Agility is a Journey
One day a Pug jumped up on a kitchen counter and a journey began.
But long before that there was a geeky girl who loved rocks and minerals and dogs. And horses. She couldn't have a dog or a horse so she had turtles, tropical fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, parakeets, and anything else that her parents would allow. She used to hammer in quarries looking for trilobites and wade through streams looking for geodes. This girl also loved to work with her hands and was always wanting to know how things are made. She taught herself to weave beaded belts and to knit hats and scarves. (But not sewing. She hated that.)
The girl became many things while she was growing up--waitress, factory worker, truck driver, heavy equipment operator, carpenter, farmer, cowgirl, bartender, student, archaeologist, cartographer, wife, mother, and grandmother. And through it all she always had to have something to make.
Later in life when when the girl was no longer a girl she got a Pug to show in conformation. And when the Pug finished a championship she started doing competition obedience with the Pug. Then she got another Pug who loved to jump on things and through things. She watched the agility students coming to class after her obedience class and it occurred to her that perhaps this Pug might like jumping on more things than just the coffee table and the kitchen counter. And that's when the agility journey began.
Then one day the girl who was no longer a girl decided to make a beaded bookmark for a friend. She played with beads for a while and even set up a shop on Etsy to sell her beadwork. But she really wasn't very good at it and started thinking about metal instead. Cause she always loved metal. She thought it would be fun to make a necklace with her dog's names on it so she bought a piece of copper and a set of metal stamps. And that's when the metalworking journey began.
Now she goes to agility trials to run with her Pugs and vend jewelry for other enthusiasts who want to celebrate or motivate or commiserate. Or who just love playing with their dogs. She also makes jewelry for other people who love quality work that is crafted with traditional metalworking techniques.
Besides four Pugs the girl who is no longer a girl lives with her talented and supportive husband who has recently joined the shop to contribute his mad etching skills. Her daughter lives across the continent but remains a major influence in much of her work, especially those things related to mountains, constellations, compasses, and all manner of natural beauty.
And the girl is enjoying every step of her journey.
