TC

Life Currently:

I'm reading : "Dust" (Book 3 in the Silo Series), by Hugh Howey. Recommended if you like post-apocalyptic stories and good writing.
Other recent reads are "The Art of Gathering" and "Tim" (biography of the late EDM artist, Avicii).

I'm watching :
Fallout. I've dabbled in the video game but it's beyond my gaming ability. LOL.

I like

• ocean colors
• coffee, the occasional hot herbal tea, and chai lattes (made at home)
• lilacs and tulips and bluebonnets
• interesting typography
• Craftsman style architecture; Mission style furniture
• stories about time travel
• podcasts, mostly about true crime, theology, sports/sports science, or cults
• outdoorsy things and nature and anything around water (beaches, rivers, and lakes). I hike and kayak, and one of my bucket list items is to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.
• Outdoor activities. I completed another bucket list item, running a marathon, in March 2020, just before the world shut down. Now I just walk 3 miles a day and run the occasional 5K race. I love being outside, unless it’s cold, wet, and windy.
• Sports, as both a participant and a spectator. I'm a big ice hockey fan, and also keep up with news in the world of running. My college degree is a B.S. in Exercise Physiology, because of my combined love of science and sport.
• Cats. I have 1 barn cat (a very fat tiger kitty) and 2 house cats (a lynx point and a tuxedo ragdoll). I think dogs are wonderful, too, but I no longer have the time to parent a dog. In the past, I've had black labs, pugs, golden retrievers, Brittany spaniels, and assorted mixed breeds.
• Birds, especially North American songbirds and penguins.
• Universal Studios theme parks in FL. I hope to go again in 2025 and purchase an annual pass!
• Homesteading. I'm not a full-on homesteader, but I do raise cows and previously had chickens and turkeys. I make my own yogurt, bread, and soups, and dabble in vegetable gardening. I sew about half of my own clothes. My home is heated in the winter with only a wood stove.
• Travel. Bucket list locations include Iceland, the British Isles, Hawaii, and Australia & New Zealand. (I've visited 48 US states, lacking Maine and Hawaii.)

I make it a habit to rate promptly, on the day the swap arrives. I don't think it's fair or courteous for sending partners to be left hanging while wondering if their swap was received. IMO, if you're too busy to rate (with or without a comment), you are doing too many swaps.

I tend to send close to the swap deadline. I keep my dashboard pretty light. I'd love to swap more, but with the cost of postage, I'm choosing to be frugal.

• Sewing and quilting. I also teach sewing to kids, and taught myself basic sewing machine maintenance and repair. I try to rescue vintage machines that are otherwise destined for the garbage heap. I have enough fabric and trims for 3 lifetimes, please don’t send me any.
• Paper crafts. With rising postage costs, I stick to ATCs and other small, 1-stamp domestic swaps. I downsized a lot of my paper stash this year; please don’t send me any as extras. (Obviously, if I sign up for a swap that involves sending paper goods, it's fine.)
• Baking. Pies and cheesecakes are my specialty. My latest baking success was a dupe for the Cheesecake Factory's red velvet cheesecake. It was amazing.
  I also found a delicious dupe recipe for the hot butterbeer at Universal Studios. If you're interested in it, send me a message.

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