So.... How Was 2020 For You?

What could be more fun than 
making Bubbles? 

 It is the last day of the year, and I find myself doing my obligatory "End of Year " Blog post.  It normally consists of the things we did; Stockings we made; and the races Cheryl completed.   Throw in any major events, and I end up posting a bunch of pictures. 

But this was 2020.  A year that will reign in Infamy!

It would be very easy to focus on all of the bad things that happened.   Very easy indeed..... But I started thinking about the year and how we handled things, and I thought that a little critical distance might be something that is required here.   Also,  I imagine everyone else will be focusing on the "news worthy" stuff already.   No need to contribute to that perspective.

But I wanted to focus on the "good things" that might have been a result of the bad things.   Specifically for us.  

Becomes 6? 

Three Dogs...

Perhaps the biggest thing to note is that we have had a record year in Stocking sales this year.  Who would have ever thought of that?   Cheryl speculated that people would be stuck at home and end up adopting a dog or cat to keep them company.  That certainly seemed to be the case in many of our purchases.   

Lots of Return Customers.

Also,  There was the thought that being stuck at home with nothing to do but shop all day might lead you to our little stocking shop.  Another possibility that seemed to have merit.  Though, we were told all over that no one had any money because they had no jobs.   Technically,  that happened to us as well. Thank goodness we had some savings to fall back on. 

With all that free time,  we were able to do plenty of Mushroom hunting and berry foraging.  This was the first year we found Morel Mushrooms in Iowa!  Cheryl was able to work on her baking skills and I was able to preserve the mushrooms by drying them in our new dehydrator. We found and enjoyed many newly found edible foods simply because we had the time to look for and identify them.  

We also worked on other skills and hobbies that we never had time to develop before.  I played around with Stop Motion Video and Cheryl worked on her Soap making skills.   She now has an entire closet filled with Soap and is now working on figuring out ways to sell it.   Who knows!  This could be our next venture!

Depending on when you are reading this, you may also notice the new pouches Cheryl has put in our Allenbrite Shop.  ( On the right panel....)  She has also been working on a bit of sewing that is NOT stockings.   Pouches never really sold enough to make a huge difference, but it gives her something to do until the soap shop kicks off. 

We somehow acquired two new cats.  Technically,  Leo was always a potential new addition.   I thought if I got him fixed, we would come inside and begin a new life as an indoor cat.  However,  he chose the life of maximum freedom!  Living a life outside during the day and coming inside to our small apartment when the sun finally sets. He does not seem to be bothered much by the cold or rain.  He begs to be let out as soon as the morning sun begins to lighten up the sky. 

Rocket, on the other hand,  is the neighbor's cat.   From what I have gathered,  the couple who own him, moved down the street into a house that they now own.  Rocket, apparently, thinks he is abandoned and has weaseled his way into our apartment.  He eats Hiro's Food, plays with Hiro's toys, Sleeps under our Christmas tree, and has been trying to secure the shop cat title for Allenbrite Studio.  He also sleeps on my keyboard when I'm blogging. 

Cheryl continues to run and I got to bike along side her.  During the Summer,  we would also bike in the evening  at the Kewash trail, looking for berries and mushrooms along the way.   It was a great way to combine two outdoor activities while trying to keep our  activity up. 

I discovered Sidewalk chalk art!   Who would have ever thought of that?   And who would have ever thought that my little temporary murals on the park trails would ever have gathered the reactions that they did.  I wish I had discovered this earlier in the summer.

Lastly,  I have been pushing my boundaries with the Embroidery Machine.  I have no idea how or why I decided NOW is a good time to tackle things other than "names on Stockings."  But here we are.  One of the key steps was finding that embroidery software  now that it is less than $1000.00!  It opens up a world of possibilities.   And until I get bored, I guess I will try to learn as much as I can.  

So basically,   2020 has given us time.   TIME!  Perhaps the most valuable resource we humans have in this life.   Time to learn.  Time to love.  Time to experience life as it was always meant to be lived.   It explains why I dislike working at a job for an hourly wage.   My time is simply worth more to me than a paycheck.  ( Which explains the poverty... but don't get me sidetracked.)  I hope other folks are realizing the things that are the most important to them.  For me,  it's simple:  Cheryl and the Cats.  And the ability to discover the new and unseen in this world.   Discovery of life makes life worth living. 

And that is all.   This is a long post I was not planning on writing.   I should also note that this is a year where I have actually had enough time AND experiences to tally up the blog posts to the second highest year of blog posts.  ( Hope that sentence makes sense....  ) This should be the 202nd  post for this year!  That is a lot of writing and yap for an unemployed creative. 

Happy New Year!  And thanks for stopping in.  May 2021 be the best year ever!

