Bicycles

Celebrating Six Months of Newness

We have officially now lived in Rhode Island six months! I can’t believe it’s been six months, and I can’t believe it’s *only* been six months. It’s hard to remember what our lives were like prior to living in southern New England (or before coronavirus, for that matter). I guess that means we feel really comfortable here.

Yep, it’s winter in Southern New England!

I had all these blog posts planned, to share our experiences in this new city of Providence. But now I am going to attempt to squeeze in some highlights, and hopefully get back to blogging a bit more regularly.

I was commuting to the office twice a week for a while in September – November, although now we are back to WFH 100% of the time. I was enjoying my short bike rides to and from the train station, especially after we put reflective bar tape on my bike! I also finally bought Bar Mitts, and just in time for some chilly commuting mornings!

A farmers’ market, Farm Fresh RI, opened walking distance to our apartment, so we went every weekend until the holidays. Many Rhode Island gifts were purchased there, and at the Providence Flea, which is in the same warehouse on Sunday. Across the street is The Industrious Spirit Co., which makes vodka and a lovely gin. On Saturdays, they hosted local food truck The Burgundians Coffee & Waffles . There’s no better way to start a weekend than waffles and a hot apple cider and gin drink, trust me!

A glass blowing studio, Gather Glass, is also walking distance to our apartment! I’ve always loved blown glass, and jumped at the opportunity to take classes. So far I have made two glasses, but have plans for more….

The ocean is SOOOOO close! Forty-five minutes to an hour, whaaat?! So we’ve gone to the ocean a few times, but there are dozens of other places for us to explore in 2021 – state parks, nature reserves, historic landmarks, botanical gardens, and and and….

I got a haircut! Okay, technically I got two, but the first one was a trim at a local salon. The second one cut off all the length and bulk that’s accumulated since lockdown. So happy to get rid of that!

Here’s a sample of some of my sewing this fall:

And here’s my official sewing plans for 2021. Don’t worry, there’s plenty more where this comes from. I made about 30 garments (and 100 cloth face masks) in 2020, so nine goals is only a third of what I expect I’ll do this year.

While we have said good-bye to 2020, a year that I think was a struggle for everyone, and we look ahead to 2021, I think we can all agree that maybe we should temper our expectations of this year. Nonetheless, living in Rhode Island has a lot of blessings, and I hope to share them more regularly with you. Is there anything you are especially interested in? Bike infrastructure in Providence (that’s on my list for spring)? Ocean anything?! The food scene here in Providence? An update on all my sewing? Let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

Happy New Year!

Stay-at-Home Celebrating

Like so many others, I recently celebrated a birthday from the isolation of my own home. But I wasn’t alone – between Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, and Zoom, I saw more friends and family than I have in birthdays past. Add on delivery brunch and cupcakes and a special beer mailed from Dortmund, Germany, and it was a lovely day!

Many of my Taurus and April/May birthday friends have all vowed to celebrate at a later date, when we are allowed to, and feel safe about, meet in person, in groups, again. I don’t know, I may opt for another Zoom party. In our new lives (no, not when we “return” to “normal,” as life will clearly not ever be normal again), video connections will be easier, more comfortable, the new normal. What previously seemed like a momentous thing is now a quick click of a mouse or tap on an app. I remember being horrified at the thought of being able to see someone on the other line, back in the day when video phone calls were first “a thing of the future.” I didn’t want someone seeing that I was ironing while I talked to them – now it’s no big deal. Think about it – how many conference calls do pets and children wander through? What’s a few shirts ironed between friends?

Livin’ the Zoom Life

Speaking of shirts, I hustled to finish a new shirt before May 1. May is the sewists’ holiday – Me Made May. I wanted to get my new citrus shirt done to kick off the month, and I did – and I love it! The collar turned out perfectly, I found these perfect little round orange buttons, and I just love love love the print. It makes me happy, and don’t we all need happy things right now?!

Other things I’ve been celebrating includes: Star Wars Day/May the Fourth; my “new” 1973 Raleigh bicycle; and allllll the spring flowers in vibrant, brilliant bloom. I need hot pink pants, clearly.

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What have you been doing to celebrate life’s small and large moments? I hope you have something bright, happy, and wild to keep your spirits up!

