Time for a reality check

It has been a little more than a year since I resurrected my creative persona as The Knitted Raven.

I've learned that while I still enjoy creating with wire, it takes more energy than I might have expected.  And as other things crop up in my life, jewelry making is often the first thing that gets put on the back burner as I struggle to keep up with just plain daily living.

On a brighter note, I do enjoy making instructional videos, so I expect that will continue, though likely at a reduced pace of 1-2 videos per month.

My congestive heart failure remains unchanged.  I still have a low ejection fraction and struggle with low blood pressure issues, sleep disruptions and anxiety on a daily basis. The LAM has been stable (thank goodness), but it remains a specter lurking in my mind. While I might be able to "pass" as well at first glance, I still need a three hour nap some days in order to attend a one hour meeting via Zoom. 

As the cost of living continues to increase in my area, my family are looking at ways to bring our energy costs down and increase our food security.  My partner and I have recently begun indoor container gardening.  Our goal is to grow some food year round as a way of having better access to fresh vegetables throughout the winter, without breaking the budget.

We've also expanded our rhubarb garden, established a new strawberry bed and planted raspberry bushes.  I did a little foraging last year and plan to do more this year.  On the agenda are:

• dandelion jelly
• red clover jelly, vinegar and oil 
• rose hip jelly and tea
• wild raspberry tea
• blueberry picking
• rose petal tea

The goal is to explore drying as a preservation method to complement the jam and jelly making.

I also have a couple of things on my wish list that I'd like to get to this summer - creative projects that don't involve wire. I've had water color supplies for a while now and I've got two partially finished manuscripts that deserve to be completed.

But I certainly don't have the energy or stamina to do it all.  While I have moments when I feel very good, and I consider these to be a blessing, I am not the woman I once was.  

And instead of considering this a bad thing, I've decided to consider it an opportunity.  If I am not the woman I once was, perhaps I can become something fresh and new, to me.

So I've decided to close my Etsy Shop.  I will keep my YouTube Channel going and add to it as I can.  But the bulk of my energy will be focused on family projects and exploring some new creative outlets.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout the past few years.  I'm not disappearing entirely, so I hope you'll stay tuned to see what comes next.