Last Year

If I wrote a blog last year I would be talking non stop about the killer outdoor activities going on. I'd be saying things like, "Ah, man can you believe it went down a couple hundred cfs last night, we'll be dodging a lot more rocks today." Or, "I hit big drop today and it was so sweet."

Or, "I caught some fresh pow today in the trees."


but these days it's, "Oh yeah, it's cold out today, probably went down another 10, i heard this weekend it might even get colder, oh yeah!"

So this isn't a bad thing, just a change, something I need to get used to. I really love the quote, "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but having new eyes." You see, I lived in Eau Claire for 3 years and thought I saw everything there is to see. Thought that Eau Claire was filled with nothing but fud duds who just talk about the weather all the time. I was in some ways excited and inspired to move back here. Not having a mountain or river to play in and distract me, means more time catching up doing the other things I enjoy doing. These days I have been hibernating and spending way too much time on this computer. I need to whip into action and get crafting. Or cooking, another love which gets abandoned from time to time. So we'll see. I think you can fall in love with the place you live, whether it be on the top of a mountain, in a river valley, or in the flats of the midwest. There are good and bad things about each one. I have little pro and con lists from each place that I've lived at. (Yes, I'm a big nerd, I know.) But it helps to give me perspective. This year has given me time to start this blog, throw some parties, make food, and scrapbooks and sit back and enjoy a good book. I don't have to feel guilty for wasting a good fresh powder day, or a beautiful sunny day with 2,900 cfs. I can sit and do my crafts and not get hassled for it! Forest Gump is so right, life is like a box of chocolates, you never do know what you're going to get. And I'm thankful for the chocolates that surprise you with pink goop, just as much as the good old standby of solid milk choc. God is a good candymaker.

Breaking in the Sewing Machine

Okay, I have to talk about someone else's craftiness today. I wish I had a video camera, it was the cutest and most hilarious thing. My husband was teaching his friend how to sew on the sewing machine. The way he described things was great, you push this button and it squeezes the fabric down, and you can kind of drive it and guide it as you go. One of the best things was the use of a needle nose pliers to remove the pins as he sewed. Apparently their hands were too big and clutsy, so he needed a tool to remove the pins. What are they making? It's a carrying case for a drum TJ bought. They are quite clever in making this out of a big black ditty bag and a laptop case bought at Savers. I'm proud of my husband and his resourcefulness. I love the fact that he has figured out how to use the sewing machine before me, and will end up teaching me the techniques. He loves the sewing machine! Maybe now I will finally have the guts to try to make something.