I got some interesting news this morning and I didn't have anyone to tell. Well I did but not the person who would understand why it meant so much to me. Here's a little bit of back story... As a young woman my mother and I spent a LOT of time watching series television together. We had a giant satellite dish in the yard and could tune in to hundreds of channels long before Directtv was a thing. The benefit of so many channels? We watched programming that wasn't available in

Gone Fishing. I have this new dilemma. I've been writing my 5th book which is all about the last 365 days. Spoiler Alert! It changed me. What I found most interesting is how I've taken on the relaxing sport of fly fishing. This morning I went out in the rain and spent about 2 hours casting and dictating notes into my phone. It felt so much like a "cake and eat it too" moment that I just had to stop and take it all in. The most amazing discovery in the pond as I made my first

I'm new at this... being 50. I was quite an expert at those 40's and I banged out 49 like a champ. I learned a lot in the last 365 days and here's a sum up. 50 observations, tips, thoughts and general life altering experiences 1. We are all going to fail 2. drive 100 miles per hour once 3. only eat acorns in a survival situation 4. take risks 5. youtubers are amazing 6. face your fears 7. listen more than you speak 8. just taste it one time 9. ask questions 10. trust your ins

This is it. For the last 365 days I have lived with a vision. I’ve been focused on a task. So much has been learned and experienced. To be honest I’m a little exhausted. For my 365th experience I spent the day alone on Lake Geneva having my very first stand up paddle board adventure. I was hesitant to face the water without a companion but then I realized it was exactly as it should be. This has been a very personal year that I have shared very publicly. It was not what I'd p

One last creation The final day of my 40's is almost here and I wanted to create a reminder that this last year was an accomplishment. I didn't do it alone but every single day changed me. That change was made very clear today when I visited the eye doctor and he informed me that my far vision is 20/20 (yay!) but my near vision is VERY NOT 20/20 (boo!). Special gift for turning 50? My prescription doubled and if that wasn't painful enough the Dr. dilated my eyes. I've never h

Condiments It's been quite a journey. In the last year I've eaten so many new things and made food that I didn't want to eat. I have confirmed that I've got great instincts when it comes to the flavors that I like. Quite a few of the 365 day taste bud experiences were a bust. My final food challenge, mayonnaise. Why? I absolutely hate mayo. I know hate is a strong word but the creamy white substance ruins my sandwich. I've never had a taste for it. I'm a mustard gal and my vi

Today I built a floating lantern. The base is made from sticks I cut in my yard and tied together with golden toned hemp rope. It's primitive and as I worked I couldn't help but think about the raft that saved Tom Hanks in Castaway. I'm not escaping from an island but I still crossed my fingers hoping that it would float. This is a very special lantern. On the day 7 of this year I made paper from shredded recycle and today I used it for the lantern walls. My goal, build a flo

It’s unbelievable that I'm down to my last 5 new experiences. I still have so many things on my list. Today I tried to do something I have never been able to achieve. Don’t laugh. For my 361st experience I learned how to whistle. This is some serious shit. I fall into that small group of people who just can not whistle. It didn’t matter how hard I tried or what technique I used, I could not whistle. For those of you who can I’m sure this seems like nothing. You put your lips

How do you catch a unique squirrel? Unique up on it. Today was exciting like the wiener mobile was exciting. I wasn’t looking for an adorable little creature to cross my path but it did. On my 360th day I had a black squirrel encounter. Don’t poo poo this. I’m a changed woman. I had no idea black squirrels existed and now I’m ridiculously fascinated by them. The first sighting happened on a side street in Battle Creek Michigan and I thought I was going to jump out of the movi

Tied up I bought this embroidery kit many months ago thinking that I could do it while taking care of my mother in the nursing home. I knew from the very beginning what I would make and it was meant to inspire the fight against cancer. Today it is just a reminder that she is gone and that fight ended. I put this on a shelf in May with the intention of letting it go. I'm one week away from accomplishing this personal challenge and if I'm honest many days since my mother's deat