Are You a Clay Pot?

Grey and sticky, the clay is just a block at the beginning. The potter will take a chunk and begin to work it on a flat surface. He kneads and pounds the clay to make it more pliable. When it’s ready, he places it on the wheel, water is added, and the potter begins to “center” the clay on the wheel.


If the clay is not centered the vessel will be hard to keep steady and will not shape right. Centering happens by applying pressure to the top and sides of the mound of clay. Often it takes time to get a piece centered on the wheel. Centering is perhaps the most important aspect of creating a clay pot.

After the potter has worked the clay into the pot he has envisioned it’s set aside to dry. Before the clay completely dries and hardens it’s again placed on the wheel and the potter uses tools to trim and perfect the shape and design. Then comes the first firing in the kiln. Extreme temperatures are reached in order to harden this clay into a usable vessel.

Finally the potter glazes the piece; carefully choosing colors to compliment the shape and purpose of this particular pot. Back in the kiln the pot goes for a final high temperature firing.

What emerges from the kiln is vastly different from the lump of clay it was to begin with. It has been transformed into a coffee mug, a bowl, a plate, or a decorative piece.

A couple of years ago I made a New Year’s goal to try something new each month for that year. Taking a beginning pottery class was one of the things I tried that year. I found a thoroughly enjoyable activity that turned out to have life lessons for me.

My life as a Christian is much like a lump of clay that’s being turned into something beautiful and useful. As I worked with the clay I came to see why the Bible speaks of God being the potter and me being the clay.

This lump of clay has been kneaded and pounded to make it supple enough to begin molding. As I look back on my life I see how God has kneaded and pounded me. I went through my first lay-off five years ago. It was traumatic and hard. I railed and cried and demanded that God do something.

Yet, when I look back I see that the lessons learned during that time served me when I again was going through a lay-off. I had seen God’s provision and plan in the last job loss and I was able to trust that He would be faithful through another. His pounding earlier made me pliable enough to be open to His work at this time. Sometimes our lessons are hard and traumatic. Yet they are so very necessary to our growth.

As I worked at centering my clay on the wheel I began to get a better picture of being centered as a Christian. Without that center, I wobble around the wheel and the vessel I am is misshapen and not suitable for the plan God has for me. Centering takes pressure on the top and sides of the clay. God’s centering requires pressure on me from sources beyond our control.

During the period I was trying to find another job God was applying pressure. I continued to work as a temp during that period. I was doing a job that might have been considered beneath my education and experience. God continued to apply pressure until I began to see that He was providing for me. He was giving me rest in this job that I didn’t have to think too hard to do. And He was teaching me patience and grace.

That same year I was called upon to remember those earlier lessons. God was again providing and giving me rest. He knew what was coming with my dad’s surgery and my mom’s death. He knew that more than anything I would be grateful for the ten months of being there for them and sharing special times with them. Because I was centered in Him, I could rest in His plan for this time.

Heat is a crucial element in the making of a clay pot. The firing is what makes the vessel tough and durable. God uses fire in our lives to shape us. He used fire in my life that year as He has prepared me for my new purpose. For the last several years, my purpose has revolved around being a care giver for my mom. That changed with her death. Still, in the preceding months I began to sense God’s leading me to minister to other care givers. Looking back I see this was God preparing me for my changing purpose.

Yes, without the fire of that year I would not be able to minister to care givers. I would not have the strength or the compassion to support them. God tested me with fire to make me tough and durable.

Finally, the potter glazes his piece to bring out its beauty. God has been glazing me through the experiences of my life to bring out the beauty of my life. He has provided good times amongst the bad times to remind me that He is good. He has worked on patience, strength, compassion, wisdom, forgiveness and love with me so that His beauty shines through me.

Just as the potter takes a lump of clay and turns it into a thing of beauty, so will God take you and turn you into a thing of beauty if you are like clay in His hands. Yield yourself to His work and you will become a beautiful vessel.

