It has been a month since I have visited my blogsite. I did receive one phone call from a loyal reader asking, "Why?" The call prompted this writing for sure. Some of you know that I wrote a book a few years ago about my journey through a total life-change as I became functionally blind, my 27-year marriage fell apart and I was forced to move from my beautiful home in coastal NC. The title of my book is Born Of Fire: A Yearlong Diary of Personal Transformation. My dear friend and author, Janet Lembke, edited and guided me through the process but like I said that was about 7 year ago before Sebastian and I went on the road in the Bearfoot Coach. Now it is time to revisit the manuscript and web-publish. I had looked into publishing the book through a commercial publisher a few years ago. The cost was prohibitive for me. I became discouraged and put the book away. But with the advent of web self publishing, it is doable. This is a lengthy excuse regarding my absence from my blog writing. I have been diligently working on BOF whenever I have spare time. I am getting very close to publishing and will certainly announce it to ya'll.
This post will appear on Facebook too. I guess since it is all Google web...... I want to bring my blog only readers up-to-date on what has changed in my life in the last month. My last writing here, I said I was leaving Hicks' and going on to subbing again. That did happen. But one day three weeks ago as I left my job at Fort Ann CSD, my phone told me I had several messages. I was wanted at the BOCES Gick Road Special Education Offices. I not only had phone calls but emails requesting me to fill a secretarial post to the director. The hours worked for me and for Sebastian for now. The job will end by mid-Dec. so hopefully the heavy snows will hold off. I like the job and it is good to be back, spending time with the friends I met when I subbed for them last spring for 3 mos. It just so happened that I had treatment for my eye spasms a week before the BOCES job began. I received the largest dose of Botoxin that I have ever had in the 12 years I have had to have the injections. I personally think it was too much for me to handle. My immune system which is already challenged from Sjogrens, went into a talespin. My eyes just couldn't stay focused or clear. The dryness was just awful as was the fatigue. But I am pulling out of that now. It seems to improve each day. I have about 5 weeks or so before I pull the old Bearfoot Bus out of Hartford and point it southward once more. ((:
What a great day that will be!!! I have a friend who is willing to learn to drive the bus and share the winter with Sebastian and me. Her name is Bernice Burnham. We share many of the same interests and she has a great sense of humor which is essential when riding/living with me.
I have been a busy person though (another excuse for not posting). I began a new series of paintings a couple of months ago. I have called it Through Will's Eyes. Will is my grandson who it turns out is a fine photographer. With his permission, I am using some of his shots as models. This is an exciting project for me. My daughter Theresa took me to the Georgia O'Keefe tourning exhibit at the Clark Museum in Williamstown, MA for my birthday a few months back. I have been to a couple of O'Keefe exhibits since her work has always inspired me. Seeing her work upclose and personal combined with Will's photos just got all my creative juices flowing again. The only problem with this is, I have interrupted the process with life, at least for now. I cannot tell you how many times this has happened to me during my 50 years of painting. I keep the painting out in my living area where I look at it each and every day. That way the juices are still trickling away just waiting to continue. See the photos attached. Progression from abstract underpainting to realism.
So between work, BOF (the book), preparing for winter, readying the bus, closing the garden and all the other stuff we do on a daily basis, finding time to write a journal has not been high on the list.
I must tell you I had a visitor in my maple tree right by my bedroom window last week. I put up one of Pete's birdhouses in that tree last summer. The tree is only about 10 ft. away from the house. I saw a flash of blue and there was a bluebird looking into the birdhouse. I crept away to get the camera but alas, s/he was gone when I returned. I am looking foward to a nesting pair in that place in the spring. I had a pair all summer but they were down on the lower locust grove area.
I finally was able to find a seasonal flu shot clinic in Saratoga. My boss gave me as much time as I needed to go up to Walgreen's. I stood in line for about a half hour which wasn't bad. The H1N1 virus is all around me but now that I am no longer in the classroom, I feel better about avoiding the virus. I have always opposed anti-bacterial soaps except for medical people since the natural bacteria on our skin is protective in its own right. I use, along with many others, the hand sanitizer now, and I wonder if we are not inviting more virus' than we are preventing. Certainly my skin has suffered from the frequent application of alcohol as well as soap and water. Time will tell.
Enough rambling for now. Enjoy the photo of Sebastian taken yesterday after we had to walk in the rain.
donna
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