Sewing June 2019: N + 1

In the bicycling world, there is a long-standing joke about N+1 when it comes to bicycles – once you have one, you need another, and then another, and then another. Look at The Mechanic and I – we have six bikes between the two of us! (One may or may not be in the bedroom, although neither of us are bothered by that. I know some spouses might be.) I suppose it is the same for any hobby. When I got my first tattoo I was told it’s addictive, and it kinda is – I do want another one…

My camera can’t capture the gorgeousness of this Iced Peach Floral Japanese Lyocell Cotton from Marcy Tilton so check out the website for better photos –> https://marcytilton.com/collections/woven/products/iced-peach-floral-japanese-lyocell-woven

But I hadn’t really put sewing into that perspective until this past weekend, when I shared photos on Instagram of some fabric I spontaneously ordered. It’s *gorgeous* fabric, but in a colorway I don’t really have any other clothing in. The fabric is intended for a blouse, so I’ll need either pants or a skirt to go with it. Or both. And then I need to see if any of the pants or skirt patterns I already own works with the fabric I need to get, the style of the blouse I plan to make, and anything else that might happen to go with this gorgeous fabric. So it totally made sense when one of my IG sewing friends commented “If you give a sewist some fabric, she’ll have to make some pants to go with it,” referencing the popular children’s’ book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. And then I realized – N+1. Fabric = more patterns = more fabric = more patterns, etc.

I’ve been trying really hard not to acquire more fabric and patterns, because I’m really anxious to make the fabric and patterns I have. But I feel like it’s too late to finish my summer sewing, and maybe I should move onto fall plans. Of course, I know that it will stay warm well into October, so there is plenty of time to get my warm weather garments made! But cold weather clothes take longer, so I feel like I need to get started now! Now, now now!!! N + 1 = more fabric and more patterns.

The irony is, The Mechanic and I are both not only pretty happy with the bikes we have, we are considering getting rid of some. I mean, it’s been a few years since I’ve dusted off my mountain bike – is there any point in keeping it?! We are planning a West Virginia road trip in October, though, so I guess I will decide after that. But is it worth keeping a bike for a maybe once a year opportunity? I don’t know, is it worth buying fabric that I may or may not every have time to sew up?

I have been sewing up a storm this month, unlike my bike habits. I’m especially proud of the New Look 6262 dress I made from an IKEA duvet cover, and the Vogue 9302 pants, made from IKEA curtains. The dress doesn’t fit great but it feels lovely, the cotton/lyocell fabric is silky and lightweight, and perfect for the upcoming hot weather. The pants are a wearable muslin for wide leg pants that I want to make for the colder months, something I can line with flannel, and/or fit thermal underwear underneath. And hey, tropical print pants! The shift dress is a nice basic, and the infinity scarf will be so great with many things.

Shift Dress, New Look 6095
New Look 6262, made from an IKEA duvet cover
Vogue 9302, made from IKEA curtains
Vogue 9302, made from IKEA curtains
Infinity scarf, made double gauze
Double gauze infinity scarf

I also ordered new sewing labels, yay! I have 100 – how long do you think they will last? I can’t believe I’ve already used 100 labels, frankly, so we’ll see what happens with these! Oh dear – do 100 labels mean N = 100??!

 

A Weekend Five Years in the Making

The Mechanic and I just celebrated our five year wedding anniversary. It’s hard to believe we’ve been married that long, and yet it seems like we’ve always been together. Is that how marriage works?!

We haven’t done much to celebrate in the last few years since they’ve seemed a bit anti-climatic. I was in New York last year with a friend, if that is any indication of our attentiveness. But five years seemed like a big deal so we made some plans.

First up, we splurged on a fancy dinner at Elizabeth’s Gone Raw, a plant-based restaurant in Washington, DC. It’s been on my list for a while but due to it price and exclusivity (Friday and Saturday night seatings only, wine pairings an extra $60 per person), we hadn’t been. But it turned out to be the perfect anniversary dinner.

Violet Moon cocktail and an empty first course dish – as the dining excitement begins!

