hey Mark! I've missed talking to you! You always put a smile on my face!

No, a few years back I started a tradition of hand making Christmas gifts for my family and friends, mostly crochet, or loom knitting. That takes a lot of time, especially with my carpal tunnel. I was doing this even when I started mapping, but for a while mapping took over, and I didn't get my gifts made on time. So I'm having to better schedule things now. So at about August, I 'put away' the mapping, to get my Christmas gifts made, then after the holidays, I take my mapping stuff back out again.

What I'm actually doing is putting more hours into crafting, and less into mapping... I don't actually stop mapping. I just can't give it the time I used to during crafting season. On top of that, I'm trying to start a side business, selling crochet patterns of my own creation... but that means I have to come up with the patterns, and make the items, then write up the pattern, get it edited and tested, before publishing it. I currently have two patterns published, with more on the way.

And then, right after the holidays... I go to the emergency room for something seemingly minor (though extremely painful), and get admitted immediately for emergency surgery! I was only in the hospital two days, but it took me almost a week and a half before I could even get out of bed for more than the most urgent necessities. Talk about a frustrating beginning to 2019!

But I am, finally, beginning to heal. Hopefully that means more mapping in my future. I am currently working on a world map that started in FT, and of course, I just joined the Feb Mapping Challenge. I'm just waiting to hear back from my partner to see what my challenge is. And I still have a commissioned city map that I'm working on, too. So... yes, mapping when I can for as long as I can sit to do so, until I heal completely.