A Family Sized Adventure! - Adventure #9

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~ e.e. cummings

Laughter punctuated my adventure number nine in a big way. Adventure nine took me across the country to the heartland to spend a week with my extended family which, of course, means a week of laughter. As long as I can remember, time spent with the family was always full of laughter.

When my mom passed away last year my brother in his words of remembrance described our family as “rather large and wonderful.” Mom had 12 brothers and sisters and Dad has five. These two families have grown over the years. One of my aunts commented to my grandmother this weekend that she and grandpa had no idea what they were starting when Mom was born in 1942. Today the family encompasses the ten spouses who joined the family, thirty some grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

When my sister and I began talking about walking in the Alzheimer’s Memory walk in honor of Mom we decided it would be fun to travel to Indiana and walk with the extended family. So, we began to plan a trip and began to grow our team. When the walk day dawned we had 15 walkers and one stroller….Gabe is too young to walk the whole way yet.

The week was so full of activities, people and stories. The most prominent memory of the week though is the laughter. As I write this I find it hard to put it into words. Until you have made an hour and half trip to another town with several of my aunts you really can’t understand how silly knock-knock jokes can create such uproarious laughter. The fact that the aunts made them up with family names made them hilarious. Here, let’s give it a try…

Knock, knock
Who’s there?
Duane
Duane who?
Duane the tub, I’m dwoning!

Knock, knock
Who’s there?
Randy
Randy who?
Ran de car in the ditch.

I laughed as I typed these, did you laugh as you read them? The thing that makes them so funny is the interactions between my aunts and uncles as they are told. You really had to be there.

The tradition on Sunday evenings for my family in Indiana is to gather at Grandma and Grandpa’s house for dinner. It’s not the whole family, but whoever can make it is welcome to come. We got to have Sunday dinner there this week. The little house was filled with conversation, good food and laughter. And as a bonus we got to hear (and experience) Aunt Connie’s chicken in the rinse cycle story. If you are ever in the area, you really have to experience that! True to form in our family, my sister was laughing so hard she was in tears. The great thing about her laughter is she sounds so much like Mom.

Yes, the week was full of laughter and it was full of adventure. As I started the trip I decided that I was not going to let anything hold me back from experiencing whatever came my way. This meant meeting some new people who will remain in my memory for a long time to come.
The first person I met is my cousin’s friend who is called Sweet Pea by just about everyone. After I had lunch with several of my aunts and a couple of cousins on Friday we went back to Bev’s house. Her housemate Sweet Pea joined in our conversation for a while. The thing I admire about her is that she has no regrets in being herself. She fills a room with her voice and her laughter. She kept us all in stitches as she recounted things that happened to her. Some may be turned off by her boisterousness, but if you allow that to cloud your vision you might miss the heart of gold that lies beneath. As Bev told us more about Sweet Pea I saw that heart of willingness. She truly was part of a great adventure.

That night we headed out to Bubba’s Bar and Grill. I don’t frequent bars for the most part. This, however, was a family outing and so I decided to let go and join the fun. My uncle was meeting a woman that Bev wanted to set him up with. They all decided it might be easier if it happened as part of a group. I have to say that Allan and Dawn were both brave to submit themselves to the craziness that envelopes the family when a group gets together. I don’t know that I would want my sisters and nieces along if I were to be meeting a new guy.

When we got to Bubba’s I had to get my picture taken under the sign. There was something about going to a place called Bubba’s that signified small town life for me. Bev decided that I also needed to meet Bubba and he very graciously came over to introduce himself and shake my hand. I bet he never imagined I would go on to write about him on my blog. He’s a big, burly guy just as you might imagine from his name, but Bev tells me he is just a great big old marshmallow. Thanks, Bubba, for being a good sport!