Although we passed on the wine pairing, we did order cocktails. My Violet Moon appeared more gray than violet, but the vodka, kombucha, creme de Violette, and Freixenet Blanc de Blanc combo could possibly be my most favorite cocktail ever. I had two – just to test the consistency, of course! I can’t even begin to describe the food, it was so amazing. So many wild and different flavors in one mouthful! The Mechanic and I, not being foodies, credited our years of vegan Green Chef meals with introducing us to the possibilities of flavorful, exotic, and adventurous dining – if it hadn’t, this meal might have been a great shock! I didn’t take pictures of all seven courses but I did take a few of the more picturesque ones.

One of seven delicious courses at Elizabeth’s Gone Raw

Also, I wore my new Vogue 9091  linen culottes and the Named Clothing Inari Tee Dress, which I cropped into a top. I love this combination so much!!! Expect to see me in it alot – and sorry for the bathroom photo….

We balanced the fancy experience at Elizabeth’s Gone Raw the following day with a road trip to Shepherdstown, WV, where we had gotten married five year previously. We rented a (ginormous) pick up, and The Mechanic managed to nicely arrange our bicycles in the back so we could take them with us. Once in Shepherdstown, we started with a casual lunch at our favorite place, the Blue Moon Cafe. The food is always good, with plenty of vegetarian options, but the highlight is the outdoor seating with a small stream rushing through it. We love this place so much that we made it part of our unofficial wedding reception (we had a lunchtime wedding and reception, so everyone who stayed joined us at the Blue Moon for dinner that evening). We continued our wedding anniversary tour with a stop at the Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery, where we had ordered our wedding cake. We purchased a slice of cake that was almost identical to ours – this was almond cake (instead of the lemon we had five years ago), with a raspberry filling and buttercream frosting. Just as delicious as we remembered!

Biking has always been a large part of our memories of Shepherdstown – we first encountered the town when we signed up for the CASA River Ride seven years ago. We also used it as our starting point for a bike camping trip down the C & O Canal that same year. We’ve returned over and over, since it is a perfect day trip destination. Luckily the weather this year was dry enough for us to squeeze in another bike ride down the canal tow path. It was so lovely and just perfect, and we agreed we need to do more of *that* sort of biking – adventure travel biking, casual, gravel roads, nature, trees, etc.

Our last anniversary-related stop was at the Bavarian Inn, where our wedding had taken place. We were one of the first weddings held overlooking the infinity pool, and there had been some question as to whether or not it would be ready for us – but it was, and provided a lovely backdrop of just nature and the Potomac River. We visited a few times since then, but not for a few years, so we were completely surprised at the remodeling they had done when they added Bavarian Brothers Brewery to the site last year. Walls were changed, decor was modernized, fixtures were new, the bar was larger, and there was an entire new dining area where our reception patio space had been. Wow! It looks amazing! We had a flight and some fondue, then took home a growler – which I had to bike back to our rental truck, since we’d gone there on our bikes. What’s more bike-y than beer and cupcakes on a bike?!

 

Part of my wedding reminiscences included pulling out my wedding skirt, which I made from my wedding dress. It’s a bit too small for me now <ahem> but I would still love to have a reason to wear it somewhere. Someone, invite me to a garden party!

So many changes since 2014!

Who knows how many changes there will be in another five years!!! We have enough to keep ourselves busy until then, so check in with me in 2024!

May19: Momentous May

It’s the merry month of May! It’s a rather momentous month every year because of three things that always happen (and are important me): my birthday; Me Made May; and National Bike Month.

My Birthday

This year I am turning 47. I have no idea how I got to be suddenly so close to 50!!! Eek! I feel a sudden urge to figure what I should do with my life. I need to put a plan into place to help me focus the next three years. Maybe that’s the year The Mechanic and I will finally move overseas somewhere. Who knows, it could happen!

Early celebratory mermaid themed cupcake!

Me Made May

Me Made May is a personal challenge for sewists on Instagram. The idea is generally to encourage you to wear the things you have made, especially the pieces that get little use. Most sewists set their own pledges: I pledge to wear something #memade everyday; to work; not buy fabric; finish up neglected projects; etc. This year I plan to sew what I already have planned, and see what gaps I think I have by wearing as much as I can (depending on what fits). Loved wearing some #memade things in New York Cityast weekend! I got so many compliments on my coat, I was shocked!

