I planned on it and failed in 2023. From Spring to October, spending time outside is easy here. I was doing great between gardening, sailing, kayaking, summer vacation that included traisping around the Blue Ridge Parkway trails, scenic turn outs, National Park Service visitor Center and hike up to the falls, etc. But when the relentless rainy, nastiness of November set in, and it gets too icy Dec-March to really do any walking in our little home town, then it becomes impossible to get the hours. If we took a midi winter one month vacation to a sunny climate, I could manage it. If I could go skiing (can't because of my permanently disabled ankle) and we could afford to go every weekend, that would help. However neither of those things are going to happen this year. So I won't make 1000. It is 83.33 hours per month so less than 3 hours per day, per month. I easily do more than that in the good months, but then drop to very small amounts during the bad months.

Thanks, I will take a look!

I am so glad I am not the only one in collection mode! It isn't a horrible thing really. (Convincing myself 😁). Two years straight, I sewed deeply into my fabric stash and made 13 quilts followed by baby blankets and 18 baby outfits. Apart from scraps of 1/2 yard/meter or less, and a few larger pieces of some solid colors, I didn't have much left. My concern is my sewing machine. 23.5 years ago, Mark paid $880 USD for an Elna Quilters Dream for me with bonus money he earned at work. She has been the most amazing machine. I sewed so many costumes for the kids, clothes for dd, curtains for two houses, tote bags, blankets, easily 60 quilts, and various other jobs. Last year she finally needed $175 in repairs. I was warned that parts are getting hard to get because Janome bought out Elna and promptly ended the company in order to eliminate the competition. Well, now my little workhorse is no longer winding bobbins again and is messing up on a couple specialty stitches. I have an independent bobbin winder - which does a spectacularly crappy job causing its own set of problems - and I can avoid using the specialty stitch. But just to have it looked at is now $100 without any work done, and if it needs part, they might not be available. Her comparable Janome for same features, abilities, and quality is $2200 when it is on sale!!! 😱😭 I don't know how far I can sew into this new stash of fabric before she gives up, and I am so sad. I know she is just a machine, a piece of technology, but she is like a dear friend to me. I don't want to end up with a crappy, cheap machine that I have to fight with (like my mother's piece of junk Necce) to make work or my daughter's affordable, but loud, clunky, very limited capability Janome. I think I am having some weird sewing machine grief! And I can't get a machine like my sister's. She lives in France and has some lovely, not horrifically expensive base model workhorse that didn't break the bank. I checked, and it isn't for sale here, and of course would not be wired for our electrical system unless they decided to produce a US model. I think I am going to spend the next few days pouting about my machine, and then will just have to suck it up, cut some fabric, and sew things until my precious Elna gives up. Oh, those simple, flannel scarves for the adult kids were a big hit. I have had numerous photos sent to me of them wearing them all over the place, and many thank you notes. I had no idea they would be that popular. I made them as simple stocking stuffers with no thought that they would be popular. So now I am on the hunt for wool sweaters at thrift stores because I want to felt the wool, and then use scrap material I already have for lining to make simple mittens for them.

Sigh. I really must sew. Must. I went to a fabric store on near my sons' apartment on the west side of the state. It was the most wonderful fabric store. Tons of marvelous natural fabrics in the apparel department, luxurious velvet that was priced competitively, button heaven, high quality zippers that I cannot buy anywhere near home, and some I haven't even seen online. I spent well, too much. I have two stacks of vintage fabrics from two other online sources. I have a LOT of quilt fabric. I really must stop collecting beautiful things and actually DO the sewing thing. 😂 I am most excited about some pale, beige almost buttery looking linen that I found. Somewhere I have a wide leg, summer pant pattern, and I think it would be wonderful made with this fabric. Must.sew.

Yep! Definitely doing that. 😁

Wonderful!!! Love all of these.

This is great!

I have a pattern and some fabric from the vintage fabric store. I want to make a top for myself for spring, but I am bring a total coward about cutting into that fabric. Does anyone think I can get away with some sort of short toga top where I just wrap it around myself and tie up with a belt? 😜

Adorable!

If memory serves, there is paint now that contains sand or something that creates a stucco look. You could call Home Depot and ask. It seems like HD always has a pretty knowledgeable person managing the paint department.