Another person I met on my trip was a lady who sat next to me on the plane. She was a sweet lady from Columbia, SC and was on her way to visit her daughter. Turns out her daughter and son-in-law visited Colorado and liked it so much they decided to move there while he went to school. They had been in the area for about four weeks. Her daughter just had surgery and so my seat mate was traveling out to help care for her granddaughter while her daughter healed. In the short time we had together she told me about her children who are scattered all over the country right now. I have never really met anyone on a plane before so this was a great experience.

Finally, I got to meet my cousin’s girlfriend since she joined us on our memory walk. Laura was in a car accident last July and was seriously injured. We prayed for her and there were times when I wondered if she was going to make it through. Her injuries required extensive rehab for her to be able to return to her normal routine. She worked hard at recovering. Her big desire was to go to graduate school and the accident didn’t change that, it just delayed it. This fall, just a little over a year after that devastating accident, she returned to school to pursue her graduate degree. She is an amazing amount of determination packed into a small package.

The week ended all too soon and there is way more to tell than I can possibly fit into one blog post. I will have to write again soon about my trip to Abe Lincoln’s Boyhood Home and St. Meinrad Archabbey. I was able to get lots of great photos and will be adding those to my blog posts during the coming months.

Adventure 9 was a family sized adventure that will make me smile for years to come.

“A merry heart does good, like medicine…” Psalm 17:22

Permanent Reminders - Adventure #8

Over the last eight months I have opened my life to experience more of this world by trying new things. I have been learning about the world and about myself through this process. One thing I have learned is to never say never! There are things that I have said I would never do and in August I did one of those things.

My sister began the conversation with, “Hear me out.” She knew what my first reaction was going to be when she announced that she had an adventure for me. Since my adventures have only included her once before, I was excited that she wanted to join in. So, I heard her out.

“Let’s get tattoos.”

“Teri, you know how I feel about tattoos – “

“Hear me out. Let’s get tattoos of ladybugs as a permanent reminder of Mom.”

Okay, now I was listening and softening. See since Mom died in October last year ladybugs have been a seemingly ever present reminder of her.

It started when I began to search for family stories and funny stories to pass the hours with Mom. As Lewy Body Dementia took more of her she was unable to do much. We all tried to relieve her boredom with pictures and stories.

Dad always a man of few words; often said he ran out of things to talk about. He just couldn’t talk on and on, but he knew I could so he enlisted me to help. Teri often said my job was to act goofy and make Mom laugh. Acting goofy; also something I could do.

I reached out to family and friends to beef up my reservoir of interesting and funny stories. My aunt Connie told me a story of hers and Jim’s anniversary. They were heading to the casinos in French Lick, IN and my aunts (my Mom has five wonderful, wacky sisters) decided to give Connie their good luck charms. Connie wrote, “I ended up with two nuts, a rock and I would have had a dead ladybug, but Cheryl went to kiss it for good luck. She laughed so hard she snuffed it up her nose.”

That story was a winner. Mom laughed every time I told it. We often talked about Cheryl’s ladybug habit and laughed. The great thing about my aunts is they never minded that I used their crazy antics to make Mom laugh.

Shortly after Mom died I was talking to my brother on the phone and he told me there were ladybugs all over the side of his house. He had never seen so many ladybugs in one place. I reminded him of the story and told him I thought this was our sign that Mom was happy and laughing again in heaven. She was once again whole, healthy and happy.

Since that time ladybugs have appeared in all of our lives at one time or another. Tom had several living in his house. My niece found some in her apartment and crawling across her foot once. Tom and I both have found them on the 9th and 6th floors of the office buildings we work in. The ladybugs are everywhere and so when we see them we smile and think of Mom.

When Teri suggested ladybug tattoos I couldn’t resist. The fact that my 13 year old niece drew the ladybugs was another plus.

We weren’t sure what Dad would think about the tattoos, but when I said I could see Mom there in heaven shaking her head, grinning, and saying “I don’t know where I went wrong with those two” Dad couldn’t help but laugh.