Thundersnow in Iowa!

I guess it is very rare.   VERY rare!  To experience thunder snow.   Honestly, I was going to skip blogging today because not much happened.   We went to Muscatine ahead of the predicted snow storm,  did some errands, and came home well before the first snow flakes began to fall.   The wind is howling and the snow is blinding..  Good day to stay at home.  ( Good thing we do not have jobs we have to drive home from in this crap...)  

But then....  Lighting flash!   Thunder Snow!   BOOM!   I am not a meteorologist, but I know that thunder and lighting during a snow storm are pretty rare.  In fact, I don't think I have ever experienced it before tonight.  But, after seeing a viral video of a Weatherman freaking out because he got to experience Thunder snow... I instantly knew what it was.  And that must have been pretty rare for that guy to wig out like that.  

It just happened again!   Two times in one night.   That has to be Uber rare!   

Other than that, I played around with the Embroidery Machine again, working on another Mushroom design for one of my "Mushroom Hunting" Shirts.  (What?   Doesn't everyone have a shirt dedicated to hunting mushrooms?)   I'm too lazy to take the pic in better light.   Perhaps I will show it off in a later post.   At least it mostly looks like a Lobster Mushroom.   I spent the majority of yesterday polishing up the design to look presentable.   

Hope everyone is staying warm and safe on this stormy night.   Maybe you live in a warmer climate and are simply getting rain.   Or not.  Either way,  Thanks for stopping in. 

Embroidery and Blogging with Cats.

Success!

 I finished the Oyster Mushroom embroidery on one of my old Tee Shirts.   I think it turned out pretty good, give it was only my second attempt.  I now believe that just because the machine does all  of the actual "stitching", it does not mean that I don't have to do a LOT of the work.  

The Machine is not even the 
hardest part!

First,  there is the program.  I have to adjust the stitching directions and thread colors. There is also the seem allowances and cross threads,  jump stitches and so much more...

Then... there is the actual embroidery machine!   I have to set the hoop to where the design will be permanently attached.  Screw that up, and the garment is RUINED!  ( I almost fainted when I thought I had set up the design backwards on my shirt...  Luckily, I didn't) I have to manage the extra fabric and material, get the backing just right, set up the machine and adjust the final layout.   Then...  Hold my breath and pray. 

During the process,  I have to adjust the thread colors when they are requested,  AND  rethread the machine when the thread breaks.  Which it seems to do...  A LOT!  Well,  at least more than a typical stocking season.  It is possibly from the change in materials that are not felt.   Or the complexity of the designs I messing with. 

And finally, I think it will get easier with practice.   I can do the names on the Christmas Stockings almost blindfolded now. ( 6 years of practice!)  But these new designs are turning me into a newborn baby crawling on the floor again. It will be a while before I am able to walk upright.   But I think, with a little more practice, I will eventually get there.  

So now it turns out to be a race against myself.  I want to get better, without ruining any more clothes from my wardrobe.  Currently, I'm using Cheryl's old race shirts and some old work Tees I have in the bottom of my dresser.  Eventually I will run out of clothes to experiment on.  And then I will be forced to buy new clothes... that I will have to be extra careful with.  

Try Competing against China!!!

But ultimately,  I'm in a race against my own motivation and persistence.  Once I get bored of something,  I sometimes abandon it before I have fully mastered it.   Carving, origami, stop motion animation...  even yoyo-ing.  ( That is:  performing tricks with a Duncan YoYo.)  We shall see how well I can master things before the inevitable boredom hits me. 

In the mean time.   I am trying to write this blog with two cats who seem to only bother me when I'm busy.   Cheryl is on the floor and available for pets, treats, and even a little play time.   But NO!   They Have to be on me whenever I'm typing the blog or doing Convos for Etsy.  I'm sure they will abandon me once I finish this post.   

So... Thanks for stopping in.   Hope everyone is staying warm and cozy on these cold days.  We hear tell of a storm brewing up later this week.   Rain, snow,  ice... all the sloppy driving conditions that make winter fun.   Have a good one.

And Now.... The After Christmas Snow.

 I have had my share of "Green Christmas s" in the past.   And although a "white Christmas" has a certain romance to it, I don't miss the white stuff too much.   In fact,  I think the Holidays can easily be celebrated without the snow!  I learned this whenever we spent Christmas with Grandma down in Florida.  But even so,  the occasional ( and rare) snow-less Christmas s in Michigan were equally as enjoyable. 

So,  I'm happy that the snow has held off until today.   Currently, it continues as I write this at 5:30 PM.  I started around 4.   I think it may continue all night, but the exact amount is still in question.   According to the Weatherman,  we were not even supposed to get any south of Cedar Rapids.  One thing I learned about Iowa:  Michigan weathermen are NOT the worst in the country!

