Another year...

and another silent phone.

There is a part of me that is the eternal optimist. Or it could be I have an over-sized imagination that I let loose a bit too often. For instance, every day when I go to the mailbox to collect the mail, there is a part of me that thinks, "There is going to be a large, unexpected check inside." There have been the very rare occasions when an unexpected check did arrive, so it just feeds the flame. Usually it is just ads... or bills... or on a banner day, both ads and bills. Does that stop me from secretly hoping for the large check the next day? No, not at all.

Which brings us to the title. You may have heard the the MacArthur Genius Grants were announced this week. I was not given one. This comes as no surprise to anyone, I know. Still, like the mail, there is always a very small part of me that thinks, "Maybe this year..."  For what it would be awarded to me, I have no idea. I'm pretty sure consistent blogging is not what they are looking for. Reading a lot? Consistent blogging and reading a lot while raising a bunch of children? Would that count for something? I'm grasping here, can you tell?

Does that stop me from planning how I would spend the $800,000 that comes along with the award? Not at all. So far I have: pay off the barn, build more fences and create a track system for my horses, build an indoor arena so all my horse work could continue through the winter, add sheep, buy a bunch of spinning wheels to teach others to spin on, set some aside for those blasted property taxes, and buy an 8-shaft loom. That's a pretty decent start, I think. 

It's good to be prepared with ideas just in case. There's always next year...

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