Beginning

Several months ago I left The Recorder. Since then many people have told me they miss my writing. I can't go back to the paper, but I can move forward. My newspaper column I titled "Conversations" because I wanted to carry on a dialog with my readers. To that end I continue to write.

Since last I wrote many things have happened. Our financial advisor took our money. We are starting over, rebuilding the nest egg that is now gone. We are going to move Artful Gifts into Highland County Crafts, and we are hoping to sell the chalet. We are cutting down on overhead and living on a tight budget.

Hopefully, the dream that brought us to Highland County will continue. When I met Lisa 16 years ago, we told each other we wanted to live in the mountains and be artists. In 1997, we moved to Monterey, Virginia, high up in the Alleghanies, west of the Shenandoah Valley. Today we are fiber artists, working mostly with handfelted wool. Lisa designs clothing and I make kumihimo braided belts and necklaces.

I also write.

I'd write for free. I'd write even if no one ever saw my writing.

I hope my writing is not an exercise in self-promotion or an attempt to inflate my ego. I will keep my messages brief and to the point. I will strive to be relevant, to talk about things that matter. My goal is to make life better for myself and others.

Hopefully that's enough.