#jbe200

Sorry I've been so absent. I'm not sure why, but it was just something I needed to do. I wasn't offended or angry with anyone, just needed a break. Maybe I'm just spending too much time in my head. There is a lot to think about these days.

I turned 70 last month and I'm still working my butt off, living in Minnesota and working for a Florida company. That can be pretty trippy. Kind of like walking in two very different worlds. If everything wasn't so upside down, I'd probably attempt something radical, like retiring.

Never thought I'd be contemplating the possibility of living on the wrong side of an authoritarian government during my senior years. It feels like it happened fast, but this movement has roots going back centuries.

Hoping that you and yours are doing well.

By Keira, studio neighbor at FOK Creatives

I haven't been to my studio much lately because of life and didn't know Keira was scheduling head shots yesterday. I am really happy with her work! It's a scary thing to let someone take photos of you, but Keira made it fun.

I was there for a Fly Fishing Movie and Party which was fantastic. I found a lot of nice people that are concerned about preserving water. Those Montana films were exquisite.

II’m blocking this very long shawl today. It’s almost 10 feet long. I washed it on cold, gentle cycle. The color variations are due to drying variances.

This is the hard part where I find my mistakes. About 35 years ago, I knit one of my first sweaters. When I finished I was appalled at all the mistakes I made. I threw it in the closet and didn’t look at it for almost 5 years. When I looked at it again I couldn’t find even one mistake and I still wear it occasionally! My Norwegian Grandma taught me a lot about textile arts. I think I picked up her fussy standards along the way.

The Family Dog and the Russian Embargo

In the 70's when we were busy selling grain to the Russians, the grain market was a wheat farmer's dream. Only problem was, there was a boxcar shortage, and you could sell wheat, but couldn't get it shipped. Dad decided to establish the Ellison Grain Company, bought a Mack Truck, got himself a grain buyer and seller's license and went to work.

Somewhere around this time, the family was in need of a new dog. Mom swore she thought they were going to pick up another chihuahua but was outvoted by the male majority of our family and came home with an English Bull instead. The dog was named Mack after the truck.

Mack was a character. He hung with the cats and probably followed a cat up this tree. Eventually somebody built a platform to help stop him from falling. We have so many Mack stories.

As the family story goes, eventually Mack figured out he was a dog and started chasing cars on the gravel road. Sorry to say, it was his end.

In 1980, Jimmy Carter placed an embargo on the Soviet Union to punish them for invading Afghanistan. It was the end of the $green$ years. The foreclosures began, banks failed and families that had farmed for 4 generations were forced to leave. Our farm squeaked by and survived. Some of it was dumb luck but, most probably had to do with Dad's business acumen and work ethic.

My lovelies are having a sunbath and blocking my patio door. I gave them a few more minutes…….