Raise your hands everybody who has worked like crazy right before Christmas to satisfy all those "last minute" gifts

[esantoro]

I've been too busy lately to post and read new messages. But it seems like many others have also been too busy and haven't had that much time. Does it seem strange to anone else that that we're all affected in similar ways at similar times of the year?

Ed

Edited April 1, 2007 by esantoro

[pepin1948]

Well, for me at least, this time of year comes into what is fair season, and that is my personal busy time. Because I mostly sell at weekend craft fairs and historical reenactment events, the months of May - Oct. are peak time, and I'm prepping for them. I try to keep up on reading, but other than posting work pics, I'm not posting much either

[Johanna]

Raise your hands everybody who has worked like crazy right before Christmas to satisfy all those "last minute" gifts that you or the customer should have thought about in September, not December 15th.

Spring made it to my part of Ohio, and I've been spending as much time outside cleaning up from Winter as I can. I have a few flowers up, and the garden needs attention. By next week I will need to cut the grass, and the dogwoods will bloom by Easter. I love this time of year.

Ed, one of the nice things about a forum like this is that you can drop in whenever it's convenient. If you're particularly interested in a subject, use the function to "subscribe to a forum" in My Controls. You'll get an email notification if a new topic is posted. If you are interested in the topic, click the second link in the email "track this topic", read the replies already posted. and then if there are more responses, you will get another email notification. Then, when you have the time, you can relax and catch up on the board.

Raise hands everybody who has just been asked to restring a ball glove that's been ignored since last season or longer? I fixed two this past week, and said some bad words under my breath about people who refuse to oil leather and cheap dry-rotted latigo lace. What I had sitting in the cellar for the last 10 years was in better condition that a relatively new glove, because it was a higher quality lace.

Now is the time that youth leaders are planning their summer programs. Vacation bible schools, camps, day care centers, the Y, Boy and Girl Scouts, 4-H, museum and other educational facilities. Consider volunteering to teach a camp staff the basics of leatherworking. Consider volunteering to show Scouts how to do your thing, or being one of the "fun activities" at the County Fair or the church bazaar this year. Each one, teach one. Show a daughter, nephew, neighbor, god child, grandkid how you do what you do, and if you get your fingers smashed a few times, so what? Who knows, you might be mentoring a future Al Stohlman Award winner?

A lot of kids love to work with their hands. It's important to keep their hands busy and out of trouble. (Idle hands make the devil's work!) It's hard to pester your sister if you are concentrating on a plaiting a braid, or painting a design. I have to admit, the shop has saved my sanity on many a rainy day with bored kids. I make them follow shop rules, and they are proud of what they make. My girls (8 & 10) love to make bracelets and anklets, and fancy necklaces. The 13 year old just designed a cell phone case (with my help) that he decided he wanted to make. My 7 year old likes braids and knots.

Johanna