A Review of 2014: The Year of Adventure

I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas had a wonderful and peaceful holiday! Larry and I had a quiet but very enjoyable time.

It’s hard for me to believe that this is the last post I will write in 2014. The years go by so quickly now!

Before the start of 2014, I chose a word to guide me through the year: Adventure. I did have some adventures during the year, some fun and exciting, some not-so-fun but life-changing, some big, some small.

Here are some of my adventures in 2014:

January: I opened a freelance editing business.

February: I started thinking about and making notes to write a mystery novel. I went sledding for the first time in years and had a blast!

One of my favorite photos from 2014. It was taken by Larry.

March: I covered the Group 1A boys basketball finals in Richmond and wrote a story about it—me, a non-sportswriter.

April: Larry and I started our first garden in the raised bed.

The raised bed garden in June.

May: I did an interview for a story on OCD and scrupulosity on CNN.com.

June: Relationships with family members changed forever.

July: I started to knit. I went on a ride-along with a deputy with the county sheriff’s office.

Chase Bird doesn't seem to think too highly of my knitting.

September: I made an adjustment in my medications that made a big, positive difference in my depression. I didn't start talk therapy as I planned. I put that off until 2015 because of scheduling problems.

October-November: I started and finished physical therapy for a problem that remains to be diagnosed for sure: Neck? Shoulder? Both?

November: Larry and I tried authentic Japanese food for the first time. We found snow at the Peaks of Otter on Thanksgiving Day.

One adventure I worked on the whole year was reading. Yes, reading is always an adventure for me. I set a goal to read 24 books. I thought that was manageable and not so high that I would set myself up for failure.

I actually went over my goal and read 27 books. That might end up being 28 for 2014 since I’m currently reading one of my Christmas books.

I read a lot of articles and essays, too.

All but three of the books I read fall into the mystery/thriller category. I’m not sure what that says about me. Yes, I love mysteries. But maybe I needed some escape time, too.

Of the mysteries, 15 of them were by John Sandford. I discovered him last Christmas, and as you can guess, I found his stories captivating.

Here are the three nonfiction books I read:

The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness. By Elyn R. Saks.

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. By Palmer J. Parker.

Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets the Glittering World. By Shirley Hershey Showalter.

I’m not sure yet what number of books I will set as a goal for 2015, but it will be higher than 24 or even 27. And I hope to include more nonfiction books.

So there’s a quick overview of 2014, one that in no way reflects the complexity of life. I am glad to put 2014 behind me.

On Thursday, let’s talk about 2015.

Readers, what one word sums up your 2014?

Thankful

I'm obviously very thankful for this little critter. He's lounging in front of the gas logs.

This time of year, my thoughts, like many others’, turn to the things that I’m thankful for. I could give you a list of what I’m thankful for. But I thought instead I would tell you a story about a little adventure Larry and I had yesterday.

We went to Lynchburg to do some shopping and decided to eat lunch at a Japanese restaurant we haven’t tried before.

We’ve both had Japanese food before, and Larry loves sushi, but compared to what we were served and the way we were served Sunday, we got more of the “real” food we were looking for.

As we walked through the dining room towards our seat, I saw a lot of people using chopsticks and eating dishes I didn’t recognize.

Then the host left us with menus plus a paper sushi menu with pencils.

What were we supposed to do with these?

The waiter, a very nice young man who looked like he probably attended one of the local colleges, appeared to take our drink orders. I decided to be straight-forward.

“We’ve never been here before,” I said. “What do we do with these little menus?”

The waiter said we would order any sushi by filling out the paper menu. Everything else would be ordered off the other menu.

So Larry and I looked over the menus. We didn’t recognize a lot of the dishes. We laughed at our own confusion. Then I remembered I had my phone. I Googled a few things on the menu to find out what they were. For example, I learned that sashimi is raw meat or fish thinly sliced.

Larry wanted sushi with salmon, and I wanted a vegetarian roll with cream cheese, avocado, and cucumber. We filled out our papers. Then we decided on the main dishes: teriyaki steak and shrimp for Larry, vegetable tempura for me.

