Summer, Fishing, Gardening. Let’s Make This World a Better Place

August 7, 2019 Leave a comment


I absolutely love summer! I only wish it would slow down. It’s not that I don’t like fall. It’s more that I dread winter. I remember last winter! It makes me shudder to think about.

What has everyone done this summer? We have taken the boat out several times to go fishing. I wish we could brag about the number of fish we have caught, or even “the one that got away”, but I don’t have one single fish to brag about. Unless catching a small blue gill is bragging rights! I hope we catch a keeper before summer is over! But, what I enjoy most is the time Jeff and I spend together. When we aren’t catching fish, we spend the time talking, laughing, sharing memories of the past and making more memories for the future.

We recently celebrated our 23rd anniversary. We have been together 25 years. As with any married couple, we have had our ups and downs. We have always gotten through the hard times together. We support each other, stand by each other, and always love each other.

We went away for a few days to a cabin. I have discovered with time, and with age, gifts to each other for an anniversary aren’t important. Time spent together is the greatest gift of all. We made some good memories during those few days together, enjoying peace and quiet. It is nice to get away from life sometimes and relax. Everyone needs some time away.

I have also learned that every day is a blessing. When we are both home in the evenings, after a busy day, we sit on the patio, weather permitting, and talk about whatever comes up!

We have also been very busy this summer with our enormous garden. It definitely is keeping us hopping! We share our garden veggies with others, which is why we made it larger. We have our own farmers market here at our house on Main Street. The cucumbers keep growing! Tomatoes are taking off now and as I type this, I am thinking I should be in the garden! I will tend to it shortly. I am going to cook eggplant for lunch! I love all the garden goodies. I do believe there is nothing better than homegrown vegetables. They are so tasty!

Enjoy the rest of your summer. We are planning on more fishing trips and hope we finally catch some fish so we can have a fish fry with some friends! We are also hoping for another getaway before the snow flies. If that doesn’t work out, we can always change the date to spring.

Take care. Share a smile with someone. Lend a helping hand to others. There is enough hate in the world we live in. It is up to us to make a difference. I know we can do it if we work together!

Just a few of the garden veggies we have picked this year. Photo Credit, Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

 

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My Favorite Hobby: Crocheting

March 7, 2019 Leave a comment


Do you have a hobby?

I have many. I enjoy reading, and try to read every day. I enjoy boating and fishing in the warmer months, which I hope arrive soon. I have taken up some chalk painting, but I am very much a novice. I have painted a couple of Mason jars to date. I have other projects on my mind to accomplish this summer. Gardening is also a hobby I enjoy. Jeff has taught me so much about gardening. From tilling the soil, to planting, fertilizing, weeding the garden and the  best reward, enjoying the fruits of your labor. We enjoy sharing our garden vegetables with others as well. I have also grown my own herbs over the last few years, which I dry and use to season our meals all winter long. There is truly nothing better than homegrown vegetables and herbs. I also recently purchased a keyboard/piano. I have wanted one for a long time. I purchased a book to help me in my passion to learn how to play it. I try to set aside time three or more times a week practicing. I played the clarinet throughout school and have always enjoyed music. The keyboard/piano is quite different from a clarinet, to say the least, but I can read music, even after all these years since high school. I may never be a great pianist, far from it, but I am trying. That is important to me. Trying, learning, never letting my mind sit idle.

My favorite hobby is crocheting. I would say crocheting is my main passion. It is amazing to me how a skein of yarn, or a very delicate thread, can come to life as a baby blanket, an afghan, a pot holder, a dish cloth, a shawl, a rug, a purse and a doily. The items I listed, I have crocheted. Some of them several times.

My latest creation was the last item I mentioned, a doily. I have never crocheted using such a small hook or such delicate thread. I chose a beginner’s pattern, because for this project, I am a beginner! There isn’t such a thing as an easy pattern. I have made mistakes on patterns that are easy and torn out several rows of yarn. I consider this a lesson learned. All crochet patterns require counting stitches as your proceed along a row. I have missed a stitch before. It is frustrating and educating all at the same time. But, isn’t that true of everything in life? A person doesn’t gain success without failure.

I finished this small doily today. It is a small one, but a beautiful one, in my eyes. I know the effort it took me to make it. People that don’t crochet, quilt or knit can’t comprehend the time, and the money, required to make any pattern. This is true of any type of craft. I find it gratifying when I have completed a project. The joy a new completed project brings to me is hard to describe.

I thank my Grandma, Beatrice Sundquist, for my love of crocheting. Had I really been paying attention, I would be quite the seamstress and I would knit too! She did all of them! I am fine with crocheting. But, who knows, I may take on another hobby!

I have more thread, so I plan to crochet another doily, or ten, in the future. I want to make a bigger one next time!

Have a great evening!

Filed under Crafts/Hobbies, Opinion Tagged with , , , , ,

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