Yeah, yeah, I know. Some blogger I am these last couple years. With all that's gone on, I've gotten out of the habit of writing. So I'm a lot more intermittent than I probably should be.
I'm working on a number of things right now though.
One, I'm moving completely off of Etsy into a Shopify shop. I was trying out Etsy's Pattern for my own standalone site and things looked like they were working out great, until ...
Until I discovered that my Print On Demand suppliers delete all my Pattern-only products because Etsy doesn't count them in the API returns for "live products" to the printers. So I've moved to Shopify. It's got some nice features I like and I can have all the categories I need instead of just 20, plus subcategories. So instead of just "Women's Clothing," I can have under that, "Women's Tees and Tanks," Women's Hoodies and Sweatshirts," and so on. It's slowly coming along. Even my patterns are moving over there, and yes, Shopify has an app for being able to sell digital downloads! So that means overall, I'll keep more of my money from sales, since it also costs me nothing to list an item in my shop, unlike with Etsy.
I'm back to working on a couple of my hobbies, which is fun again. I've missed them, but things have been so crazy, there's been no time. I'm also doing baking again, making time to make things instead of "I'll do it someday." A lot of the energy comes from work, or rather, lack of it. No, I'm not off due to COVID, I did something at work for me. I was a cutter on the lines, removing the meat off the chicken carcasses. It has been causing me arm and shoulder pain for a few months and I finally decided enough is enough. The extra $1.50 an hour wasn't worth it any more. I'll bring home around $100 a week less, but this was my first week off the lines, and for once, it's a Saturday afternoon and I don't hurt. It's pretty nice. One of the things I'm going to make this weekend is Joanna Fluke's Mystery Cookies. I found the recipe in one of her Hannah Swenson mysteries years ago. Mom made a batch because they just sounded so weird - who puts tomato soup in cookies??? Well, apparently Ms. Fluke does, and so Mom did, and they turned out great. They're like a soft ginger-spice raisin cookie when done and so yummy. I've been threatening folks to make a batch for a long time, so while I'm feeling so good, I'm making a batch tonight. Maybe chocolate chip, too.
I'm putting money back as much as I can, as fast as I can, to get out of the apartment and away from him. Don't get me wrong, folks, I do still love him dearly. But after everything he's put me through, I just can't enjoy being around him any more. So, since he won't leave, I will. And yes, I'm taking Bandit, Bouncer, and Stars with me. Last time he had Bouncer, the poor kitty nearly starved because he was so stupid over everything. Besides, he doesn't bother to help care for the zoo crew anyhow. Heck, most of the time, he doesn't bother doing much of anything around here, so I'm probably better off on my own anyhow.
At least he's working full-time, and it's days, so we don't see much of one another anymore, either. It's good, so we don't talk much or anything, so less disagreements between us. Less conflict is always good in my book, so the separating will be easier. Right now, it saves money to house share...so I can save up faster to get away.
Anyhow, time to get some more shop stuff done, and then I have to go get groceries and do laundry so I have tomorrow available for baking and fishing. Go me!