The service was so nice. We got our sushi and rolls, then onion soup, which I had never had but found delicious. A green salad followed with a dressing that tasted good even though we didn’t know what kind it was.

When the main meal came, it was on a tray, with a bamboo mat covering the bottom. It was a multitude of food.

I loved the dishes—the small ones for the sauces, the soup spoon perfectly shaped, the pretty plates.

No, I didn’t get any photos. I was concentrating on the food and atmosphere, but now I wish I had snapped a few.

I wanted to try the chopsticks and took them out of the wrapper. I couldn’t figure out at first that I was supposed to pull them apart (don’t laugh). I fiddled with them a little, but I couldn’t seem to get the hang of it.

Larry brought his chopsticks home and practiced this afternoon. I think he wants to go back soon for more food.

So why is this something to be particularly thankful for? I spent time with my husband, we ate good food, and we had fun experiencing something new. We might have been a bit embarrassed by our lack of knowledge, but we just joked about it and had a good time.

These little adventures—these moments of life—they mean so much to me nowadays. I no longer wait for the perfect time to have the perfect day. Any day can be made an adventure, don’t you think?

Blessings to all of you, and if you celebrate Thanksgiving, have a wonderful holiday!

Note: This week, instead of posting on Thursday, I’ll post on Friday.

Nearing the end of the growing season

The raised bed garden on Aug. 23, 2014.

The harvest from our raised bed garden is nearing its end. We’re still getting a few cucumbers, but other plants have died, wilted, or been pulled up.

It was a season of adventure and disappointment. We didn’t get the tomatoes we wanted—blight took most of them. And we didn’t get any broccoli—green worms got those plants.

But we got plenty of two types of lettuce, lots of cucumbers, peppers, and onions. We felt the pleasure of working soil. We enjoyed the excitement of watching something grow from seeds—watching that process will never get old.

And we learned a lot.

*Decide early on if you’re going to use pesticides or go organic.

*Don’t plant too much, too close together.

*You will have to thin some plants.

*If you buy plants, buy early and buy the best looking ones you can find.

*Get a good gardening book.

Seedlings in April 2014.

Raised bed garden on May 10, 2014.

The addition of tomatoes on May 19, 2014.

Raised bed garden on June 15, 2014.

This fall, we’ll be working on the soil in the bed. The topsoil that we bought for it was supposed to be great for planting. But we found that it contained a lot of clods of dirt difficult to break up. And the soil got too hard once it dried.

Larry has already worked up one section with materials including peat moss and perlite. We’ll do the rest this fall and add some composting type materials to it, too.

And I plan to learn more about organic gardening and have supplies on hand early next year.

All in all, it’s been a rewarding experience. And like all farmers, we hope for a better crop next year.

If you have a garden, how did yours do this year?

Gardening update: The thrill of watching things grow

Lettuce

As I write this on Tuesday night, it’s falling into the 30s outside. There’s a freeze warning, with temperatures expected to be in the 20s by morning.

I didn’t get home from the newspaper office until 9:30. Then I went outside to help Larry put a tarp and other protection around our tender plants.

The little green shoots are so pretty.

Radishes and onions in an open part of the raised bed.

On Saturday, April 5, I planted a variety of vegetables, including two kinds of lettuce, two kinds of onions, radishes, carrots, broccoli, and cucumbers.

Larry did the watering during the following week because work kept me inside much of the time.

On Saturday, I checked on the progress of the plants and watered them.

I was so excited to see the little bits of green popping up.

Radishes on Saturday.

Little onions on Saturday.

Lettuce on Saturday.

I know many of you have gardened for years, but it has been a long time since I’ve enjoyed the wonder of planting a seed and seeing something grow from it. It’s a thrill.

Sunday morning, I watered again and thought I noticed a little more growth.

Monday evening, things needed water, but I knew that the forecast was calling for heavy rain overnight Monday into Tuesday. So I just checked on the progress.

And boy, did I see progress. The radishes had grown significantly, and there were more onions popping up.

Radishes on Monday.

Onions on Monday.

Enough lettuce had grown to see the rows that I had laid out.

