Looking back

2021, better than 2020 but strange in it’s own way.  The year had hardly begun when we began to lose the legends in the knife world. Many a knife collection began in the middle of a long night with the first impulse buy from Jim Frost, losing him left a scar on the older collectors. Some of the newer collectors felt it as they began to learn just how much this giant did for knife collecting.

Just behind Jim we lost a collector and member of a long running physical knife club, Jim Siska. Keeping physical clubs going in the past decade has had it’s challenges but Jim was an inspiration on why they are important (and fun). iKC lost a longtime member of great standing, I think Kenny Hill made everyone smile at least once and he has been sorely missed. Master bladesmith Bill Bagwell, one of the four founding members of the American Bladesmith Society., pattern welded Damascus will always be his legacy.  Herman Williams could make a Schrade a thing of beauty and bring a well loved one back to life. Ronald Franklin of Soddy Daisy Knife Collectors Association. Georgia Custom Knifemakers’ Guild and friend Dennis Bradley left us in August.  I don’t think I can count the Covid calls and blessedly most of them are full recoveries.

The wildfires have turned to torrential rains and record breaking snows.  The economy became an ever changing living entity that will continue the trend into 2022. We pray for those left on foreign soils and here in the U.S.A. that have lost businesses and jobs. The hurricane and tornado damage is extensive.

A probe landed on Mars and converted some of Mars’s carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen. Captain Kirk went to outer space. Chili pepper plants are thriving on the space station and a rare species of orchid was found growing on top of an investment bank in London. A tiny brain implant helped a blind woman see letters again. Pandas are off the endangered list!   The first ever vaccine for malaria was approved by the World Health Organization this year. Britney Spears regained control of her life and career for the first time in nearly 14 years.

Knife shows were very well attended. Gun and Knife shows did even better. Internet knife sales went sky high and dealers were thrilled.

Although we lost valued members and friends in the knife world, we gained members and have made new friends. As I look forward to 2022 I am sticking with doing more than just one foot forward, I am going to be running along side my 2 year old grandson Milo. I am going to be teaching the pre teen Savannah to cook and Dakota starts Fly fishing courses in the early spring so he and I can spend some time on the river banks together this summer. We want to be able to attend more shows, make more knives (Savannah is hooked on working at the anvil with Donnie).  Spend more time here on iKC celebrating purchases, holy grail finds, newly made knives and friends.

So it is positive planning for me, how about you?