Jennifer Sharp
Bio
Mom, grandma, avid rock picker and lapidarist/ jewelry maker. My life has taken many twists and turns that have led me down paths I never thought I would walk and the experiences have made me both stronger and more vulnerable...
Stories (5/0)
Giving to A Small Town
I have lived in my community for 35 years and have always been actively involved in many activities. I was a part of what was called the FLASK committee for several years, which was a group responsible for fundraising, planning and organizing and running our town's annual Fourth of July festival. During the 10 years I was a part of this committee, we went from just a few small events and a tiny fireworks display to being one of the largest festivals in our area and people came from all around the surrounding area to attend our events, which included things like a petting zoo, bounce houses, craft shows and flea markets, a huge parade and one of the best fireworks displays in the state. Our core group of 10 volunteers made the entire thing happen and, sadly, we began to get tired. The group fell apart with the passing of the leader and fireworks expert and it took several years to get new people to pick things back up.
By Jennifer Sharp3 years ago in Humans
The October Goat
My son got a goat in early October... it was an accidental thing he did. We have friends who have horses, pigs, chickens and goats. He went to visit one afternoon and came home a little while later asking if he could bring home one of the goats. They needed to rehome this goat. Not because he was bad or anything, just because he was after the does who were already bred and he was getting antsy irritated. So I agreed (my son is an adult who lives with me, a volunteer firefighter and responsible adult by the way) and Goat came home. Before he came home, we spent several hours quickly converting a small lean to shed attached to my barn into a goat shed for my son's new pal. Thinking we had it secure enough and all set, Goat moved into his shed and my son screwed one of those really long screw in dog stakes in the ground so Goat could be outside while he did a little more work on the shed. A couple of hours passed by ( I was inside doing my own thing) and my son comes in the house sweating and out of breath... concerned, I asked what was wrong. Goat, it seemed, had pulled the stake out of the ground and had gone AWOL into the woods across the road! My son had been chasing him down, finally locating him and leading him home. The neighbors across the road (we live on a busy road in a semi rural area) could hear a goat but couldn't see it and were looking all over for it... then they saw my son emerge from the woods with Goat on a rope walking like a dog on a leash, Goat just protesting up a storm. They could do nothing but stare for a few seconds- and then had to just laugh at the picture!
By Jennifer Sharp3 years ago in Humans
My Haunted House
On September 8 2008, my old house burned down. It was a very old house, with the original one room cabin section dating over 125 years old. A couple of additions had been added on over the years but none of the house was newer than 50 years old. The house was part of a historical site in our area, part of the headquarters for one of the first CCC camps but well before that one of the resting grounds for Indian tribes crossing the area. The people I bought the house from had run a speed shop in the huge stand alone four car garage and my sons had spent hours of their childhoods digging rusty pieces of metal and car parts out of the dirt around the garage and exploring the "ditch" behind the house, where a small feeder stream runs into the lake two houses down from my house. The area is rich in history and artifacts and my sons dug up old railroad and barn spikes from the ditch as well as arrowheads and other artifacts. Some they kept as mementos, some we donated to our local small historical museum.
By Jennifer Sharp3 years ago in Horror
Peace in the Hectic World
A hectic, busy week of work and responsibilities... bills to pay, family to take care of and what seems like a million things to do. I always thought as I got older and my boys grew into adulthood that my days would slow down and I would have more time. It seems, however, that my days have just gotten busier! My small business has, over the years, changed and grown from the tiny woodshop it started out as into a adding a greenhouse for several years (now closed) and a few years ago adding custom jewelry to the line up. I now focus almost exclusively on handmade custom stone jewelry, which is why I am writing this story...
By Jennifer Sharp3 years ago in Wander
Adult Bullying is a Real Thing
I was raised in a dysfunctional household and suffered much abuse at the hands of my mother. I never really developed a strong sense of self esteem or self confidence and was not popular in school, in part because my childhood was not one that was conducive to making friends and encouraging relationships. I left home in my early 20's and never returned.
By Jennifer Sharp3 years ago in The Swamp