This is spot on. It is often state by state specific and sometimes within states, community specific. It is hard to say what is going to work in a different region. Then add to it that the trades licensing and tech certifications can also be very different state to state.

This. When my parents were in high school, their regular high school classes covered a ton of what is covered in AP coursework now. My college gen eds were more in depth than they are now. Too much dumbing down. And middle school is literally a holding pen of boredom. I don't know why we have to put pressure on 5 year olds to read, and all manner of stupid, and then let the middle schoolers just spin their wheels despite being capable of so much more. Our system is just plagued with idiocy! I do think that the homework and exams, writing assignments, etc. that my parents, and my brother and I received in our K-12 education made a hell of a lot more sense, and contributed to more long term retention and skill than the mess that is handed out now. I cannot believe some of the stupid, educational theory out there, and the idiocy of a lot of assignments. I don't blame teachers. They have to do what the administration says, the state board of education, the curriculum choice, etc. They aren't allowed to follow any intuition about what would best benefit their students. So I can see where there is a LOT of stress associated with AP's and coursework that may not even need to exist if stupidity was not in the driving seat of educational policy.

I agree. I think people work a lot of hours, and with cell phones and home computers, a huge number of employers who infringe on the home. I feel like it makes us all very disconnected. But I also hear a lot of the "I don't need nobody" kind of rhetoric here, and a lot of not wanting to pay for community spaces. In my area, it is like pulling teeth on an elephant to try to convince people that parks, and community centers, and sidewalks, and such are worthy of funding. My township which includes two small towns has no sidewalks, no parks, no walking trails, no anything. Even when kids are outside, there is nowhere to do anything except their own yards, and they cannot bike safely when semi trucks roll through town at 55 mph or worse and the shoulder on the road is only 18" wide. It is so bad. And I know we aren't the only community facing this. We used to have sidewalks, but the township voters decided to have them ripped out because they didn't want to pay for maintenance. I have suggested that the township hall, which has a lovely, huge yard be endowed with a couple of picnic tables, trash receptacles, and a play area. It is a perfect spot to pull off and let kids play. That was a hard no. I also suggested a community garden and some orchard trees, even offered to purchase and donate 3 apple trees, 2 peach trees, and 2 cherry trees. That was also a no. A local farmer offered to plow the plot, haul in some of his very good composted manure, and top soil so it would be a very productive garden. Also NO. Every attempt that the few of us who are concerned about lack of community to try to get an idea past the township has been pooped on. I will say this. I don't think many of the locals are home much. Most driveway are empty Mon-Sat, and then Sunday is mow the lawn day. If people are never home, they are not going to invest in the idea of community.

I am sorry. That has to be so frustrating and complicated when it used to be so simple to travel between. I feel like that just a little here because we used to travel through Canada all the time, and now the border crossing had gotten complicated, messy, long delays, and random searching especially coming back into the US. It has greatly affected our travel plans when heading east. Hugs!

And the rubber really meets the road here because we don't have much sense of community. We just don't. The rugged individualistic delusion is so strong in this country. I think that this alone is a big contributor to the things that all our youth, well, ail all of us. It is a HARD bubble to burst.

