

•    The curling sheet is 138 feet long and 14 feet wide. The person throwing the rock must release it within the first 21feet. For a rock to be considered in play, it must remain within a 15 foot area.

•   sweepers sweep ahead of the rock, not behind - brushing the ice cleans any residue and heats the surface therefore slightly melting the ice. This makes the rock travel further, not faster and remain in a straighter line as it travels.

•   the person at the far end of the ice will show the thrower and sweepers the desired location for the rock and then place the broom down close to that position, or a distance away, depending on how much the rock is expected to curl. The thrower aims the rock at that boom with the desired weight control and counts on the sweepers to judge the speed as it travels.

I did say it’s a mental as well as physical sport and difficult to explain. Our youngest members are 6 and they have potential. I manage our junior league which ranges in age from 6 to 18 years of age.  With the help of three other coaches, we are on the ice once a week for two hours training the our future curlers. 

Someday when I’m watching the Olympics I might see a name I recognize and I’ll say, “ taught him, her or them when they were young. I’m so proud!”  I’m ready for this year’s Olympics. My PVR is ready.

I play a minimum of twice a week, once competitively and once socially. This is my competitive team. Debbie O, Kim W, Pat S and me. My other hobby? Well allowing my imagination a release of course.  Sitting at my computer and letting a story unfold.

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My continuing saga, Natasha’s Dream, Natasha’s Diary, Natasha’s Hope and Natasha’s Legacy took me 10 years to write. It’s actually one big book, and it’s my dream come true to see it come to life.

Growing up, her only friends were her brothers and Nanny. In her parent's mind, she was a mistake. As a result of an innocent swim, she discovered life existed beyond the walls of her home. Families, peers, underprivileged children. Can a dream turn into reality? Anything is possible, but dreams come with consequences that not only affect her, but those she loves. What is Natasha willing to risk to persevere?

Links to Natasha's Dream

MuseItUp Publishing Bookstore

Amazon link    

Kobo   

Natasha’s Diary will release in December 2013

Keeghan’s subconscious has played tricks on her in the past, but she’s normally able to control the outcome of her dreams. No such luck with this story. The mystery magnifies when her husband William discovers something else by the eroding sea wall. Something that peaks their curiosity even further. Coincidence? Now, Keeghan wants the dream, the saga to continue. Drawn into this story more than she was prepared for, she needs answers.

Hope is growing up quickly. Intelligent, independent and stubborn. Negative traits inherited from both her mom and dad surface at inconvenient times. Will her beauty help or hinder her? 

A tragedy. Stewart is forced to make a decision that will affect his life and the rest of his family. Then, an encounter that changes everything. Is he ready for this? Has Stewart’s past really been left behind? Will history repeat itself? Trust, integrity and tradition all come into question.

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About Heather:

Heather has an uncanny ability to frequently “manipulate” her dreams. As a bonus, she remembers them in extensive detail the following morning. A dream inspired the basic storyline. Then her overactive imagination developed the characters and the detail. In her spare time Heather assists the Healing Cycle, Hospice Palliative Care. She is also actively involved with the local curling club, currently volunteering her time teaching children when she isn’t curling herself. Heather has a passion for travel, photography and gardening.

Link to Heather Greenis website    

More links are found on Heather's website including a link to Facebook. Please send her a friend request.