National Bike Month

Yep, a whole month to celebrate biking. It will be a bittersweet month in the DC area as the bicycling community continues to mourn and fight for improvements. I pledge to bike as much as possible this month! It’s the perfect month to get serious about my regular biking. I plan to use this time to analyze my love of all things reflective. Does the reflectivity make sense on the things I’ve made? Are the trims in the right place? Should I give up making reflective tops, because they are covered up in the winter, or I’m not out late enough in the summer? These are things to consider.

Wore my new nail print skirt on a recent bike commute- it was perfect (but not reflective)!

All Together Now

Putting all these things together, May should be a month to plan, reflect, and celebrate. What do you plan to celebrate this month?

April19: Sewing and Biking

My goodness, life has gotten overly complicated and blogging has gotten away from me! Sorry for irregular postings. I’d like to promise that I’ll get more disciplined, but I suspect that won’t happen…

Here we are, staring down the last full week of April already! I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot of sewing this month, which is great. What isn’t so great is news about a local bike advocate getting killed, and the lack of support of Vision Zero by cities that have signed onto it. I’m a bit upset about it, so if you don’t want to know more, don’t read the end of this blog post.

Sewing

I feel like I’ve been a busy little sewing bee! I have completed three projects since I last blogged about my sewing, among other things.

  • Visited Stitch Sew Shop in their new location, where I bought the Scout Tee pattern for my Zodiac top (among other things)
  • Ordered scalloped pinking shears, to try an idea (which I haven’t tried yet)
  • Ordered some different black reflective fabric, which I ultimately don’t really like – it’s hardly reflective!
  • Completed a wearable muslin of the Scout Tee in some Charley Harper cotton from my stash – it’s easy and simple, and will be perfect for the embroidered mesh Zodiac fabric
  • Finally made the Cotton & Steel Rifle Paper Co. Amalfi Freja print button up shirt I’ve been planning for ages, another version of my favorite Vogue 8772
  • Made, then remade, the Simplicity 1369 skirt out of nail print cotton – designed to fit low on the hips, I took it in 4″, shortened it a tad, and now it’s perfect! Thanks to my Instagram fellow sewists for their feedback!
  • Finally cut out the Burda 6678 pants pieces, from a gray chambray I purchased at Stitch Sew Shop
  • Discovered “A Stitch in Time” on Acorn TV – a documentary series with fashion historian (and icon!) Amber Butchart, who selects garments from several historic portraits that a costume shop led by Ninya Mikhaila recreates using historically accurate tools and techniques. It’s 100% where I wish my career could have gone – history, research, sewing… It’s so wonderful to see pieces from paintings recreated! And of course, I’m terribly envious that they were all made to fit Amber.

I love Charley Harper art so much! Yes, I have it on my walls : )

Biking

I was very proud of myself – briefly. One whole week, I biked each way! Although I biked to work one morning, then biked home the next afternoon. So not full round trip rides, but a bit every day. This actually worked out really well, given weather, my work schedule, social outings, etc. Then the following week – nothing. Sigh. I did wear some of my #memades, though, but I didn’t get photos each time. But May is National Bike Month, so I plan to do as much biking as possible then – wearing reflective #memade garments, of course! In other biking news – the Washington, DC, bike community is reeling after a beloved bike advocate, Dave Salovesh, was killed in a car crash. I didn’t know Dave but I followed him on Twitter, and even with that distance, it hits close to home. I feel for the #bikeDC people I do know who knew Dave so well – their pain and anger is completely justified. I suspect that the only reason why his killer was charged with second degree murder is because he was speeding in a stolen vehicle. If he had been speeding in his own car, I doubt it would have been the same. It’s so frustrating and upsetting that a supposed Vision Zero city seems to do so little to support the goals of eliminating traffic deaths. i am not as qualified to talk about Vision Zero as some, like Dave, are, but from what I see in the news, American cities such as DC and New York City that have pledged to these goals are doing pretty much the exact opposite. Also on Twitter over the weekend, people in NYC were reporting that cops were confiscating bikes from kids and/or ticketing them for not having bike bells. Seriously?! Bike bells? When are they going to confiscate cars from drivers who don’t use their turn signals?! Gah!

I don’t post political stuff much because I don’t have the interest or energy for getting into social media spats with strangers, but these two things pushed me over the edge. We read and hear all the time about an obesity crisis, and climate change is pounding down our doors, but god forbid we actually embrace the easy and inexpensive ways to tackle both – active transportation. Some cities get it, like Vancouver seems to, but others just don’t really give a sh*t. I don’t know how long The Mechanic and I will live in the DC metro area, but I can tell you that we are making a list of cities that promote the things we value and we’ll consider them first and foremost.

