Bucket List

A "Bucket List" is not a new idea, but it is a novel one that many people began to think about when the movie of the same name came out. Aptly named after the phrase "kick the bucket" (to die), this list is an enumeration of things a person would like to do before they die.

I've thought about my bucket list occasionally and so I decided to put some of it into writing.

1. Visit Alaska
2. Ride in a dog sled
3. Take a sleigh ride
4. Take a train trip from Seattle to Fairbanks, and then again from Fairbanks to Anchorage.
5. Try kite skiing
6. Fish for Steelhead
7. Go on a cattle drive
8. Learn to fly a small plane
9. Write a historical novel while vacationing in a log cabin
10. Pan for gold
11. Learn to make an arrowhead
12. Visit all the places my grandparents and great grandparents lived (eastern United States)

An of course there are many other things I'd like to do, but these made the list today.

As a child I had a list of things I wanted to do. Here are some things I've accomplished:

1. Learn to read and write Braille
2. Use a potter's wheel to make a pot from clay
3. Make a "Lost Wax Cast" silver ring
4. Learn to clean, comb, and spin wool
5. Learn to weave
6. Be a mother to many children
7. Help teach and care for children who have special needs
8. Write a book
9. Dye yarn
10. Have my own library
11. Own a horse
12. Own sheep

Re 1: Just before I turned age 12 I heard the story about Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan. I read and re-read the story, and then read it a few more times. I never knew that there were children with special needs. I had met some people who were deaf, but never a child with any disability. After that book, and that year, my eyes were open. That is when I learned, on my own, how to read and write in Braille. I received a little slate and stylus (pencil and paper for writing braille with) for my birthday. And once I learned to punch out words I was connected with a lady who used Braille for writing. She and I would correspond for many years.

Re 2 & 3: I was always a creative child and took every art and craft class that was available to me. In high school I learned to use a potters wheel, and took a pottery class in summer school one year. I also learned to make a silver ring by the lost wax method when I was in high school. I learned to make stained glass, soldering the pieces together, and made a pair of Mediterranean style hanging lamps in a metal shop class.


Re 4 & 5, 9, 11 & 12: It was not till I became an adult and we purchased our current home that we had room for animals. We started with sheep. I love wool and my parents bought me a spinning wheel many years before. It was a long time, trial and error, before I could spin a decent yarn. I learned to weave after purchasing a large table loom from a thrift store. It looked like an old school loom, one that is for teaching people to weave. When I saw it in the thrift store I went home and told my husband about it. And I thought about that loom for about 48 hours. My husband told me to go get it. I think I paid about $75 for it. That started my love of weaving. I'm now on my second floor loom (I sold the first one to buy the second one), and on my second table loom (I sold the first one to buy the first floor loom).

Mostly I weave shawls but I have made a Tartan for my mother (and I dyed the yarn for the colors!), I made material for a long coat that I then sewed (for those of you who know how much I dislike sewing, this is a very special gift I made for a friend). I've made scarfs, and pillow coverings, baby blankets, and more shawls. And you should see how much yarn I have.... A weaver can never have too much yarn!

And now with a pasture I was able to raise my own sheep for the wool (and meat). My first experience with sheep came with a pair, ram and ewe. The ram was a large Romney. His name was Joker. During rutt season (mating in the fall) he didn't want anyone between him and the ewe. The way our pasture and barn was set up I HAD to go into the pasture to get their feed as the barn was inside the fence. One day he turned to me and ran, butting me good. I landed a few feet from where I had been standing. He tried to butt me again several times, but a swinging club prevented him from carrying out his threats.

I have many more animal stories, the rooster was a special one also...... and we've had a variety of other animals. Today a pair of horses share the pasture. Sweet mares, with nary an ounce of trouble in them. We don't ride them much anymore. Still they are beautiful to look at, keep the grasses in the pasture cut, and love to be around us when we go out to feed them.

Re 6, 7 & 8: I became a mother at age 19. Motherhood instilled responsibility in me. It was something I had always known I would do, so I decided I would become the best mother I could be. Growing up, my sons didn't always think I was the best mom, but now they do. My how views change when you become an adult! When the doors opened to provide foster care for medically fragile children we chose to walk through and not look back.

Foster care is a commitment, and a lifestyle. Our social circle changed, except for those who would stand by us even though we weren't able to do the things they were doing. Those are our forever friends, Bill & Kay, Vicki & Jeff, Rob & Cherie, Mike & Mary, Dave & Suzie. We have other friends also, but those special people kept us in their hearts even though we could not be as socially free due to being foster parents for those very special children.



Writing my book about foster parenting children with special needs was a labor of love. I enjoyed being a foster parent so much I want to see other foster parents make it, as we did, for many years. This is only possible through patience, and the support and experience of others. If I did not have support (Vicki, Jenni, & Cherie) during the stressful times, I don't know if we would have made it for 17 years as foster parents. I have helped, trained, and supported many children and their families. And now with this book written, a desire is fulfilled.


Re 10: One of my most favorite things in this world is books. I have dozens, no, hundreds of books, and I have a library. It took a long time to collect all the books, and even longer to get them on shelves. But the subjects have always been the same. I enjoy history, especially US history. I also enjoy crafts of all sorts, so I have many craft books. Several of my book cases are devoted to Biblical and Religious studies, and includes all the important reference works. And then there are the novels, nearly all are historical in nature. Sometimes I purchase non-fiction works, especially if I need to learn about something. I homeschooled one of my boys from age 10 through his 18th year. I have many books for learning things. I also have music books. One cannot have too many music books! And picture books... especially those about national parks, and nature in other countries. Books are such a great item to have around. They don't use up any electricity and you can have so many adventures between paper pages. So if you are ever visiting, and you need a good book, I bet I have one you would like.