Same. Very intensive. The fail out rate for paramedic school is high in our area - students just not academically prepared - and the pay is NOT remotely commensurate with the job responsibility. Average salary of $42,000 a year. So I would be cautious about recommending paramedic school as well as phlebotomy which also seems to have a high fail rate unless the student has excellent study skills. Large engine diesel mechanic is an AAS. It is a very good job in our agricultural state. Welding is also an AAS, and now requires two semesters of physics (trig based), plus metallurgy, and a few others more difficult courses. But the pay is fantastic if a person graduates the program. We have very, very little anymore that pays well, has health benefits, and is more of a career type trajectory. Electrical journeyman programs are very very picky, and of every 200 who get admitted, only about 12-13 of them will make it. It is quite an intense program, and though hands on, the coursework portion of it is difficult, requires a tremendous amount of study skill, and the licensing exam is not for the faint hearted. I think that if a student could catch on with a drywall and paint crew, they can make a decent living and these jobs just require apprenticeship in an informal way. However, there are very few contractors here who employ them full time with benefits. Plus, most folks start having rotary cuff problems in their shoulders by mid-forties, so something else needs to take its place. Something about the repetitive motion of painting and sanding causes it. The schools pay very well for custodial services if one can get the job. People here will do that for decades so often waiting for someone to retire in order to apply is common. However, it does come with good benefits if you can land the job. CNA and medical assisting comes to mind. The pay has gone up recently, and the hospital and nursing homes offer health insurance. Honestly, I think this stuff is going to be very state specific. Some non are free programs are still really academically intensive in states with heavy regulation of those industries. So much is not federally regulated so it is consistent nor is it reciprocal between states. One option, if the OP's state has a robust Department of Natural Resources, is to look at what is required to get in with them. Michigan has a marvelous DNR. They hire seasonal every year which is how a lot of folks get their start - April through October - but the pay is competitive, and if one does well, eventually full time is offered. Wonderful career, government bennies. They look for folks who have a passion for the outdoors, are physically fit for all the hiking, and have some base knowledge of the state's resources. Also, the postal service requires the VEA exam, and the fail rate is roughly 80%. There are online practice exams which can definitely help with preparation.

This particular church, at least, does not welcome people who wear masks. Dh's brother and wife attend a church that believes masks are the mark of the beast. 🙄 We could just not eat. We could just not attend the reception. But since there is an outdoor area, and most folks will probably choose to eat indoors with view of the bridal tables, I felt like outside without masks might be okay, and if anyone asks, we Michiganders are happily taking advantage of the southern sunshine after the long winter. It is just such a sticky wicket.

Jealous! 😁

This is how it was with Mark's dad. He expected there to be a relationship, and he expected it not only exclusively on his terms AND the sole responsibility of his kids to make it happen with 1400 miles between them, and all of them working full time jobs and raising little kids while he and mother in law were fully retired, flush with funds, and well enough to go anywhere. Of course we all fell down on that job because LIFE, and just getting sick and tired of being the ones with ALL the responsibility. So we decided to nope out of it after a few years and stick with phone calls. Mark's sibs did the same. Then they complained about not having relationships, never seeing the grandkids. Hmmmmm....whose fault was that? Relationships go both ways. But there are people who are self centered enough that they believe should never have to participate yet still reap the rewards. OP, I would be hurt too because of their excuse about flying and then this. It means flying is just a bogus excuse, and what they really meant was something else. You couod maybe rethink the cost of flying to them every year if there are better ways to spend that money like college savings for the kids, or taking the kids somewhere if it turns out that they just aren't all that into their adult kids or being grandparents. They may not be the kinds of grandparents who are wanting involvement. The reality is that some folks, once they got their own kids raised, they want to be 'off the clock" so to speak. That is okay too. I get that not everyone wants the same things. Grandparenting has been culturally seen as a command performance. However, it probably should not be seen that way. People choose to have children or not, but they get no say in the appearance of grandchildren in their golden years. The problem is that they lied about why they don't want to travel to you. People should be honest. The lying is flat out wrong! Also, and this could be a thing, there is a subset of Americans so egregiously misinformed about other countries, that they are not willing to travel to former Eastern European nations. My mom used to be one of these. My sister lives in France and was invited to a wedding in Bulgaria. Mom went bananas! Just odd her rocker. How could she go there? What a terrible place, a society place. Uhm. Mom! The wall came down a long time ago. People travel freely throughout the EU. It is no big deal. It is safe. Have a good time. Now she goes all over Europe with my sister. So being in Poland, one might want to explore if they have some idea that it isn't safe or too close to the Russia/Ukraine conflict or something. But again, lying instead of honesty is the real problem here. And if they have changed their minds about flying, then they should have been honest about that AND the ones to bring up what they said before.

I am a sad about that hole. It seems like a serious flaw if they haven't even been washed yet! But, brava to your dh for taking you to Spain!

