The Power of Beer

I continue to be amazed by the power of beer!  I've told you in the past how generous and caring this community of  home brewers, that we now consider family, can be.   I wish you could see and understand how diverse this group is and how supportive they are of each other.  It is an interesting bunch to say the least and I love them all.

A few weeks ago one of our brew buddies posted that he was going to be a part of the Walk for Autism in honor of his daughter.  Like they always do, the brew club decided they would support the effort and contribute what they could to the cause.  Hubby and I put our heads together to figure out how we could contribute.  Hubby came up with a great idea.

One of our favorite hangouts, Brewmasters Bar and Grill, hosts Homebrew Humpday one Wednesday each month. The way it works is a home brewer donates his home made beer and donations are collected for charity.  AWESOME!  Hubby decided this is what we would do to help the cause and we put the word out.

Hubby took 10 gallons - yep - 10 gallons of his now famous and award winning home brew.  The first keg was tapped at 6:00 and by 8:00 the second keg was kicked.  That's 10 gallons of beer gone in two hours! Needless to say the response was overwhelming.  We couldn't have imagined such a great crowd.  The best part is we raised over $450 for the Autism Society.  How crazy is that?!?

Beer is there in good times and bad.  Beer brings people together and sometimes can tear us apart.  Beer is there when we need it most and sometimes when we don't.  Beer has let many paths cross that may never have otherwise.  Beer is a means for us to show generosity and support for each other.  

Beer does not judge.  Beer is good!

This may sound crazy, but I know my life if fuller and richer because of the power of beer.

Change is Good

Rush hour after a long day with a pretty sunset, just a shame my phone doesn't take better photos.

So I mentioned in my last post I had changed  jobs. I am still doing the same type of work but for a different organization.  I think I have shared in the past how stressful my old job had become.  The problem wasn't necessarily the work but instead the environment.  No direction, no leadership and zero morale made it a hard place to be.  The place had just worn me down.  I had been there for 25 years.  I grew up in the place.  My children were born and raised there, my parents died there.  The place was or still is, in some way,  my home.  I hated to leave, I didn't really want to leave, but I felt like the time had come for me to make a change.  

My new job is great.  I really enjoy the folks I work with.  There is a lot of work to be done there and there is some stress but it is all good.  It is very different but a good different.  I never saw myself in a different place but am glad I made the decision to make a move.  Change is good.

So this week I will be helping with a beer competition.  I will be serving the judges crackers and water to cleanse their palettes between tastings.  Ha!  I think it will be fun.  I've never been involved with the judges before so it will be interesting to see how things work.  Piedmont Brewers Cup competition is this weekend and I'm hoping Hubby will bring home a ribbon!

Missed this!

Boy have I missed my blog!  I've missed everything about it; the writing, creating, thinking, picture taking and you.  I hope you are well and have had a good summer.  I  hate to see summer come to an end.  There is a certain feeling of freedom about summer.  Not sure what it is but I feel like I'm not restricted to just work and chores.  None of that really changes throughout the year but summer just feels different.  I love being outside, seeing the world full of color and spending evenings on the deck.  Saturday we had a typical early October day, about 85 degrees.  Today it is 48 and pouring rain.  As I've said before - gotta love NC weather.

Lots of things happening on the beer front.  Casktoberfest was last week at Big Boss Brewery.  We had fun with our brew buddies and tried some interesting beers.  Some were better than others and we enjoyed trying them all.  Hubby entered competition beers for the Piedmont Brewers Cup coming up in a couple of weeks.  I can hardly wait to see how he does.  He's been brewing and working on some new recipes.  I'll let you know what he comes up with.

Not much happening on the knitting front here.  Not sure why.  I guess I've been sewing a little and looking a lot at Pinterest for inspiration.  I've been thinking a lot about things to do for Christmas gifts.  Hopefully I will have a break through soon and the creative juices will start flowing. My buddy Kathy did send me a knit pattern to test that I am going to start working on soon.  I will have to share her blog with you.

Let's see - since I last blogged, which was forever ago, a lot of things have happened.  I changed jobs!  That is worthy of its own post one day so I think I will hold on to that.  Little Girl is a senior in high school - that makes my heart hurt a little so we won't talk about that today.  Big Girl is loving her job and her little family is fantastic.  Hubby is working away and brewing when he can.  The garden didn't do that well this summer but we got plenty of jalapenos, which is good.  We've had lots of snakes this summer and I have a funny bat story to share.  We still have two crazy cats that cause me lots of headaches some days.  I did one craft show over the summer which was a complete failure. There is nothing really good on television right now since the season for Breaking Bad is over.  Ummm...... that is all I can think of this very moment but I am sure I can come up with more.  I will fill you in on some of the details on a few of these things.  I hope you will check back in soon.