National Bike Month

May is National Bike Month. I talk about it every year. But this year, I’d like everyone to think about some simple things they can do to promote the well-being of others. We really are all in this together, and we can only make it if we are careful of our actions. That means put down the cell phone and use turn signals, as well as cross at crosswalks and stop for red lights. You don’t need to bike to be careful of people on their bikes, or people walking. National Bike Month should only have to celebrate the joy of biking, not remind people that life is fragile and gone in an instant. And maybe, just maybe – try a bike ride yourself if you haven’t in a long time.

 

Travel Jan19: Dreaming and Planning

It’s the first bitterly cold day of 2019 and luckily it’s a holiday Monday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), so I don’t have to leave the house. Instead, I’m dreaming about a warm vacation somewhere exotic – or at least maybe not in the US.

The Mechanic and I agreed that we need to stay home this year and not travel, because we did a terrible job at saving money last year. It’s the smart and practical thing to do. But I simply cannot sit home all year and not go anywhere!!!

Not that we don’t have travel lined up already – in February I am going to a work-related conference conveniently located at Disney World. It’s  repeat of the leadership program I’m involved with that we launched last year. I can’t afford to spend much time there so I will have limited time in the parks. But considering it will be my fourth time in 13 months, I think I’m okay with that! Then in March, we are traveling to see siblings – The Mechanic’s sister ended up in the same West Texas town that my brother lives in. But after that…. nothing! Well, maybe a quickie weekend to NYC.

At Disney World last January for the Association for Commuter Transportation’s ImpACT! Leadership Program

What we really want to do is another European bike tour. We had such a wonderful time when we did the one for our honeymoon, and this year will be our five-year anniversary, so it seems like a good time. Friends brought us biking magazines from Germany, which is only adding fuel to the fire. Gah! All I want to do right now is bike through some gorgeous countryside in warm weather, stopping at cute cafes and biergartens, and perhaps attempt some rusty German language skills.

But we have to figure out when, how much to spend, and most importantly, which one?!?! There are so many we want to do! We’ve been talking about this Venice to Porec, Croatia one for a few years now, but then saw this Danube Delta Bike & Barge trip in Romania that looks *amazing*! Of course, it’s way more expensive than we originally had in mind, but neither of us have been to Romania, and a few days in Bucharest would be pretty fabulous as well. Then again, if we did the Ruhr Valley loop, we could visit friends who live in the area – plus that tour is half the price of the Danube Delta one….

Adding to the travel plans is the tentative plan with my mother and aunt to go to the 2020 Oberammergau Passion Play, in Oberammergau, Germany. The entire town takes part in this event, which has been going on for centuries, and only happens every ten years. This is something I first learned about in my high school German class, and despite not being terribly religious, I’ve always wanted to go.  It’s also eye-wateringly expensive, due to the fact that the easiest way to go is with a tour group. The town is tiny and lodging books up fast – in fact, it probably already is. As much as I’m not a tour group traveler, I’d do it with my mom and aunt. The tours include other destinations, so it would be a fabulous time. It just means I need to be super careful with both cash and PTO, so I can do it.

Everything you need to know about the Oberammergau Passion Play is on the official website https://www.passionsspiele-oberammergau.de/en/home

Then where does that leave time and money to see friends and family scattered across the country? The drawback to having people scattered across the globe means that it’s hard to see everyone. Sigh.

So we’ll continue to save and dream and hopefully plan for later this year. Do you have any travel suggestions for us?

Wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’… and plannin’ and dreamin’ …..

 

Biking Jan19: Winter Biking – So Far

I already failed my January goal of biking to work three times a week. I blame the weather. I blame my apparent inability to gauge cold and warm – how cold is it really, and how many layers do I need to wear to stay warm on a four mile bike ride?

The first day wasn’t so bad – not terribly cold, nice to be out on my bike, surprise new bike lanes on the route I normally take (makes me feel legit!).

Now my regular commute is legit!

