“Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crises.” -Elizabeth Zimmerman
Almost two years ago today my life took a sudden, unplanned turn. I was a biology teacher, and there was almost nothing about my job that I didn’t love. The opportunities for creativity were endless. The kids were amazing. The expansion of knowledge and understandings within the field of biology are explosive and every year there was something new to learn about and teach. Technology made it possible for me to create unique and meaningful learning experiences for my students. The hands-on activities and labs were endless. I loved, loved, loved my job. OK, grading papers was a little tough, the hours were endless, and teachers were taking a beating in the press, but I loved the job. Actually, it wasn’t a job; for me it was a more like a calling.
The first day of fall break I received a phone call, rushed to an ER, and suddenly I was reminded that our lives are not entirely our own.
I retired.
Good-bye biology classroom. Hello yarn stash.
It’s funny how things turn out. Crash landing into retirement is not for the faint of heart, but it can take you to the place where your heart is. During the first few months of retirement I packed away the contents of my biology classroom and waded into the craft room of my house to clean out my stash. Let me tell you, this is a stash to be proud of. I had more yarn than some of the yarn shops I frequent. I’d been buying yarn for years and stashing it with plans for its use some day “when I retired”. I also had acquired a spinning wheel, a loom (OK, I have three of those…), several quilt kits and some fleeces to spin from friends’ sheep. Then there were the books. Boy, do I have books. I love to read every day outside by the gardens. Yep, I have more than one garden bed, and they all have names.
Maybe I hadn’t planned for this turn in my life, but I was well prepared for the day when it arrived. While being consumed by the best job in the world I was stockpiling those other things that I love so that they would be there for me when I walked out of the classroom.
So this is me, evolving into a new life form. This blog will chronicle my adventures as I begin this new stage of my life with all of the fiber that I have stashed, the books that I already love and the ones that I will discover, and my struggles in the garden. Hopefully the biology that I have loved for so long and taught to so many young people will also be a part of this new life.
Yarn, Books & Roses 
You know, knitting is (in my opinion) a dying art. My daughters took a class from one of their teachers, but when it ended, so did their knitting. Now we have needles and yarn but no knowledge. Think about offering knitting classes at the local library or through Colorado Free University (I just took a class on going to Italy). You might be surprised at who you inspire and make a little cash along the way!
Thanks, Lisa. I’ll have to think about this. Teaching and knitting at the same time? Woohoo!