I've been neglecting my blog... here it is almost the new year already! Wow! These past months have gone by so quickly!!
    So, a little on what I've been up to recently...
    Of course, working on The Town Sound has been keeping me pretty busy. That usually takes one week of going business to business to finalize deals and see what ads to run for the coming month, and then another solid week of putting it all together - creating the ads, designing the publication, and sending it off to the printing company. After that comes the delivering and more business visits for the next month... and so it goes.
    I've been wanting to put The Town Sound online for a while now, not just in booklet form (which it has been already now for some time), but by article, author, etc. That way someone can search for a particular column that they especially like such as "Dumb Crook of the Month" - our most popular by far - and go right to that specific column.
    Well, I've finally done it! The Town Sound is now officially online in reader-friendly format. Go to www.thetownsound.com and under the tab that says "The Town Sound - Online Version", you will see another tab titled "Fun, Facts, and Featured Articles". Here you will find every column featured in our magazine listed in alphabetical order. Click on one of these links, and you'll see that particular column - not only for the current month, but for every previous issue as well. 
    The next thing I will be working on is featuring the local businesses that advertise with us on our website, and hopefully incorporating links to those businesses as well. We'll see how that works out... Enjoy!

    Hard to believe these months fly by so fast! Here we are heading in to September in just a matter of weeks, and fall will be just around the corner. Anyway, here's the update for this month... I have officially begun work on yet another website (this will be number five!). For many years people have told me that I should start selling my handcrafted cards, and I am finally creating a website that will be for that purpose.
     For me, though, it is always easier and more enjoyable creating cards for one specific person instead of ones that could be for anybody and that are more general in design. So I will probably not do too much "mass production", but will focus more on specially-ordered cards where someone can order a card made just for that special person in their life, or one designed around a specific theme.
     Next up? Website # 6! But for now, I have to get back to work and get our next issue of The Town Sound ready to send out to print!

   Just got through a big job; had to use all the help we could get... Dad, Elizabeth, Rachel, Rebekah, Kath, Judah, Johannah, Ezekiel, and of course, myself.  Had to empty and clean a house, basement and garage, and there was a LOT of stuff to sort, pack, and clear out. But with everyone pitching in, we managed to get the job done in about three days. Not bad!
   Now we're back to trying to get the store in order, so we can open! And I am so looking forward to that. It's been a while since we've last been open. But we are finally making progress in getting ready to reopen, and it's exciting to see (even though we still have a lot to do!).
   This week, though, we'll have to take a little break... It's that time again! The Town Sound is ready for delivery!

Just getting over this pertussis or "whooping cough" sickness. A little over three weeks ago I first caught it as it was making the rounds in our family. Never can I remember having any sickness as long-lasting or as hard-hitting as this one. For at least two weeks I was so drained of energy that I couldn't even go up a flight of stairs without pausing half-way up and panting as if I had just come back from a jog. At first I was able to push through and continue working, but it got to the point where I did not even have the energy to lift my arm to wipe something down. One day in the middle of this sickness I attempted to do a small job for a friend, but not even an hour into it I felt like I was going to pass out from the tiny bit of exertion that I was doing. I ended up being able to finish the job only by doing most of the work sitting on the floor and taking frequent breathing spells in between.
  Now, finally starting to get my strength back (and my head! This sickness taxes you not only physically, but mentally as well!), I start to feel the joy of once more being able to work, eat, sleep... things that we just take for granted so much of the time. How many people are never able to enjoy the things that we enjoy every day due to a disability or lifelong illness that impairs their strength either physically or mentally, or both. I think the saying is true that you never appreciate something as much as when it is taken away from you.

  Thank you, God, for the ability to work, eat, sleep, and enjoy life.

Well! The second copy of The Town Sound has gone off to print... look for it soon ladies and gentlemen!
Now it's time to catch up on the hundred little things I never get around to... not. I think I'll just take a half-day break and then... off to work again. It's a good thing I love my job. ☺

   Well, yesterday and today we put in two full days of walking, going from house to house and handing out copies of our new publication "The Town Sound". What nice weather it was, too! Not too hot, sunny, no rain threatening... We started later in the morning, took a break for lunch, then went for another run till about six. 
   Now it seems like I can feel every muscle in my body! But what a happy feeling to get so much accomplished! And it was our publication - that makes it more fun handing them out. A few years back we were doing pretty much the same thing, except that we were handing out flyers for someone else. Passing out something that you've actually put the work and creativity into is a whole different thing.
   Even though now all I feel like doing is sitting down and relaxing, I love going door to door and handing out flyers. I enjoy the exercise and the people interaction that you get. And I have always enjoyed being outdoors, especially when the weather is so nice! I drink it all in: the sweet scent of freshly cut grass and beautiful flowers, the bright colors springing up from the ground this time of year, the sound of birds singing cheerily now that spring has arrived. And my heart is filled with gratitude to God for the beauty all around me. I am very blessed!