Joined
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6 Posts
Before talking about me I want to say reading the few threads I've seen so far has been both informative and entertaining. I've seen animated and subdued, and I want to assure you I couldn't be less animated.
In 2013 I was 56 and after fighting as long as I could, I had to agree disability was the right way to go. We owned a hospice that at one time operated in multiple states with a staff of just over 1,000. There was apparently a mistake made at our home office and as the owner I had to take responsibility. A very expensive one involving the IRS that took more than just my pride.
I have been blessed with a curious mind and the aptitude of a fast learner. Eight years is a long time trapped inside your head watching your wife take a job at Walmart so we could keep our home. Our son, now 20 years old, has had to pay his own college because when the IRS gets mad at you they take everything they can including money put aside for college. Then they deny you the opportunity to appeal by threatening more losses even if you win such hypothetical reversals of opinion.
So here I am, spiritually deflated but having first hand witnessed God provide from nowhere without ever once failing to meet our needs. I have developed an interest in working with acrylic, plexiglass, etc doing small things for a local charity and, with any luck, perhaps a dollar or two will come in from here or there. My greatest passion is anything Christmas. In year one or two of my exile I designed an 8 feet wide, 9 foot tall angel with 1,200 lights. I had to teach myself how to weld and the results were unbelievably reaffirming. I have been doing computerized Christmas lights almost 20 years and taught myself the newest protocol so now I can pick any one LED pixel from the 42,000 the insurance company bought us after a house flood, turn that one green for 1 1,000th of a second without any other light changing unless I program it to do so. A few years ago we had an opportunity to purchase a 3D printer and I learned CAD by studying various websites online while waiting for it to be delivered.
Then it got stolen and we've never recovered.
Forgive me for being so long winded, but can anyone kindly advise us as to whether or not a machine in the hundreds (not thousands) of dollars can produce a commercially viable product such as Christmas tree ornaments, duplicates of our son and his friends diplomas etched in acrylic, or small to medium replicas of our angel that is already designed in component form? I should mention that I developed a very odd side effect from my disability. I sometimes struggle intensely with adult onset attention deficit. It is maddening, and may or may not slow me down, but when all is said and done we hope to replace the money we use to buy a functional machine and any money we are able to generate is more than we had.
Again, apologies for the lengthy diatribe, but I came here for the sincerity and honesty I saw in your forum. I've asked probably a dozen "pros" about our menial requirements and received twice that many answers. None of them match. If it's not realistic to provide a few quality pieces per month then I can't and won't ask my family to sacrifice more than they already have so I can have a hobby.
To anyone who has taken the time to read my note, thank you, and to everyone I wish you and yours health, safety, and happiness during these difficult days.
Very Sincerely,
---Sam
PS--at my age I don't worry about proof reading for egregious errors I'm sure I missed. Hopefully, I've made some sense.
In 2013 I was 56 and after fighting as long as I could, I had to agree disability was the right way to go. We owned a hospice that at one time operated in multiple states with a staff of just over 1,000. There was apparently a mistake made at our home office and as the owner I had to take responsibility. A very expensive one involving the IRS that took more than just my pride.
I have been blessed with a curious mind and the aptitude of a fast learner. Eight years is a long time trapped inside your head watching your wife take a job at Walmart so we could keep our home. Our son, now 20 years old, has had to pay his own college because when the IRS gets mad at you they take everything they can including money put aside for college. Then they deny you the opportunity to appeal by threatening more losses even if you win such hypothetical reversals of opinion.
So here I am, spiritually deflated but having first hand witnessed God provide from nowhere without ever once failing to meet our needs. I have developed an interest in working with acrylic, plexiglass, etc doing small things for a local charity and, with any luck, perhaps a dollar or two will come in from here or there. My greatest passion is anything Christmas. In year one or two of my exile I designed an 8 feet wide, 9 foot tall angel with 1,200 lights. I had to teach myself how to weld and the results were unbelievably reaffirming. I have been doing computerized Christmas lights almost 20 years and taught myself the newest protocol so now I can pick any one LED pixel from the 42,000 the insurance company bought us after a house flood, turn that one green for 1 1,000th of a second without any other light changing unless I program it to do so. A few years ago we had an opportunity to purchase a 3D printer and I learned CAD by studying various websites online while waiting for it to be delivered.
Then it got stolen and we've never recovered.
Forgive me for being so long winded, but can anyone kindly advise us as to whether or not a machine in the hundreds (not thousands) of dollars can produce a commercially viable product such as Christmas tree ornaments, duplicates of our son and his friends diplomas etched in acrylic, or small to medium replicas of our angel that is already designed in component form? I should mention that I developed a very odd side effect from my disability. I sometimes struggle intensely with adult onset attention deficit. It is maddening, and may or may not slow me down, but when all is said and done we hope to replace the money we use to buy a functional machine and any money we are able to generate is more than we had.
Again, apologies for the lengthy diatribe, but I came here for the sincerity and honesty I saw in your forum. I've asked probably a dozen "pros" about our menial requirements and received twice that many answers. None of them match. If it's not realistic to provide a few quality pieces per month then I can't and won't ask my family to sacrifice more than they already have so I can have a hobby.
To anyone who has taken the time to read my note, thank you, and to everyone I wish you and yours health, safety, and happiness during these difficult days.
Very Sincerely,
---Sam
PS--at my age I don't worry about proof reading for egregious errors I'm sure I missed. Hopefully, I've made some sense.