Ok, ok... it is a tough job that pays well..   I'm sure they can put up with a little heckling. 

Otherwise,  quiet here on the home front. for the last two days,  Cheryl has managed to get her 7 miles in.  Something that we have not been able to accomplish for a while.   I'm glad we got it in this morning before the snow, because there is no telling how the snow will effect the runs in the future. (Usually, snow impacts running in a negative way...) 

Lots of moving parts for this threader.

At least I got to try out my new goggles.

I spent most of yesterday trying to fix the thread puller on my Embroidery Machine.   The automatic threader is so "machine perfect" that if you break a needle, ( which I did...) you will seemingly never get the threader to line up with the eye of the needle again!   I see the newer ones are simpler and easier to use. ( less moving parts!) And I'm sure they are easier to deal with.   I DID get to play around with my new goggle glasses.   I think they were useful enough. Perhaps not as good as perfect vision... but those days are far behind me now.  And when dealing with parts that are about 1/10th of a mm thick,  the largest lenses were most helpful. 

The Thread path for the
needle threader.

The needle threader fits through 
the eye of the needle to 
pull the thread through. 

But I finally got it to work.  At least about 90% of the time.   But definitively not as good as it was right out of the box all those years ago. 

Oyster mushroom practice/test attempt. 

I also played around with more embroidery.   I spent most of today playing and tweaking an Oyster mushroom design to put on one of my shirts.   I did not get around to completing the design yet, but I guess that will give me something to do for tomorrow.  

Hope everyone is enjoying the end of the year.   There is definitely things to look forward to after this year.  At the very least, I had lots to blog about... apparently,  this year.  Thanks for stopping in. 

Puzzle me this... For Christmas.

Do your Family Gatherings look 
more like Family Pro-Wrestling?

 Merry Christmas!  Official Day Christmas!   As I read the blogs, it sounds like everyone is having a quiet "peaceful" Christmas away from Obnoxious Friends, Noisy family, and Destructive Kids and Pets.  Hey!  You have to take the peaceful ones when they come along.... right?   

2 Degrees warmer today! Let's 
run 5 miles this time!

So we spent our day pretty much relaxing inside, as the cold and wind have not settled down yet.   We DID go out for a run.  We managed to make it 5 miles this time.  Even with hand and foot warmers, it was still cold.  

Compared to yesterday's attempt.

Felt backing... much better.

I had ideas on how to fix the Embroidery Tee-shirt disaster.   I tried several backings before settling on good old felt as the stabilizer.   It ended up working out the best.   Very few broken threads,  very few missed stitches,  and no puckering. I also tweaked the font and make the Subaru symbol a little bigger.   I'm quite happy!  And it only took all afternoon. 

Afternoon Gift Opening.

New Lens for the Camera. 
The "Walleye" vision lens.

After that,  Cheryl and I opened presents.   Seems odd that we would wait until 4 pm to actually unwrap the gifts, but that is what happens when you morph into an adult. ( at least in appearance.)  I got a Microscope, so I can finally study and Identify those Mushroom spores.   I also go some work glasses so I can finally see those small details on the sewing and embroidery Machines during maintenance.   And finally,  Cheryl got me a "Zoom Lens" for my phone camera so I can take pics of the Moon and distant wildlife.   Hmmm...  It seems funny that every thing I got is meant to help me see better!   Another symptom of turning into an adult.  ( at least in appearance.) 

Christmas Puzzle

We started it last night....

And finally,   we finished up the Puzzle.   This one was only 500 pieces.  Good enough for two people to finish in a day and or so.  ( We started it last night...)  Every time we attempt a 1000 piece one without the entire family present,  it takes us a week or we simply never finish it.  I guess having family is good for somethings now and then.  

Too much Christmas for Cheryl. 

Completed!  

Ok, if you have not figured it out,  I don't really hate friends and family over the Holidays.  It is stressful, but we usually have a good time.   I'm sure they are as happy to see us go as we are to leave. But you miss it when you can't be forced to do it as "tradition".  Mostly I would want to visit the family just because it is currently "illegal" to visit them...  I would do it as an Act of Patriotism and rebellion!  ( Not for the love of family or anything... no sir!)  

A Random House... Gnome Home.

But getting back to happier things.   Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you had a good one.   And many more to come!   I would like to have a new brand of optimism for the future.  Mostly because I figured out how to embroider on a Tee Shirt!  But also because I have  new equipment in my arsenal to help me study and build things.  I can't wait to give them a whirl when the weather finally clears up.  

Thanks for stopping in and Happy Holidays!