Restart - A New Era in Life

It is almost the end of 2023 and it has been so long since I’ve posted on this blog.  A lot has happened in the world and also in life.  The COVID pandemic changed a lot of us in ways that we may never really comprehend or acknowledge.  So I’m taking this blog up again as a way to get out from under all the negative energy that has taken up so much of the last few years.

I took a long break from crafting as I couldn’t seem to get projects worked through and spent a lot of time just vegging out with books or with TV.  One positive thing is that my Chinese has improved from watching a ton of Mandarin soap operas - some good but mostly so so.

The last few years on the job were also very draining with tons of personnel changes and difficult management.  I finally got my years in and retired after almost 33 years in Federal service.  I was like a zombie for a couple of months.

I then took a trip to Santa Fe for the IFAM festival which was held at a new location within walking distance of where I stayed.  It was so hot, but the craftspeople were awesome and my expandable suitcase was expanded all the way for the trip home.

After that was a land and sea cruise with Princess to Alaska.  I have cruised Alaska quite a few times, but this was the first time I did the land portion and it was really impressive.  

Weather was cooperative and lots of salmon and crab to feast on.

Helicopter to Mendenhall glacier was spectacular and I even tasted the glacier water.

Wildlife was scarce but I was able to capture a bald eagle swooping for fish.

The downside was that I got sick at the end of the cruise so was limping along when we arrived in Vancouver.  I stayed another week in Vancouver recovering and went out to explore a bit before flying home.  Overall, it was a great vacation and nice to be in cooler weather escaping the heat of the Southwest.

I pulled out some of my old projects and did some weaving.  I also signed up for Spin School with Sasha up in Canada with her Sheepspot and joined the guild.  For the first month of October, it was wheel mechanics and I gave my wheels a spa day and cleaned and oiled them up.  I also pulled out some of my knitting WIPs and finished a pair of socks and a cowl.

And lastly I went to see Pink in concert.  She is totally awesome and gave such a great and energetic show.

That is all for now as I’m sort of caught up.  Not sure how often I will be posting but I plan to keep up on my crafting and figuring out this retired life.