Revisions Revisited

It is that time of year again, when folks make resolutions.  Last year I made revisions instead, and stated some goals for the railroad.  And how did I do?  Ugh....pretty terrible.  BUT - I'm not upset with the lack of progress.  I thoroughly enjoyed the little modeling I did this last year and hope to do more this year.

So what happened?  A few things seemingly conspired to get in the way of modeling, all of them good.  First, I went back to school.  In the late winter/spring I began Ag classes at Mendocino College.  Pruning, Landscape Maintenance, California Native Plants and Spring Plant ID, almost a full-time load.  This led to the second distraction from the miniature world, a landscape job helping a client rehabilitate his property.  The work is mostly pruning, and entirely what the doctor ordered.

Speaking of the doctor, I dropped my weight below 200 lbs for the first time in at least 20 years.  This is part of a greater effort to lower my blood pressure and improve my overall health.  Great success in this area.  Going back to school in the Fall I took another semester of Plant ID and the Introduction to Horticulture class.  Fewer classes but less stress overall.  In fact, I love the learning and working with plants.  They don't behave like people...

Even so, I still work with people.  I preach and lead worship twice a month in a neighboring town, and that has been a blessing in terms of maintaining a skill set I had laid aside for a time and financially.  From my income preaching and pruning I have been able to put 10% in the plate, 80% in savings and 10% in my spending cash.

On that last point I cringe a little.  Yes, a steady supply of disposable income is great.  But I had set a personal goal last year of spending less and building more, reducing the inventory in my 'Home Hobby Shop'.  Instead, I found all kinds of wonderful things on eBay I never knew I needed.  Truly, I did unearth some treasures, some of which will hopefully make it to this blog as topics this year, but honestly I bought more than I needed and should have walked away sooner.
 
If that last image sounds like a gambling reference, you're spot on, dear reader.  There is an addictive quality to scouring the virtual train show that is eBay for 'deals'.  As Andrew Mellen says, "Its not a deal if you don't need it".  He's right.  To that end, I am resolving to stay away from the 'bay for a year.  If there's a genuine need to purchase something in order to finish a project, perhaps I'll break that resolution, but really, I could build all sorts of models and take the railroad further without having to purchase anything online.  I can think of one thing from Amazon...but that's another post later in the year.

Last year I managed to crank out posts for the first 7 months.  This year I'm going to try for at least a post a month, preferably more.  I have Instagram now, though how much I'll use it remains to be seen.  Despite the fracas surrounding YouTube and COPPA, I hope to also make a few videos, but don't hold your breath (unless you're under water).

Thanks to the few of you who read this blog for sticking with me.  Here's to a thrifty and productive 2020!