New Projects

My life was put on hold for several years after one of our sons developed a brain injury during his early teen years.  Despite the odds against him his story turned out well, but I spent several years heavily involved in his life and neglecting my own.

Now that both sons have left home and their lives are unfolding independently, it's time for me to start following my own interests.  For a few years it was difficult to remember who I was or what I enjoyed doing, but after some counselling and meditation things are back on track.

I am exercising at least 4 mornings a week, doing either pilates or a mixed cardio and weight program.  I have started exploring the fascinating world of quilting, and discovered that it can be very addictive.  I am also returning to older hobbies such as knitting and needlepoint, and have picked up projects which were abandoned for several years.  I also started writing this blog to examine my journey through life, and use up some of the words which fly through my brain daily.

As I was lying in bed this morning, I realized how far I've come over the past few months.  At first it was very difficult to focus on my own life and identify anything that I wanted to do.  Now, I have so many thoughts and ideas it's hard to keep track of them all.  The world has become infinitely interesting and kaleidoscopic, and some days I just don't know where to start first.  So I exercise and get that out of the way, because otherwise it would be too easy to get sidetracked. 

Although I was an enthusiastic knitter and needlepointer, I am not an expert, because I am basically self-taught.  Over the weekend I was checking on line for classes for an entrelac shawl or a linen stitch scarf, and found a yarn and quilt store in a community half an hour south of us.  I really didn't want to be driving that far with the price of gas so high, or to be on the highway after 10pm.  Today I discovered a yarn store within walking distance, which offers more reasonably priced classes in the afternoon, and I can choose the project I want to learn.  

I have an afghan I would like to complete for our oldest son, but that should be done fairly quickly, and then I can walk to the yarn store and learn how to knit my entrelac shawl properly.  The goal is to be ready to start the new project by April 23rd.  I have a quilting class scheduled in both May and June, and anticipate there should be a bit of homework to complete.  

I'm also off next Saturday with a neighbour to a full day garden lecture.  Now that the black walnut has been cut down, we can start thinking about what to do with our brand new backyard.  I think we'll just see how things change with the tree gone, and plan for another project next year, but you never know.  We lost all our privacy from the neighbours behind us when the trees came down, so we have to come up with some kind of planting that will screen our yard while we make longer term plans.