Orchid,
Thank you so much for sharing your photos! I love the birch tree one and the taro fields! They are beautiful. I too share a love of trees and the balance and texture of the paintings is so emotionally perfect and pleasing.

You are a very lovely woman. I can see where bike riding would be one of your passions. I need to just begin to move again. Its hard taking that first step.

I completely understand that I'm probably missing out on a lot but even now, my step daughter wants to "hang out" with me and every time she does, some more of my things come up missing.

My middle daughter has a best long time friend who is Korean and was adopted by a family in the US. She is another of my daughters and I have a foster daughter also who has some female friends. She's an RN and a wonderful person. I love them dearly but its extremely rare that I allow a female into my heart and lay down all defenses and just don't care if they hurt me or not. I can count on my fingers those people.

My oldest daughter has had some good female friends but now is embroiled in raising 3 children and has a husband. My youngest daughter has had the same experiences as me. We just find it very hard to respect another female enough to be best or close friends with them although she hangs out with females and so do I on occasion.

My sister in laws don't like me because I'm too radical for their tastes. But you should see them!! One is as plain as Saran Wrap and the other one is funny and smart and I get along with her but she's let my sister influence her. I get along great with my brothers though. Maybe that's why the sister in laws don't like me.

I think, personality wise and thinking wise, I must be a lot like Angelina Jolie. (Wish I looked like her!!) She loves children and wants to do good, but seems like she's a bit twisted like me.