I want to thank all my customers, friends and family for supporting me in my decision to "retire" from my "real job" to work our ranch and my fiber business full time. After our daughter graduated last May I decided I didn't want to make that long trek into town each day (25 miles one way), especially with the price of gasoline at $4/gallon and the 14 mpg my F-250 truck gets - I simply didn't get paid enough to make it worth the drive. I had also been having some physical issues (dislocated shoulder, broken foot and kidney stones). The kidney stones were what pushed me over the edge. I finally realized that I could not continue to push myself the way I had for years working a full time job in town, doing all the ranch chores twice daily (every morning and every evening), raising our daughter, doing my fiber business and volunteering for several organizations. I knew something had to give and I decided that I would have a go at trying to make enough money through my fiber business to make up for what I would no longer bring in from my job. My animals and I are so much happier now that I am home all the time to attend to their needs and work full time on my obsession with fiber. When I first "retired" I found myself chasing my tail all day long, trying to decide what to do first. It took me awhile to settle into a routine and discipline myself to make lists of what needed to be done then prioritize those things and work at chipping away at all the things I wanted to get done. So much around the house had fallen by the wayside with my busy schedule and being too exhausted at the end of the day to do much more than the basic housekeeping and household chores. I have slowly plowed through the stacks of boxes of fiber, yarn and "stuff" that have been piled throughout our house. I have sorted and organized the things I need and tossed or donated the things I don't. I feel better physically and mentally and my creativity has soared to new heights.
Our daughter went to Florida in June. She was accepted at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale but then the financial crisis hit and because she did not qualify for any financial assistance school has been put on hold at least for now. She just got offered her dream job though working for a high end retail store in West Palm Beach - she starts in a little over a week as Assistant Fashion Director! More on this later, after she starts the job and can give me all the details.
A special thank you is order to my husband, Jim, for allowing me this time to adjust and find my way in our new world. This is the first time in our married life (and we will have been married 24 years this May) that we have not had kids at home. We are empty nesters for the first time! What an adjustment that has been for us. We are enjoying rediscovering each other and focusing on our life together. What a joy it has been. We miss Jackie terribly but are so proud of her accomplishments and know that she would not have had those opportunities if she had stayed here in rural Teller County!
Sales from my etsy store have been slow lately but I pray that if I throw myself into creating lots of beautiful fibers the sales will follow. I have been thinking that regular sales and specials might help to increase sales volume. So please keep checking my store for sales and specials - I'm slashing prices on some handspun yarns to make room for more yarns and fibers. Please remember that all your purchases help to keep our animals fed and well cared for and every purchase is appreciated more than you can imagine! Thank you all for your support!
I need a photo in this post - I like to look at photos and I think others do, too. So here is my red tri miniature Australian Shredder...I mean Shepherd...Annie, as a puppy and last weekend, doing her daily rounds of the ranch. She helps daily with the chores and thoroughly enjoys her job.
