New skills falling like rain today...

It is only Sunday morning but I've already learned a lot this weekend. Yesterday I learned to mow the "lawn". That was a first. I made it into my 40s without ever having mowed grass. That is because I've largely lived places where I think it is criminal to have lawns. Nevada. New Mexico. Colorado. Not that there is anything wrong with grass. I just don't understand pouring drinking water on a plant that is meant for climates with rain.

This house/studio is a rental and the instructions from the landlords were literally, "just don't let the grass die completely--the city will cite us." So keeping grass healthy apparently involves cutting it from time to time. We hired the neighbor boy to cut it last year, but finally realized that the $17.50 we were paying him every week would quickly pay for a mower (and was more than we made in an hour which just seemed wrong as he is eleven). This pathetic little patch is under some big pine trees so it hardly grows as it gets no sun. A push mower seemed the thing, and one was found at the big orange box store.

We spent Friday evening cruising the lawn mower aisle with a lot of youngish men debating the benefits of this or that power mower. We brushed past a little clot of them surrounding a riding mower and slunk down to the end of the aisle where there were a couple forlorn push mowers. Yep. The ones without power. After about 20 minutes of asking ourselves whether we really needed the ones that make a lot of noise, we bought the best push mower, because if Fiskars makes great sewing scissors, certainly they could make blades that cut grass.

I put it together yesterday morning and 20 minutes later had a nicely shorn "lawn" and stronger biceps.

Learning is good. I learn a great deal from my students. Honestly one of the biggest reasons to teach is that you learn so much. I bet I learn more than they do most days.

I learned a new computer program for presentations after the lawn thing yesterday. Watch out! My videos and classroom presentations are about to become EPIC much better. Last week I learned how to put drop shadows on my tapestry photos. Also very thrilling.

Note to self: One step at a time is how it is done. one. step. at. a. time.

Today is a day for paperwork. The Color Gradation for Tapestry presentation needs some tweaking for the class I teach starting Thursday in Golden, CO. I've wanted to fix it up for years. It was never bad, mind you... just didn't quite give them that whole picture view I want at the beginning of the class. This week is the week... hopefully the guinea pigs students will love it.

(Still spots! There are still many spots open. Come join us! The Recycled Lamb. Yep. That is desperation speaking.)

Oh, and it is actually raining! It is suppose to rain all day. You have no idea how glorious it is to get rain in the desert. My apologies to California.