Tag: writing

Back to [almost] normal

July 24, 2026

Today, I took the last dose of prednisone. Thank goodness! I’m ready for my sleep cycle to get back to normal. Most evidence of my allergic reaction to the insect repellent is completely gone. There’s still some redness in the areas that reacted the strongest, but it’s slowly fading away. Mosquitos are still biting. I purchased a bottle of Cutter Skinsations with DEET 7% to use when working in the garden. Zero reaction and no mosquito bites either.

Our weather forecast is calling for heavy rain most of the weekend. Sadie and I ran took advantage of this morning’s dry window to run errands. We passed several schools and a teacher supply store on our travels. The parking lots were full. Then, I remembered that local school staff report on Monday for preplanning week. Has it really been five years since I reported for what would become my last preplanning week as a public school librarian? Indeed it has.

Fast forward five years. There’s still some semblance of back-to-school prep that takes place in my life around late July. I take advantage of back-to-school sales to stock up on school supplies, reward trinkets and books we’ll use in the R.E.A.D. program and CraftLAB. This weekend, I’ll be finishing up the final few details for quilt camp. We start Monday at 10:00 a.m. in my basement sewing space. Instructional planning is a lot more fun when it’s on my terms and my schedule!

Not much teaching took place spring semester because life and the quilt show happened. For fall semester, my teaching schedule includes CraftLAB, a monthly sewing group at the Midtown Library and a machine maintenance class at the quilt museum in Carrollton. It feels good to see my teaching calendar active again.

I’m also collaborating with a local indie pet supply store to host a personalize your pet’s stocking workshop in early November. I’ll teach students how to add their pet’s name to a cuffed stocking or create a personalized hang tag using a simple backstitch and embroidery floss. We’ll see what happens locally, if anything, after that. I’d love to find a spot where I can teach classes a couple of times a month. I don’t mind paying a modest fee to use the space, but I have zero interest in opening a full-blown stitch lab in a retail storefront. That ship has long since sailed.

Letting go of things that no longer serve you

July 5, 2026

A significant price increase notice from Adobe started me down the “subscriptions” rabbit hole. As a teacher, I received a substantial educator discount from Adobe, which continued into retirement. I’ve consistently used some of the applications, but not InDesign and Illustrator – the two primary reasons I continued to pay the fee each month. My rate would double at the September renewal. I canceled. For how I use the applications, the juice was simply no longer worth the squeeze. Other, more affordable, options are available.

Next, I addressed the other item bothering me – our dental insurance (not!). After 15 months of dental and vision insurance through my alumni association, I canceled the dental coverage, but kept the vision plan. Why? I view optional individual insurance like this as a prepaid plan for services. My expectation is that premiums paid in and benefits paid out should be about the same at the end of the year. The math didn’t math. Our dental plan paid out in benefits about 25% of the premium amount received, whereas the vision plan actually paid for itself.

I didn’t cancel everything. I actually switched my Cricut Design Space subscription to an annual one to take advantage of a 30% discount. It made “cents” as I frequently use the service.

Lastly, I set my Craft Industry Alliance membership to non-renew at the end of the current term. While not expensive, I don’t really do anything other than read the email newsletters (which are free). I can always rejoin, if FOMO strikes.

The unexpected surprise? I let my Spotify premium membership (which I’d had for YEARS) return to the free plan when my annual subscription ended in April. Why? They allowed ads in the podcasts, which weren’t removable, even with a paid plan. I primarily use Spotify to listen to podcasts. Why would I pay to listen to ads? Know what? All is well. Absolutely zero FOMO.

Helping out

April 26, 2026

Today, I helped one of my guild members with a teen sewing group that she runs. We were at the Peachtree Library in Midtown, directly across from the High Museum of Art. The library’s located on the third floor of an office building, complete with its own free parking (14 spaces) and dedicated elevator. The nearest MARTA train station is the Arts Center (behind the High Museum, Alliance Theatre and Symphony Hall).

Our assigned meeting room was WONDERFUL, with moveable furniture, plenty of electrical outlets and lots of natural light. We even had a visitor stop in to ask how she could join in. The library staff we worked with were thrilled to have the space being used. The only drawback to this location is that free, library parking is extremely limited. Surrounding pay lots charge $16-$25 per session – which they can, given their proximity to the Arts Center District and Midtown.

Many moons ago, I worked as a legal assistant/librarian two blocks up the street. I actually parked in the parking deck across the street from the library. The library branch certainly looks much different today than it did years ago when I stopped in on my lunch breaks. I enjoyed my trip down memory lane – just not the traffic going home.

This group previously met at the Buckhead Library until limited parking and frequent special events at the surrounding businesses became a real issue. Today’s location could certainly work as long as she can secure the 10-2 time slot. As an alternative, I suggested that she look into the Northside Branch – about 2.5 miles away – but with a lot more available free parking (not surprising as this branch is in a much more residential area).

One of the parents in attendance is teacher at Midtown HS. She lives closer to me and asked if her daughter might be able to join a future CraftLAB session. We’ll see.

Today really underscored my desire to find a stitching meet-up space in Smyrna that’s free or charges a nominal fee ($5 per person, drink order, snack purchase, etc.) where we can gather 1-2x per month.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com