This reminds of the time I was criticized heavily by a woman at church for allowing our sons, 11, 12.5, and 14 to go hiking on a popular trail on state land without an adult chaperone. The boys were experienced hikers. Knew the trail, had a compass, were only a couple miles from home, carried water and sandwiches, and had 12 mile walkie talkies with them, while Mark kept one near him as he did yardwork. So freaking low risk. On top of which it is also common to meet a DNR officer along the way, and the Michigan DNR are just as a whole, great people. I was just flabbergasted. We also had people go bananas over us taking the rocket team 8 years straight to Virginia for competition, and into D.C. every time to sight-see. During those years they learned to read city and metro maps, buy training tickets, hail taxis, etc. I think there are some folks in every generation who simply freak the hell out about allowing children to grow up. I don't think they define everyone in that generation as "helicopter parenting". I also think that there is a wide range of options for allowing kids to exercise independence, but it varies widely as parents choose the things they prioritize or emphasize. So some will decide to be hands off about one thing like homework while another supervises that but allows the kids free range of the neighborhood. In general, I do think many children and young adults spend too much time on screens (well aware of the irony that I am on a screen right now) and especially social media. So much social media is toxic, and contributes to immaturity and illogical thinking.

I hope the modeling is accurate. This would mean that if we attended the wedding and just distanced at the church, and then used the outside dining and bar, we have a really good chance of not getting covid and having to stay home and eat the expense of our eclipse trip the following weekend. We purchased and scheduled that trip four years ago. They just got engaged at Thanksgiving and announced the wedding date. Mark and I have no problem with them choosing that date...couples should do it when it is best for them. However, when Mark brought it up to his brother that we might not attend because of its proximity to that vacation which was pre-paid, now past the refundable deadline, and was pre approved vacation days from work, there was a LOT of angst. And of course the biggest issue was we promised "marmee pawpaw astronomy camp" to our 8 year old grandsons who has been counting the days until we come get him. Brother in law was NOT understanding. Our original plan was to hunker down for 2 weeks prior to vacation, mask religiously when going anywhere, just to keep covid, rsv, etc. at bay, with Dd and her family doing the same. It gets old being the responsible people in a sea of irresponsible relatives, some of whom have had covid multiple times and even have long term damage from it, but still think we are crazy for trying to avoid it.

I received these two books for Christmas. I like the premise which is not some ridiculous "you can be self reliant in your yard" kind of thing, but more "here is help for the production skills you would like to have as a hobby" type advice. The one book is especially community oriented, and cultivating relationships within your neighborhood through gardening, sharing produce, working with other like minded people on pollinator gardens, etc. So I am happily reading while I very impatiently wait for the end first week of March when I will start seeds indoors.

Capitalism. Business dictates public health policy. Money was lost when people were cautious. Corporations will not abide that again, and they have made that known to the powers that be. Profit before people always. They want us to accept this as our new "norm" so the peasants won't stay home from work when sick, won't take a break from shopping, won't demand changes to corporate policy that might cost the robber barons a few bucks to implement and maintain. Add to that the absolute mass, conspiracy theories "vaccines are tracking implants made from killing babies" and all manner of stupid that caught on, and now the general public is determined to not stop and THINK about the consequences of all this. Just put head in sand, keep playing like nothing is wrong.

I received a little suburban homesteading book from Mark. It isn't based on the idea of self reliance on some tiny piece of property like so many ridiculous books, but on the idea of community sustainability, and partnering with others in your community to create shared composting, shared veggies and fruits according to what each neighbor might like to grow or receive, different methods of growing in limited space, partnering with farmers and growers outside the neighborhood yet close enough in to really not just buy or trade formally, but to get to know one another. I am devouring it, but slowly so I can digest some of the information, especially the soil recommendations. I got a second, similar book from my bachelor sons who have a really nice independent bookstore near their apartment. They decided to do all of their shopping for Christmas with locally owned businesses. There is a Lego store, a fun candy store, a Michigan made store, etc. All of the gifts they gave were super thoughtful, and much appreciated. Mark bought me a replacement piece, the big torte plate, of King's Crown ruby thumbprint. I inherited my grandmother's huge collection of it, and managed to drop that torte plate a few years ago and broke it (wet hands). I was rather heartbroken. He found a replacement at an antique store. My mother in law also gave me the water pitcher - something grandma had never owned - and married son and dil bought some of the juice glasses for me, and also a set of the new, Ball pink/peach pint jars which I have wanted for displaying my dried peppers. I feel rather spoiled!