Lettuce on Monday.

On Saturday, I feared for my broccoli and cucumbers. But by Monday, little shoots were popping up.

Broccoli.

Cucumbers.

Now if they can just withstand any freezing.

Do you like to see new plants popping up out of the soil? What’s your favorite vegetable to grow?

Note: I am still a bit frustrated with my new computer. Bear with me if this page doesn't look like normal!

An upcoming adventure and other randoms

I’m once again joining Random 5 Friday with Nancy of A Rural Journal. Check out her website for more bloggers joining in with their own randoms.

I didn't have any basketball photos to share. So I'm sharing a photo of my messy work desk on a layout day. The proof sheets are on my desk. The InDesign program with a newspaper page is pulled up on my computer.

One

Last week, my editor called me into his office.

“What’s your word for this year?” he asked.

“Adventure,” I said.

“Well, I have an adventure for you,” he said, and laughed.

“Oh, you’re going to give me a horrible assignment, aren’t you?”

“Oh, no, no. It’s going to be fun,” he said.

He asked me to cover the state basketball finals.

Two

Why is this assignment significant? I’m not a sportswriter. I’ve never covered a basketball game. I’ve never written about a basketball game.

But my editor has to be out of town this weekend, and both the Altavista boys and girls teams were playing in the state semifinals last Friday in Salem.

If either or both teams won, I would have to go to Richmond on March 15 to cover the game or games, along with the other staff writer, who would take photographs.

The girls lost, but the boys won last Friday.

Three

So I’ll be on the road to Richmond tomorrow to the Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

I’ll sit in the press row with the other reporters and follow the game, then interview coaches and players afterwards.

I’ll write a short overview for the website, and then on Monday, I’ll write the full story for next week’s paper.

My co-worker, who will be doing the photography, is an old hand at covering such events, so he’ll be a big help.

I understand the game—I love the game! And I’m going to do my best to write a great story.

Four

The Altavista Colonels will play the Radford Bobcats.

Altavista won the state title last year in the Group 1A division. Radford won the state title last year in the Group 2A division.

After last year’s games, schools were reclassified, and Radford got moved to the Group 1A based on size of school.

So in a twist, the game will feature two defending state champs.

Five

I’m nervous, but I’m also looking forward to the experience. It will be an adventure—doing something I’ve never done, watching the game and trying to capture it in words, being a part of all the excitement.

I’ll have to maintain my professional distance while I’m covering the game. So let me give a shout out now: Go, Colonels!

What adventure do you have planned for this weekend!

After the break

I took this photo of Chase Bird with my cell phone in February. I didn't take many photos during my break except those for the newspaper.

Hello, dear readers. I hope you are doing well. I’ve missed you during my two-week break!

I enjoyed the freedom from the routine of writing a post three times a week. I use that word “freedom” carefully. I love blogging and I love the interaction with readers, but I found that I needed a break from the routine, even though I love that routine.

I’ve done a lot of thinking and soul searching during my break. I’ve wondered about the future of my blog and my work.

I started my blog in November 2011 with the purpose of educating others about OCD and offering encouragement to those with OCD. At first, I mostly wrote quite specifically about OCD or the accompanying depression and anxiety that I experience.

Gradually, I started to write more about my daily life. I think the change happened logically and organically. By that I mean that it happened naturally.

I have wondered if I am of any help to those who have OCD, depression and anxiety. I have wondered if I am giving a false impression about what my blog is about. I’ve wondered if I should somehow re-label my blog, even change the title. I’ve wondered if I should keep blogging.

But I am still a woman with OCD. I still fight depression and anxiety. Though I’m in a good place, mental illness still affects me, my daily choices, my health, my outlook.

I love the connections of blogging. I love writing something that someone in another part of the world can respond to. I love learning about how others think on different topics. I love connecting with people I never would have if not for blogging.

I still believe in connection. I still believe that all of life is interconnected. I still want to help others feel less alone.

So I’m going to keep on blogging. I may decide to make some changes, and I still have a lot to consider. If any of you have any suggestions for me, I’d appreciate the input.

