I've been "tagged"

Nor'dzin who blogs at ceffylau.blogspot.com has tagged me. I accept the tag (though a good old fashioned game of chase tag would suit me just fine!) and will share six things about myself that you may not know.

1. The first time I tried downhill skiing I sprained my knee and was carried to the first aid shack in the arms of my MD father. I was seven and mad that he didn't wait for the ski patrol to come fetch me with their toboggan. Perhaps I was really mad because my childhood dream of becoming a Radio City Rockette was threatened by this injury. In fact, the real threat had already come when we moved to a small town whose only dance teacher broke both legs in a car accident.

2. I was a devout rebel starting in my early teens. Anything I was told not to do by my parents, I made sure I did. The biggest offenses (aka adventures) were after they said "I forbid you to hitchhike there," and "Motorcycles are dangerous, you can't ride one." My most exciting hitchhiking was a trip from London to Athens. The hitchhiking trip I used to brag most about was from New York to Portland, Oregon -- bragging about starting the trip with $5 in my pocket and arriving in Portland with $20. I learned that every trucker I met was kind, generous, and protective. [Disclaimer: I no longer recommend hitch hiking!]

3. I have sung in public both as back up singer for a singer-songwriter friend, and as one of a six-woman acappella group. I stopped because the performance anxiety was greater than the joy of singing. I am certain that in an alternate life, I was/would be/am a rock and roll star.

4. I had a breast cancer experience twelve years ago. I spent the first five weeks after diagnosis pretty much in bed, reading, writing, drawing, wailing, talking on the phone, dealing with the "C" word. After surgeries were done and chemotherapy commenced, I realized I was going to survive. In an effort to invest in my future, I took scuba diving lessons and went on a scuba diving vacation, for which I had to rearrange my scheduled chemo. My oncologist supported my assertiveness. For radiation, I created my own "johnny" out of flannel covered with images of cats. I later passed this along to another woman in treatment for breast cancer, who later passed it to another woman... Some days I wonder, 'Who has it now?'

5. My favorite stores are hardware stores and stationery stores. I own and operate many power tools, and RNB has introduced me to heavy equipment. Most recently I have learned to operate a crane that suspends a custom cage for holding humans. Why would I do this? So RNB and a couple of helpers can install the ridge vents on a very large building on our new property. We will also use the crane to reconstruct an old post and beam barn that we dismantled and moved last year.

6. My favorite winter activity? Soaking in a hot tub, outdoors, regardless of the weather. Picture a wool cap in a misty cloud, dripping with melting snowflakes.

I will 'tag' some other bloggers, mostly for the purpose of helping new readers browse places I have enjoyed.

Michelle's Musings from the Bottom of Chestnut Hill

Walter's Sugar Mountain Farm

Susanna's The Bloggery