Are you smarter than a seventh grader?

This fall has been full of new adventures. For the most part, I'm enjoying them!

Last week, I started substitute teaching at a local school district. My first day was subbing for an elementary school class and I loved it. Today, I taught two classes for junior high students. The contrast in the two grades was astonishing. Let's just say that I already went through junior high school once, and that experience was more than enough.

Going in to substitute teaching, I knew that my deafness was going to be an issue somewhere down the road. Let me be blunt here: I don't think kids around here have been exposed to or educated about people who are "different" than they are, and that includes people with disabilities. And you know what? No matter how old I am, and no matter how often I have been singled out, looked at funny, pointed at and made fun of, it still hurts. It never gets easier.

Perhaps experiences like these are why I often choose to live more of a sheltered life, relishing the familiar comforts of home and those I know, as well as creating a business that revolves around the well-being of animals.

That brings me around to my second adventure this fall: ozarkhandcrafts.com! I am in the process of creating a new web site that will feature the unique handcrafted items created by the talented artists in our community. Please visit ozarkhandcrafts.com to check out the beginning stages -- and bookmark the site so you can watch it grow. My goal is to have several merchant pages available by Thanksgiving weekend.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow!