Changes

 Life is full of changes, as I've mentioned in my columns of the past. Well...here comes another change in my life. I've decided to step back from editor/publisher and return to reporting, writing, photographing and spending time with friends and family. Josh has taught me so much about publishing a newspaper, and some of it has enhanced my life already. Learning is my favorite thing to do, so I happily latched on to all the new skills I could, but now, it's time to back off a little bit.  

Change can be difficult, and sometimes downright unpleasant, but it usually results in growth, which I have always embraced as something important in my life. 

One of my favorite authors is Maya Angelou. She said, "If I'm not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?" 

Another favorite quote of mine is by Mark Victor Hansen, "Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful   Both of these quotes apply to my life, and have made it easier to accept change.

I'm excited to return to the "field" so to speak, and write about what's happening in the Valley, and share some of my thoughts in columns like this, and some of the photos I shoot as I'm cruising around the mountains. 

I'm sure my old dog, Buddy, will appreciate my being available more. He's developing arthritis in his feet and can't get around as well as he used to so now he can spend more time soaking his paws in the kiddie pool or rolling around in the yard, scratching his back on the grass. 

The chickens are also looking forward to my being home a little more, throwing scraps to them and finding the juiciest worms and freshest dandelions in the yard to serve up as a treat. 

I've missed my early morning bread baking and waffle making as well. 

With summer at hand and a little more spare time on my hands, the grandkids can come to visit more often. Those Tonka trucks are way too clean, and there are some very pretty blocks of polymer clay just waiting for little hands to mold a creation into reality. The old 1919 Hand crank Singer will be threaded and ready for the next fashion creation dreamed up by one of them to sew. 

I hope to visit with you soon, and catch up on what's been happening in your life. 

Summer in the Valley always comes with every weekend scheduled for an event. I hope you'll take a minute to relax and sit back and smell the flowers, the rain, and the clean air. 

Please feel free to reach out and share with me. My address hasn't changed, just my chair.