The second day was colder, so I decided to wear my corduroy culottes with the reflective leg warmers my mother knit for me several years ago. This wasn’t too bad on the way TO work, but on the way home, the temperature had dropped and the wind had picked up. I got blown around on my bike, and the full legs of the culottes blew around my legs, so I wasn’t as warm as I wanted to be. I was certainly reflective though!

Here are my reflective winter touches, from outside, working in:

  • Nutcase helmet (not seen: reflective stickers on side and back)
  • Reflective Rabbit scarf, knit by my mother
  • Old Lands End red puffer coat
  • Vespertine skinny reflective belt
  • Reflective lobster gloves (don’t remember where I got those)
  • Funflector reflector on my very old Basil pannier
  • Reflective leg warmers, knit by my mother
  • Navy corduroy Megan Nielsen Tania culottes with black reflective piping in the side seam, made by me

1. All a-glow, after I got home

2. Unpeeling the layers….

3. Ta da! This is how I looked in the office – respectable and not the least bit “bikey”

Then it got even colder and stayed windy. Although it meant I missed my third day of biking, I was fine with it. And now we’ve had the biggest snowstorm in three years, with 9″ of snow on our back deck alone, so I won’t be biking for a bit. Although Arlington County does a great job at clearing the bike lanes and trails, the same cannot generally be said for the conditions of streets. In years past, my bike route has been blocked by the giant piles of snow pushed aside by snow plows. I just don’t feel like the battle, so I opt not to, especially since the bus is so convenient.

9″ of snow on our back deck this morning, wow! Of the originally predicted 3-6″, I was hoping for 3″, haha!

I discovered something I’d forgotten in a year – after a 25-30 minute bike ride, my back is sweating and my fingers are freezing. So I plan to spend the rest of this month trying to balance out the warmth, and figure out how to keep my fingers warm and my core a bit cooler. I might just break down and make my own bar mitts – reflective, of course!

Overcoming Anxieties and Returning to Biking

Okay, let’s try this again. It’s been at least *seven* months since I have regularly bike commuted to work, thanks to two major surgeries in that time period. I briefly started biking in the middle of that time period, right before the second, unexpected emergency surgery. After that, I tried really hard to not to ANYTHING to disrupt the healing process again (nope, not telling you what it was, sorry). And in that entire time period, as much as I missed biking, I began to get anxious about it.

Throughout the time I was off my bike, I had more time to read the news about pedestrian and cyclists injuries and fatalities here in the DC area. I also had plenty of time on buses and in Lyfts to observe drivers making a range of really dangerous decisions every single day. At the same time, electric scooters sprang from nowhere in our area, leading to litany of unsafe and reckless rider allegations. Nevermind the fact that the one fatality so far was a young man hit by a driver of a BMW – it’s those reckless kids on scooters that are the menace!

Somehow, being away from the bike lanes seemed to amplify all the dangers that come from not being in a car. It’s no wonder that people who don’t bike <ever – often- in a city> tell me that they are scared to try it. If I, a regular bike commuter for 8 years, can get anxious about returning to it after 7 months, of course someone who has never done it will be scared.

I am happy to report, however, that I biked three times this week and not only survived, I remembered how great it is! Somehow, in my head, the distances had seemed soooo much longer and seemed to take so much more effort. But my short 4 miles each way went smoother, quicker, and even safer than I’d built up in my head. I did start off slowly – Tuesday I biked to work then took the bus home. Wednesday I had a work event super early and i wouldn’t have biked anyway, but then my bike was waiting for me at the office so I could bike home. Instead, The Mechanic and I met up for bike date night – something else we haven’t done in ages. Friday I biked to AND from work for the first time since March. It all felt great!

I am sure our bikes enjoyed being out on the town together again!

Thursday, the remnants of Hurricane Michael swept through town, a rainy day I opted not to bike. But the following day, Friday, was surprisingly delicious cool, fall like temperatures, hooray! I was finally able to wear the reflective brocade bomber jacket I made ages ago but never got to wear on the bike. I paired it with a charcoal and yellow sweater vest I got last winter from Ann Taylor, and was impressed at how the colors looked together and on me. All of last fall and winter’s clothing was designed around my blonde hair, so I am sorting out what looks better on me-the-redhead. This was definitely a winning look!

I’m looking forward to my regular, consistent bike commutes again, now that I’ve taken the first steps back. Who cares that it’s just in time for cold, dark weather, haha?! It’s worth it. It makes me happy.