Some time ago, I watched closely as Peter Jennings' "Person of the Week" was interviewed. Her name was Alice Moseley, and at age 87, she was actively going about her joy work -- her passion of painting.

It wasn't until she was 62 that she began to paint. As she cared for her sick mother, Ms. Moseley's first paintings were on wooden shingles. Today, at age 88, she is well known for her Folk Art and has a waiting list for 32 more paintings. She humorously comments, "Don't these people know how old I am? What, they think I'm going to live long enough to paint 32 more times?" Perhaps that gives you a glimpse of why I was compelled to know her.

I visited her this summer in her hometown of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. At the age of 76, she had decided to "settle down" and found a quaint, blue house just a few blocks from the beach. It's here that she lives and works with the companionship of her beloved Herman (otherwise known as a dog).

As my fingers tap the keyboard, I find myself grinning at the memories of my afternoon with "Miss Alice" (as she's known to the local folks). She seems to find humor in so much, or let me say, she makes humor from so little. And as I left, foolish (young) me said, "Have a good day." She whipped her words as if to correct me, "Good days are made, not had."

And so I was had my Miss Alice. By the best of what any woman could hope to be. Living alone (not counting Herman) in her bright, blue house, this lady is anything but sad. Her gallery is open 7 days a week and she sells her prints by the busloads. 

When I asked for her secret to a long, happy life, she responded, "Having something you enjoy doing every day." Simple enough to say, difficult for many of us to find. 

Miss Alice is a retired teacher and makes her living as an artist. It's her second career that has won her fame and a little fortune, but it's her life as a wife, mother and teacher she holds most dear. 

She speaks warmly about all that's gone before, but you can see in her eyes that she's let go of anything that keeps her from being happy.

Like Miss Alice, I live in a blue house, and while no relation, we share the same last name. Similarities I choose to believe are cosmic and a likeness I cherish. Just when I thought 52 was old. Just about the time I began to think I'd never find my joy work. Just when I thought I'd never be young again, I met Miss Alice. 

"The house is blue, but the old lady ain't." Miss Alice's words. My sentiment.

"Miss Alice" Moseley's painting (for which this story is named) is folk art at its best. In the painting, she and Herman are joyfully playing in front of their blue house. And, oh yes, Herman is smiling. 

Miss Alice remains the primary tourist attraction for Bay St. Louis, located on the Mississippi Coast.