2/5
#5
Long post... brace yourselves... or skip...
2/5
#5
Ok, I read back through to my initial post and realized that I've not quite introduced myself.
You might have already gleaned a few things by reading between the lines or viewing my sig.
But there might be more...
I live on a small farm in the Arkansas Ozarks - a small (population 2800, yeeee-haw!) town called Mountain View. This is the home of the Ozark Folk Center State Park.
On that farm, we raise Jacob sheep, Angora goats, Alpine and LaMancha dairy goats, Alpacas, chickens, a Llama, an old, retired Arabian horse, 3 dogs, 4 cats, 2 adult (step to me) children (28 and 30... I know, right?).
My wife is a fiber artist and director at the Ozark Folk Center. That's why we have the critters...
I'm self-employed (or self-unemployed, depending on the season) artisan broom maker at the Ozark Folk Center (before my better half was promoted and we've already been investigated and cleared of nepotism, thank you very much), farmer, and tech guru. Odd, right? Before I turned to crafts, I had spent 17 years in publishing as an IT tech and graphic/web designer. In my spare time (ha ha) I like to draw and paint on my Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note 8 and iPad.
Not going back to the rat race. Unh-uh!
Last year, in September, I got a call from my mother. She wanted me to come home to Colorado to help with my father. He had been hospitalized with some back pain. He has been on pain killers for the past 15 years dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, a degenerative bone disease, and COPD. While checking him out for the back pain (fractured vertebra), they found a mass in his lung. Fast growing. He passed October 27, 2014. He was 69.
I made a deal with my kids and my mother to quit smoking.
November 24, I bought a Haus by Mistic kit at Walmart and I haven't had but 2 smokes since (once, before I knew to carry a backup, my tank was dry, and once my battery was dead). My daughter has not managed to quit. My son is an idiot, so... My mother is taking stop smoking classes.
Here, through vaping, I have managed to get myself, and both stepkids to quit.
I'm a believer! An advocate! Almost a preacher...
So, now when you see a tree stripped by goats or a funky looking broom on one of my posts, you know why
Here's an award winning painting of a bird perched in a TREE that I painted for my in-laws:
Seems I might have rambled on for a bit. You're certainly forgiven if you didn't read it all. You're also welcome to ask any questions you might have.