Teri found a great tattoo place and we visited to make sure it was clean and reputable. Our artist was a sweet guy named Mike. We felt comfortable and set up our appointments. This definitely wasn’t a get drunk and get a tattoo endeavor.

Teri got hers first while I was at a concert on a Saturday night. She sent me pictures and texts after it was all over. One text said, “It’s all over. The pain is excruciating. T (her 13 year old) is driving home.” I began to have second thoughts. She, of course, was kidding and I only had a few moments of thinking, “What the heck am I doing!?!”

My time came on Tuesday evening. T went with me for moral support since Teri was working. It was a little nerve wracking. The thought of needles permanently altering my leg was scary and I began to wonder if I had truly lost my mind.

The pain WAS excruciating and I felt as if my foot was being amputated. Just kidding! It was really no more painful than those shots the dentist gives. I had three little ladybugs inked on my right ankle. The whole process took about 20 minutes.

Now the ladybugs will be with me forever. As a little old lady I will look at my ankle and think of Mom. Will I get another tattoo? Doubtful! But I have experienced a little more this world has to offer and won’t ever be able to forget this adventure!

If I Had A Hammer - Adventure #7

“If I had a hammer….I’d hammer out love between my brother and sisters, all over this land.” These words from a song by Lee Hayes and Pete Seeger have been running through my head on and off for the last few weeks. Years ago I worked down the hall from a Habitat for Humanity office. I walked by that office each day and finally decided to volunteer. I filled out the application, but was never called as a volunteer.

In June Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity ran an ad in the local paper. I decided to try again so I filled out the application and submitted it online. By the next day I was registered to attend an orientation session the following Saturday. So began my July adventure!

A lot of people think that former President Jimmy Carter founded Habitat because he has been a visible face of Habitat for so many years. However, the organization was actually founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976. (www.habitat.org) Since then Habitat has built over 250,000 homes! According to the web site “it is the mission of Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity to follow the example of Jesus Christ by providing simple, decent places to live for families who cannot afford a home by conventional means, through building and rehabilitating houses in partnership with the community and prospective homeowners.”

Future Habitat home owners have a tough road ahead of them. They have to qualify by meeting financial and need based guidelines. They work with volunteers who walk them through the process which includes financial and credit counseling. Then they have to fulfill sweat equity hours before moving into their house. That means they actually have to go out to the build site and help construct their house! Habitat holds the mortgage on all Habitat houses. The loans are thirty no interest loans with fixed payments. These families who move into Habitat houses are active participants in every step of the way.

When I first talked about becoming a Habitat volunteer I am sure my friends and family wondered if I had lost my mind. I have worked only office jobs in my adult life. In my free time I sit at a computer and write. I was probably the last person some would think of as a home builder. In fact, my nephew Jeff when I asked him if he could see me building houses responded, “Yeah, but not safe, sturdy ones.” Then when I told him I got to use power tools his comment was, “How did no one lose a limb?” Good thing I love ya, Jeff!

I participated in my first build in July and yes, they did let me use power tools. It was a warm, sunny Saturday morning when about 15 people gathered to work on a house. The foundation had been poured and our job that morning was to remove the forms the cement foundation was poured in. I may not have all the lingo right, after all I am a writer, not a home builder. So, I unscrewed and pried off two by fours. Then we helped to carry the two by fours up the hill to load in a truck for carting to the next location.

As the sun beat down that day I was able to work alongside the young man whose family would move into the house we worked on. I also met the young couple who were moving into the completed house next door when their sweat equity was done. And, I got to participate in a blessing ceremony with the single mom and her two sons who would move into another house that was just getting started. It was truly a great thing to meet the people who would benefit from my sweat and labor.

I was asked that morning why I was there. I became a home owner a few years ago after years of renting apartments. My house is nothing special. It’s just a small townhouse in a nice neighborhood, but it’s mine. I have been blessed in my life and by volunteering a few hours each month I can help others be blessed by home ownership.