Meanwhile, here are a few other things I did during my blog break:

*Took Chase Bird to the vet to get his rabies shot. That’s a whole other story.

*Finally got my books sorted and put up on the bookcases we have now. Suggested to Larry that he needed to build some bookcases for the books that are still in boxes.

*Got our taxes done.

*Received an “adventurous” newspaper story assignment. Again, a whole other story.

*Got more snow, but I didn’t have time to play in it.

*Read three more John Sandford books and did various other reading.

An old passion comes to life

I couldn’t sit still. I kept moving around in my chair. My legs were shaking. Every couple of minutes I got up and paced. My heart rate had gone up—I could tell.

What was I so nervous about? Was it a situation at work? Was I trying to stare down a compulsion? Was it a panic attack?

No. It was a basketball game.

I don’t think I’ve ever written on this blog about the obsession that I once had about basketball, specifically college basketball. It wasn’t an OCD obsession. It didn’t adversely affect my life. It was more of a passion. I haven’t indulged in it for a long time, but Tuesday night, I did.

I had a passion for college basketball, especially ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) games, especially University of Virginia games.

It started when I was in high school. I remember watching my first NCAA championship game in 1979: Indiana State versus Michigan State, Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson. I was pulling for Indiana State. Even though Michigan State prevailed, I was hooked.

I soon discovered UVA basketball, when Ralph Sampson joined the team during the 1979-1980 season. Sampson, Jeff Lamp, Jeff Jones, Ricky Stokes, Lee Raker—those were among the names I followed every Saturday afternoon, watching the games on TV.

I knew who most of the starting players were on all eight teams in the ACC. I knew who all the coaches were. I read the sports pages and even kept a scrapbook of clippings about Virginia basketball.

I loved the constant action of basketball, the finesse, the beauty of the basketball swooshing through the net, the skills required.

When I watched the games, I was totally immersed. I called out to the players, encouraging them. I cheered, I yelled, I pounded on the floor.

My family put up with me.

When I was a student at UVA from 1981-83, I attended a game at University Hall every chance I got.

During my first year, a guy I had met at a party called me up one late afternoon to see if I’d like to watch that night’s game on TV with him. I politely declined, telling him I had a ticket to the game and would be there in person.

My suitemates were astounded that I would turn down a “date” to go to a basketball game. I was astounded that they thought I would give up the chance to be there.

No worries. The guy called later and said he’d scored a ticket, so we attended the game together.

As I got older, I got busier with adult responsibilities and didn’t keep up with the game.

Right now, I can’t name five players on the UVA team. I can’t even name all the teams in the ACC anymore.

But Tuesday night, I watched the game between Virginia and one of its archrivals, Virginia Tech.

Virginia is having a very good year—the best since the early 1980s, when I was such a fan. I finished up at work earlier than usual for a Tuesday night, so I came home and turned on the game.

It was a nail biter. Virginia Tech made Virginia work for the win, but my team won: 57-53.

And I was almost as excited as I was when I was a teenager. Go, ‘Hoos!

I think more games are in my near future.

And on a side note, the win was particularly sweet because I live with a Virginia Hokie. Yes, Larry is a Hokie. But I claim victory tonight.

What passion from your past do you still hold on to?

Random 5 Friday: Adventures in the snow

Happy Friday, and Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you are all doing well.

I’m joining Nancy of A Rural Journal in Random 5 Friday, a very fun meme. To join in the fun, go HERE.

 

Our upper driveway as the snow fell on Thursday.

One

Virginia got snow! Altavista got snow!

I’ve written before how I love snow, so Wednesday and Thursday were exciting for me. We haven’t had this much snow in about four years. We got around 10 inches, maybe a bit more since it snowed again all afternoon Thursday. Lots of other parts of Virginia got more.

It started snowing Wednesday afternoon and snowed all night into Thursday morning, plus Thursday afternoon.

Looking down our street.

 

Looking up our street.

Two

I have marveled at the beauty of the snow, especially how it looked on the trees and branches of bare shrubs.

Looking out the window on the side yard.

Each branch made beautiful by the snow. 

