I have been 'talking' about writing in my posts here more and more-ok, almost exclusively. And I started to think about why I am doing that. I have been crocheting as a craft/hobby almost exclusively for over 20 years, before that it was intermingled with embroidery-cross stitch, counted cross stitch etc. At one time, I even sold kits for a company party style similar to Tupperware! I think that my creative side is saying- time to flex a new muscle. I know there is still much to learn in crochet, but for the past 3 years, I have been crocheting more than I have been reading! And for a bookworm, that is saying much!! Last night I couldn't even bring myself to pick up hook and yarn. I am in trouble. I do need to finish and in some cases, make some projects. But my brain is saying-time to back off, time to switch. I still enjoy crocheting. But the fire to do it all the time has faded away---and writing is coming to the front. I will still crochet, and still keep up with my commitments, but I will tone down some of the other items I was starting to look at. It is time to opt out of some of the e-mags that were free and that are cluttering up my email. That I haven't read in months. That I have kept as 'new mail'. Now I know why. See, this place does help-now is this growth, I don't know. But, I do know that words were my first love.

Back in high school, couldn't make the high school newspaper, but we had a quarterly magazine. I don't remember the name of it, I don't remember the name of the teacher who 'monitored' us; but I do remember contributing regularly-prose, poetry and art. The art was so-so, the poetry to fill in small spaces, but by my junior and senior years, the prose was there. Why did I stop writing? Somehow, along the way, I picked up the message that since I wasn't going to college right away, I shouldn't be writing.

I remember showing my mother a book I had started. I was out of high school, I think. There was no encouragment-in fact, there was active discouragement. At that time, I did not have the confidence in myself to write anyway. I did write poetry- kept that up for quite awhile. I remember, one Christmas, I gave my father a compilation of the best of my poetry. I don't know what happened to it.

Just ramblings here, but these thoughts were going through my head last night. Writing has been in my back ground, and it is time I brought it into the fore. Thanks for listening.