Volunteering was an adventure that will continue since I plan to volunteer each month with Habitat. As I do, I will learn more about home construction and help others in the community. I have a hammer and I am sharing the love Christ has given me with my brothers and sisters all over the land, well, at least all over the city!

Bringing Home Kitty - Adventure #6

Here it is July already and I haven’t posted about my June Adventure! Decided it was high time I did that.

This is my new fur child! His name is Wilson and he is three years old. I adopted him from the PetProject pet rescue on June 7. You can check them out at http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/CO106.html

Wilson caught my attention because in his adoption photo he was stretching one arm up toward the camera as if saying, “Oh, oh, oh, pick me, pick me!” I couldn’t resist!

We had a dog, Pepper, while growing up….got him a few weeks before my youngest sister came along and he stayed with us until he developed cancer at the age of 18. As an adult I have never had a pet of my own. I tell people that my Snowflake Teddy is the best pet a girl could have. He’s sweet and soft and doesn’t eat much…when I offer food, he tells me he’s stuffed!

I have pet sat many times over the years for friends and family. Once I was going to pet sit for a coworker’s new puppy. Turns out it was the puppy, the turtle, the fish and the ferret. When she described the ferret as furry snake with legs she sealed its fate of remaining in the cage the whole week they were gone. I fed and watered it, but didn’t want to play with the snake with legs.

Feeling adventurous after sitting with my niece’s kitty over Memorial Day weekend I began to look for a kitty of my own. My sister sent me to the PetProject site and that is when I found Wilson. His name was Barker and when I first saw him he was being looked at by another family so I thought it wasn’t meant to be. Two weeks later his picture was still on the web site so I sent an email and found he was still available. All it took was one look and one time holding him in my arms to know that he needed to come home with me.

The PetProject folks were wonderful with the whole process. They helped me pick out some food for him since he seemed to have some food allergies. They seemed to really like Wilson and both had to pet him and say their goodbyes when we left.

When I brought him home I had to change his name to Wilson. For those of you readers who may not know, I am a Tom Hanks fan(atic!) Wilson was the name of his best friend on the island he was stranded on in the movie “Castaway.” That is where I got Wilson’s name. Since I liked Barker also, I named him Wilson Barker.

Wilson is a sweet and loving kitty. He loves to play with his toys and I find myself spoiling him with new toys frequently! Right now he is sound asleep on the dining room chair. He knows he’s not allowed on the table but he seems very content to sleep on the chairs.

I now have a very fuzzy little alarm clock. If my alarm goes off more than a couple times (so not a morning person and it is a frequent occurrence for my alarm to ring multiple times in the morning) he will make sure I get up. He begins to walk across my chest. Then he will rub against my face and walk around my head making sure to step on my hair. He will continue this until I get up and get him some breakfast.

Wilson fits in well at my house. We share some of the same interests. He is quite the literary kitty. He loves books and newspapers. He would rather sleep on a book than in the kitty bed I bought for him. I have to remember to pick up the newspaper off the floor and coffee table because he will burrow down in it and go to sleep. The problem is he gets newsprint all over his white paws and belly!

He is a kitty who shares my shoe fetish. If he isn’t sleeping on a book, you can find him snuggling up with any shoes I happen to leave lying around. The bedroom closet intrigues him because the floor of it is currently covered with shoes…yes, it is time for a closet clean out and a trip to Goodwill!

Getting used to being responsible for someone other than me has been an adventure this month. It has meant thinking twice about my schedule since I need to make sure he gets fed and isn’t alone all day long for days at a time. It has meant double checking any food I give him to make sure it doesn’t have wheat or beef in it since he doesn’t react well to those items. And it has meant finding places for my Peace Lily and Pothos plants that he can’t get to since both are poisonous to kitties. Thankfully he has learned that the piano, bookcases, dining table and kitchen counters are no kitty zones.

