Ticking off the List!

My posts lately are few and far between, but, for the usual good reasons – work and life.

That’s always the way, isn’t it!?  Things crop up which demand all our time, energy, and attention.  

For me, it’s turning 65 in April, which means reading the 180 pg. Medicare manual several times, and sorting through plans online several times before choosing plans, at least for this year.  

I’m still not done, though.  I still need to work on choosing a pharmacy.  My heart meds are very expensive (if and until they come up with generics), so, trying to save $$ is as important, if not more so, than earning $, especially as patterns don’t earn a lot!

But I’m working on that situation, as well.  I’ve released 5 new patterns since February, one more is coming soon, and several more are in the knitting stage.   I'm also considering creating weaving patterns for my rigid heddle designs.

I’d like to get at least a dozen new patterns released this year, as I’ve had a few years, recently, when I released little to no new work, due to illness.  

Thankfully, the heart meds do a great job of keeping me from quickly sliding into crap (and ending up in the hospital). All the hormones I’ve been replacing for many years also help me to function much better than if I didn’t replace them.  BTDT, so I well remember how non-functioning I was after chemo, radiation, and menopause occurred all at the same time.

I’m also working on a Payhip store, not the least because I had to close down my WP store over a year ago.  The hosting costs were more than sales, and I never liked the WP/Woo interface.

The new store is several weeks in progress, and several more are still needed, but it will give knitters yet another source for my designs, besides Ravelry, Etsy, and Lovecrafts.  Etsy interest and sales have slumped a lot this winter compared to previous winters, despite new listings.  I don't want to judge it yet, but in the back of my mind, I know it's a good idea to create an independent site.

I’m almost halfway through this year’s list of major To-Do’s.  I’m not ready to rest on any imaginary laurels, though, as one never knows what hiccups are around the corner, to slow progress down, like the surgeries hubby has been needing more frequently the past 5 years, so I need to allow for sometimes not having much time to work. 

LOL, the only time I ever procrastinate is when I really need a rest, then I detach from all computer, knitting, weaving, and spinning work, and veg out for a week watching a long mystery or legal series.  It’s the closest I ever get to a vacation, and much cheaper!

Along the way, I’ve needed to do some computer file maintenance/clearing out.  In prepping the Payhip store, I’ve noticed that all my pattern files have extraneous and/or old files taking up space.  Everything is saved on a zip drive, so there’s no need for all this fluff.  That’s also the way – start one project, which then balloons into multiple projects!

Onward!
Dawn