The past week has been one of heartbreak and deep sadness but full of laughs and love.  My dear father-in-law passed away suddenly, somewhat unexpected Saturday morning at his home.  The events of that day are etched in my mind but are also hard to recall.  It was one of those days that you couldn't plan for or predict - he just  passed away.  There was no warning, no call for help, no great suffering -  he just passed away.  Yes, he had been sick for a long time with emphysema and he had been in and out of the hospital over the past few months but still  - he just passed away.  The past week has been hard.  Things had to be done and some things had to be said that were tough.  Lot of tears have been shed but I believe there have been more laughs.  Good memories and love outweigh the pain.

One more thought before I go.  Sometimes all it takes is a kind word from someone we don't really know to get us back to where we need to be.  With that said, I want to say thank you to Diane W.  You were the inspiration I needed to do this today and I thank you.  

Here I go again...

 All I can say is wow.  Where have I been?   What have I been doing?  Where does the time go? To be honest I don't really know.  Life seems to be so hectic and at the same time dull.  I have no real reason or explanation of my whereabouts.  That is a little disturbing to me and sad at the same time.  I love my blog and I love to write on this silly little thing.  I don't know if any one really gets anything from it, but I do enjoy it so.  Seems lately though that a lot of things that I love have been pushed away and left to sit and wait.  Again, I really don't know why.  So much has happened that I haven't told you about and then when I think about it all nothing really happened or changed.  I just knew a few months back when I made the grand announcement that I was back I would feel better about things (don't really know what things) and the funk I was in was on its way out the door.  Unfortunately the funk seemed to have latched on tighter, not wanting to leave and burrowed itself in way deep. 

Recently I have been thinking (scary I know) about a lot of things, really big picture kind of things.  Maybe this is a sign of my age, the condition of world, my faith walk, or just wanting/needing to make a difference.  Not sure about any of that but I do know it's time for me to be back here and I want to be back. 

If there is anyone out there who reads this or checks in from time to time I want to tell you how much I appreciate it.  I know how precious time is and I thank you for sharing yours with me. 

So with all of that crazy talk and things said  I will again announce that I am back.  I really am this time.  Check in on me again and hold me to it.   I need to be accountable for what I've told you - make me!

I'm still here.....

I never really went away.  I guess I've been on a break.  I hope you all haven't given up on me.  The slump hit hard and there may still be some of it lingering about but I am going to push through.  I am sitting here at work, hating the piles of files on my desk and dreading to do anything.  That's not good.  Work is just wearing me down. It will get better, I know it will, it has to.  I am so thankful to have a job.  (I am blogging during my break time.)  I have missed you all so much.  What can I tell you about?  It seems like so much has happened, but then it seems like things are normal as usual.  Easter was wonderful, Mothers Day was great, I had another birthday,  my kids are great, grandbaby is awesome and life in general is good. I'm still not crafting much.  I think I'm looking for something new to try.  I don't know what it will be but when I find it look out.  I do need to work on a couple of prayer shawls for graduates and a couple of baby gifts.  That might be what I need to get me kick started.  

So enough about work and the slump and whine, whine, whine.  Here is the newest addition to our home.

Hubby finished the keezer.   Isn't it gorgeous!  I can't imagine the hours he has put into building this masterpiece.  Lots of late nights in the garage.  Yes, hubby has skills!  I love the cherry wood he made the cabinet from.  The color is so nice.  I love the 4 kegs of home brew it holds too. :-)  Yes, this sits in my dining room and is probably the nicest piece of "furniture" we have.  It really is nice.  Hubby still has a couple of things to do to it before he considers it complete.   I will show you an updated picture when he gets that done.   

Thanks for waiting out the slump with me and checking in.  It means alot.   

For Doris

Just Enough Light

By Stormie O’Martian

Sometimes only the step I’m on,

or the very next one ahead,

is all that is illuminated for me.

God gives just the amount of light I need

for the exact moment I need it.

At those times I walk in surrender to faith,

unable to see the future

and not fully comprehending the past.

And because it is God who has given me

what light I have,

I know I must reject fear and doubt

that threatens to overtake me.

I must determine to be content where I am,

and allow God to get me where I need to go.

I walk forward,

one step at a time,

fully trusting that the light God sheds

is absolutely sufficient.