Still, despite the changes required in my life to accommodate Wilson, I am very glad I took the plunge. He is now a part of my family and he is loved!

I Can Fly!!!

In the words of Peter Pan, “I can fly!” For a very long time now I have had the desire to fly. It began with a yearning to learn to fly planes. Then skydiving piqued my interest. For years now I have been planning to skydive; it is after all cheaper than taking flying lessons.



Skydiving is on the calendar for sometime in August this year. In my quest for adventure and new experiences this year I have decided it was time. Still, at the end of May I was able to get a little taste of not only skydiving, but the freedom of floating on air.



Most people have never heard of indoor skydiving. I hadn’t either when I received an email from a friend. Maggie had been invited to a birthday party but wasn’t able to make it. She suggested to the birthday girl that I take her place. Ironically enough birthday girl and I work for the same company as Maggie does and had never met. The company isn’t that large, I just work in a remote office and so our paths haven’t crossed. Christina was very gracious and let me crash her birthday party. “The more the merrier,” she said! Thanks, Christina, it was one of the most fun birthday parties I have ever been to!



Skyventure is located in Lone Tree, Colorado. According to the web site (http://www.skyventurecolorado.com/) this is “a 12 foot, recirculating 1200 HP wind tunnel.” According to me it is just a big barrel of fun!



Our adventure began with a lesson in flying. This short video showed us the proper body position. We also learned hand signals since hearing the instructor inside the tunnel was virtually impossible. Our main form of communication involved signals to bend or straighten our legs, chin up, and relax. However, once I was in the tunnel it took me a while to be able to relax and remember what the signals meant.



During our instructions we were told to take everything out of our pockets and to take off our jewelry. Derrick, our instructor, told us he had a flyer who didn’t believe him when he said if it was in your pockets it would be sucked out once in the tunnel. Apparently this man had about $500 in twenty dollar bills that he didn’t want to part with. He kept them zippered in a pocket inside his jumpsuit; that is until he got into the chamber. The bills were sucked out and sent flying around the wind tunnel. I decided not to test it for myself and took my earrings and necklace off.



We were then suited up in jumpsuits that covered us from neck to ankle. We were given helmets, ear plugs and goggles. Then it was time to make our way into the wind tunnel. The tunnel is an octagonal shaped room with a small room along one side for the flyers to wait their turn. The floor is a metal mesh net and beneath it we could see the equipment that helped power the tunnel. There are two doors, one for entering and one for exiting the tunnel. The chamber is about 12 feet in diameter and I would guess about 15 feet high (at least in the space we were flying in.)



When it was my turn for my first flight I approached the door, brought my arms to my chest and raised my chin. The raised chin was important for helping control flight, but it also was a great reminder to look around and enjoy the experience. I leaned into the chamber and began to move into the proper flying position. Thankfully Derrick was in the chamber with each of us to help because I promptly forgot everything I had learned in our training session.



With his help I was able to experience some flight. That first time though I had a lot of trouble controlling myself. I have to laugh because Derrick was very expressive with his hand signals as he emphatically gave me the sign to relax over and over. I have always had trouble relaxing my muscles like normal people! Toward the end I did get a little better and began to enjoy myself.



The second minute in the chamber I did much better, but still have a way to go before I can really control my own flight. I got to experience some true flight and was really beginning to like it. Then in the last few seconds Derrick grabbed hold of the handles on my jump suit and the instructor in the control booth turned up the air. With Derrick’s help we rose and then descended spinning round over and over. This was sheer ecstasy! I could have stayed there forever soaring and spinning! All too soon the flight was over and it was time to get out.



Indoor skydiving was an awesome time and has totally fueled my desire to do the real thing soon! I also came away with an important lesson for life. No matter what happens, keep your chin up and relax!

2008 - The Year of Living Adventurously

So, here it is a new year and I see I have been remiss in my blogging. If any of my readers are still out there, hang with me, it's gonna get better!!!


