Pandemic Pause

It's been a long time since I've written. First I was busy with shows, then a wedding, Christmas, and the Pandemic. And now I've got a myriad of stressors related to the health of family, friends and myself. Yikes!

First, the Pandemic. What happened is, the art side of me had to take a back seat to the teacher side. I had been tutoring two boys with dyslexia when the pandemic hit. At that point, one of the families asked me to homeschool my tutee and his sister three days a week. Of course, I said yes. I continued to tutor the other boy, homeschooled the brother and and sister, and then acquired another girl with dyslexia. Well, NOW, my schedule was Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. A fourth day of the week was set aside for caring for my two year old grandson, so there wasn't much time left for creativity after housework and some much needed rest!

Now the homeschoolers are back in school, I've lost the little girl student, and I'm left tutoring my dear Eli three hours per week, and babysitting one day a week. Ahhhh. Time to take a breath. Actually, its left time to help care for my elderly parents. They're preparing to move into assisted living, but following several serious issues, they need someone with them 24/7. I have four other siblings, and everyone is pitching in, but it means overnights and doctor appointments amongst other things. I am willing and able to help, and glad of it.

But wait, there's more! One of my lifelong friends has incurable cancer. We are still reeling with the shock of it. We have so much more we want to do together. Seeing her suffer is one of the most sobering, heartbreaking events of my life. At our age it's natural to ponder our own mortality, but we just want to ponder it. Not experience it.

On the "circle of life" side of things, November brought us a lovely wedding of my step-son Ben and his new bride Natalie. This past month, we welcomed a new grandson into the family as well. There is much to be grateful for.

It's interesting, creativity. You really do need quiet, down time for the ideas to start flowing. I found that I couldn't just jump from homeschooling, to creating. I needed time to imagine, to dream, to let my mind wander, and to just observe and ponder. Hence the gap in writing and creating.

With less teaching now, the ideas are starting to flow, and my house is beginning to look like it! Over the winter I made some crazy doily-infused scarves. I revived my Etsy shop, and have made some sales. Last week, I made an old window into a a free hanging privacy window for my bathroom using old crystal plates, and, of course, doilies. Oh, and for Christmas, I made a cool multimedia art piece that included photos and artifacts from the wedding, and a painting of my son-in-law and mixed-race grandson that I love.

Going forward, I've applied to a few juried art fairs. Some are long shots, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I plan on amping up my Etsy shop, and hopefully hosting and taking, a few classes. My dream is to host an art fair in my yard featuring all recyled, upcycled, or pieces made with natural materials. I think I have room for 18-20 booths! Maybe 2022........

That's all for now. Forgive me if this sounds suspiciously like one of those annual Christmas letters we used to get from people!

Enjoy the photos, visit my Etsy shop, or contact me if you'd like something "off the shelf," or custom made.

P.S.

Since beginning this blog entry, I've been accepted into one of the juried shows....and rejected by another. Fifty percent ain't bad!

Peace,

Jean

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