I'm not sure why it is that whenever I mention that I'd like to take up kayaking, the response ranges from inadequately suppressed laughter to blatant hooting.

 It goes something like "You? In a kayak?" followed by a noise that I've always thought a "guffaw" must sound like.

 Why not me in a kayak? is what I say. And then I get all this stuff about how if I can't get to the gym right down the street on a routine basis, what makes me think I'll ever make it the 15 or so miles to the nearest lake?

 Other people have hobbies and outside interests. Why shouldn't I be one of them? Why is the idea of my having a hobby such an outlandish idea?

 OK, well, maybe I do have a tiny notion of why only those who really don't know me all that well are supportive of my kayaking venture.

 I haven't achieved much success in the hobby area, other than reading books or periodicals about hobbies or recreational activities. If something sounds interesting, doesn't involve the risk of death and dismemberment and isn't too labor-intensive, I'll take the next step, which is to buy all the equipment and materials necessary. A few months later, I complete the cycle by selling off the equipment and materials at a significant loss, despite the fact that all the materials are still in the original packaging.

 So now that I think of it, I haven't pursued any hobby with much success. Except for reading, which I don't consider to be a bona fide hobby. It's like saying your hobby is listening to the radio.

 Actually, it's worse than that. It's like saying your hobby is listening to National Public Radio. It's not a statement that piques interest or inspires conversation beyond a polite nod and "Oh, really?"

 Reading isn't an activity that someone says they've heard about and always wanted to try, but never did (although I'm sure that's true of a lot of people).

 Reading doesn't have a reputation for being a fun-time leisure activity. In fact, a lot of people probably consider it an anti-hobby — more of a chore or a necessary evil. It's something you've got to do in order to get the DVD player up and running or to prevent a bag of popcorn from exploding in the microwave.

 Everybody already knows all about reading —it's what they were forced to do in school. Furthermore, anybody who demonstrated an aptitude for reading, much less an enjoyment of it, were considered a little "different," and not especially in a good way.

 I know. I was one of them. The invention of contact lenses and a brief stint on the drill team were all that kept me from qualifying as a finalist for the Smart Kid poster child of 1972.

 Besides, even when I am reckless enough to admit that I like to read, and find someone who likes to do likewise, most of the time they like to read the type of books I'd paddle a kayak 20 miles over rough seas to avoid reading. Or talking about.

 I'm not saying that to be mean. I can tell people are thinking the same thing about the books I read, too. I mean, if they've ever heard of them in the first place.

 I don't say that I'm reading P.G. Wodehouse and the collected works of Dorothy Parker, interspersed with chapters of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," " Confederates in the Attic," and "The Wendish Texans."

 It would be much easier if I discussed what I don't read. For example, I have a tendency not to read "This side up," "Opens out," or the line that says "Form must be typed or computer generated" unless I've already filled it out by hand.

 I usually just say that I read "a lot of different things," which is true, and then ask what it is they read, because it's likely that I have either read it, read about it, or read something similar — at least enough to carry on a conversation.

 In fact, that's true of a lot of things. I can talk about movies I've never seen, places I've never been to, hobbies I've never pursued, all because I read.

 Looking at it that way, maybe reading isn't such a boring hobby after all.

Seasoning Salt

1 box, less 1/4 cup salt

1 1/2 ounce black pepper

2 ounces red pepper (cayenne)

1 1/2 ounce garlic powder

1 ounce chili powder

1 ounce Accent

 Mix together. This salt is great for seasoning all meats.

 This is one of my favorite recipes from The Strong Cemetery Cookbook, a publication that my sisters and I compiled as a fund-raiser for our family's cemetery association. I had asked my mother to submit the recipe, which I thought was an original one. Apparently I was wrong, because at the bottom was a man's name, scratched out and the words "Don't put his name on it. He's dead."

 Not only was he dead, he had a good start on being forgotten, if my mother had her way, which of course, she did.

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Karla DeLuca is editor and publisher of The Daily Sentinel. Her e-mail address is kdeluca@coxnews.com.