OK, I admit it, I am , well, short. When I poof my hair, I am 5′ tall, but when I don’t, I am 4′11 1/2“. So, needless to say, I am called “Little Bit” by some. On my web page , http://www.oldwestways.com/aboutme I even poke fun at myself about this. It is done descretely, so you have to look for it. Enough about the physical stuff. As I have mentioned, I learned to sew from my Mammaw. She could make a dress from nothing more than just a photo, even making her own patterns. Mammaw could make anything. So, I am actually a third generation seamstress. Of my grandmother’s three daughters, only one of them began sewing and today is as skilled as her mother was. Of the six granddaughters, I was the one who was fortunate enough to have inherited the interest as well as the gene. I could boast that this makes me an expert, but even I don’t own a pair of hip boots!
With all of that said, I can honestly tell you I have been sewing for 28 years. However, my career was in the medical field (medical office management) until January 2006. I had dreamed of retiring as we all do and it was not until April 2005 that it hit me to turn my craft into cash. I started planning and preparing my CEO that I was in retirement mode and began my work on the website. I would work all week at “my job” and then nights and weekends were devoted to building the website, designing products and learning how to photograph for the web. I was on a roll! I had already acquired a western store front to expose my product line and had the support of my family, friends and co-workers. Well, I must have forgot to check in with my health.
By June of 2005 I was feeling totally exhausted and thought I was just run down and perhaps a little too old to be working this much. So, being the stubborn sole that I am, I kept pushing thinking it would go away. Wrong. Things progressively got worse to the point that I could not move without a burning pain all over my body. After several specialists and far too many test to mention I was diagnosed in August of ‘05 with a rare muscle disease called Polymyositis. Wouldn’t you know it, stress and over-exertion triggered the acute flare up. Humm, is there a moral here?! Nope. Anyway, I was told to lower my stress as much as I could (yeah, right) and rest before I get tired (huh?). So, on to retirement plan B. In January of this year, it did happen - for a few new reasons - and my dream is still very much alive. I take chemotherapy for months at a time to slow down the disease process and I have to take frequent breaks, but now I have ALL DAY to work! How does that song go? “No boss, no clock, no dress code”! Ah, retirement….doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, fabric outlets and office supply stores! It’s not all bad though, I get great product ideas under heavy medication! ( Please don’t tell my doctor! )
For more information on Polymyositis, visit http://www.myositis.org and see how you can help to find a cure.
Happy Trails!
Carol
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Don’t forget to visit my store Old West Ways at http://www.oldwestways.com/