Three

I have not been sledding in years. In fact, I don’t remember going sledding since I was a teenager. But Thursday, we got out a sled and a snowboard, and Larry and I packed a good path in the side yard. Then I went flying!

Adventure is my word this year, but foolhardy is not. I knew I couldn’t stand on the snowboard, so I sat on it.

Larry wouldn't try it. He said he didn't want to break something. But he pushed me and took photos. And laughed with me.

Me taking a break. I am soaking wet. 

This photo is a little blurry, but you can still see I'm having a great adventure!

Four

I didn’t know I had so much laughter and yelling—the joyful kind—in me. I laughed, yelled, squealed, and had a fabulous time sliding down the hill and falling into the snow.

After one fall, I just rolled over on my back and lay in the snow, looking up at the sky. It was turning gray, getting ready for more weather. The branches of the trees were stark against the sky. And I was content.

Five

For Valentine’s Day, Larry and I are going to eat tonight at Main Street Café and Coffee, a restaurant in Altavista where we often enjoy lunch. They don’t normally serve dinner, but they are having a special Valentine’s dinner featuring tastes of Italy. We’re looking forward to a nice evening.

It’s a Snow Cat

If the weather forecasters are correct, there’s snow coming to Virginia, including Altavista, today and tomorrow. Finally, we are supposed to get a storm from the south, which brings more snow than the little “clippers” we’ve been getting.

I haven’t made any snowmen this year—not enough snow. But I thought I’d be brave and show you a snow creature that I built almost five years ago, in March 2009.

We had an unexpectedly deep snow. I worked for a state agency then, and we closed for the day. So I got to get out and play in the snow.

I carefully created a Snow Cat.

Larry looked at it and asked, “Why did you make a Snow Squirrel?”

“It’s a cat,” I said.

“It’s a squirrel,” he said.

Can you believe that we still have this discussion whenever it snows?

I say it was a Snow Cat. He says it was a Snow Squirrel.

Have you made a snowman, or another kind of snow creature, lately?

Random 5 Friday: Down by the River

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you’ve had a good week. My thoughts go out to those who are in the middle of snow and ice and power outages.

It’s time for Random 5 Friday, a great meme started by Nancy of A Rural Journal. Click HERE to find more bloggers who have posted their Random 5!

The Staunton River at Altavista, Virginia. Seeing all these spots in the photo makes me think I need to clean my lens cover.

One

I was off from my newspaper job on Thursday, so Larry and I had lunch at a local café. I had the vegan four-bean chili—delicious! I failed to get a photo, though.

Then we went to English Park and enjoyed walking around and taking photos of the Staunton River. It has been a while since we’ve been down there. It’s always good to see what changes have occurred and to hear the sound of the water once again.

I like the look of the light in the trees surrounding Larry. The river is right beyond his feet.

Two

We watched a bit of the Winter Olympics, including figure skating. I get a little nervous when I watch the skaters go into one of those high jumps where they spin in mid-air. I’m always wondering if they’ll land OK.

Even when the announcers sound disappointed in the performance, I think, Well, most people can’t do any of that on ice. Looks pretty good to me.

Three

We enjoy watching the snowboarding, too. I’ve never been snowboarding. I’ve never even gone skiing. But it seems like flying through the air must be such an exhilarating feeling.

Wintergreen Resort is not that far from where we live. I’d like to try skiing sometime. It would such an adventure, and this year is about adventure. But I am rather clumsy, and I don’t want to deal with a broken bone. If I don’t go skiing, am I being practical or afraid—or both?

Do you ski or snowboard?

Four

When you do creative endeavors such as writing, painting, drawing, crafting or photo editing, do you listen to music? If so, what kind?

I am experimenting with what works for me. I don’t listen to music when I’m doing editing work or journalism. But when I’m writing fiction or poetry, I often like to listen to music. Words get in the way, though. Any suggestions for some good instrumental music to listen to?

Five

I love doing research. I love learning new things and making connections between what I learned yesterday and what I’m learning today.

The research I’m doing for my novel is fun. I have a lot to do, but it’s so interesting, it doesn’t seem like work.

What do you love to research?