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!