Several years ago an email conversation with a friend led me to think about my life and what I wanted to remember at the end of this life. As I thought about opportunities I had been given and had passed up for one reason or another I realized I didn't want to have too many more of those. There is so much to see, do, and learn about this planet we call home.

That year I made a goal for the New Year to try at least one new thing each month. I wanted to experience and learn new things. I didn't quite make my goal that year, but I did have a few memorable experiences. That was the year I began the Christian Writer's Guild program. Also that year I learned to throw pots. No, I didn't pull up anybody's toilet and chuck it across the room, I made clay pots. Those two activities alone have given me great memories, a web site, a book to write and a several lopsided clay pots!

This year I have decided it is time to dust off that goal and make it anew. I have dubbed 2008 "The Year of Living Adventurously." My friend, Renee, has joined me in this goal. Each month we are going to try something new. I may find it's not something I ever want to do again. Then again, it may be something that I love and will continue with. Each month I plan on chronicling my adventures right here on the Rocky Mountain Writer web site.

My first adventure of 2008 involved an ice rink, tape covering the tread of my left shoe, a broom, a 42 pound granite stone and plenty of aching muscles the next day. Welcome to the world of curling!

Renee was enthralled with curling at the last winter Olympics. I had never seen it played and didn�t really understand the whole concept. Yet when I opened the newspaper one day and saw that the Broadmoor Curling Club (www.Coloradocurling.org) was going to hold a "Learn to Curl" night that week I knew we had our January Adventure.

Curling is believed to have begun in Scotland around the 14th century. It is played on a sheet of ice 146 feet long. I thought it was named curling because we would be curled in bed with sore muscles the next day, but it actually was named curling because of the motion of the stone as it slides down the ice.

We began by having the shoe on our non-dominant foot taped with clear plastic tape. This was our slider foot. After a brief overview of the sport we stepped out on the ice taking care to step with our non-taped foot first to prevent slipping and falling on our back sides!

Situated against the wall of the ice rink we learned to slide by squatting and placing our dominant foot against the wall. Using the broom in our non-dominant hand to balance we slid with our slider leg bent and the dominant leg stretched out behind us. Easy enough. Not!! Thankfully, I managed to not do a face plant on the ice while practicing, although I did take multiple spills.

Once we had mastered, well sort of, sliding we added the stone. This 42 pound piece of granite is smooth and round with a handle on the top. Grasping the handle in our dominant hand we then learned to slide with the stone. After several minutes of this we were allowed to let our stones go at the end of the slide.

When our instructors felt we were ready, we moved away from the wall and used supports called hacks that are planted in the ice. We placed our pushing foot against the hack to start our slide.

Once the stone has been released two sweepers run down the ice in front of it and sweep the ice in front to keep the stone moving or behind to slow it down. The object is to hit the bulls eye shaped "house" and to be the closest to the center.

Each team has four players and each player throws two stones. At the end of the throwing whoever's stone is closest to the center wins the point for their team. Actually, scoring is a little more complicated. However, by the time we got to scoring we had been on the ice for two hours and my feet were frozen and cramping. I didn't get much of the scoring discussion!

Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable evening. Renee and I had some good laughs. The next day I was hobbling around like a little old lady. I think I might need to find activities that use the muscles in my legs more! I so wanted to document our first adventure with pictures, but I waited until the end to try to take pictures and the cold in the rink rendered the batteries in my camera useless. Oh well :-)

Our adventures will continue. Who knows what it will be next; climbing a rock wall, learning a new language, trying yoga, or skydiving. Actually, skydiving is on the list for May or June! My cousin, Jay, has tried it and said it was a blast. I have always wanted to try it despite a fear of heights and have since found out that Renee and my friend Maggie want to join me.

You, dear reader, are welcome to join me also for any of my adventures. Whether you come and join in physically or in spirit by reading my blog let's celebrate a year of living adventurously!