Claudia Riiff Finseth

When I need to think some idea through, it helps to do something with my hands. It may be laundry or the dishes or vacuuming, doodling or stringing beads or stitching needlework.  Sometimes I move the pictures on the wall or clean out a closet.  My friends say no one re-arranges the furniture more than I do, and my husband agrees.  When the weather is fine, I like taking a walk with the dog, a row in the boat, or, my favorite, gardening (with the dog, of course, and the cat.)  Writer Brenda Ueland calls this time spent working with one’s hands so one’s mind can sort things out “moodling time.”

I moodle in my garden whenever I get the chance.  Here it is: