Zen Cat Art

eb's book... ta da...

Another in our wonderful round robin book from our Artist Dozen.
 
I love the cover and the potential in the word "if"
 
 
Mary's page, I love the photo...

 
Kim Bohem's page, with a lovely drawing and her own poem!

 
Kim Dubay's page with a Child's Garden of Verse, wonderful!

 
Terry Fryer's page, with a picture from Squam!!

 
These are the grand pages of from Heather, the pockets and poems are marvelous! 

 
And my own page... always a bit of fabric and paint and my own favorite "if" question.  

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Bones, Bras, & Bio-Hazards

This post is pretty much for women only...

I went for my mammogram today - it was pretty much as you might expect.  Squeeze, squeeze, turn, squeeze, squeeze, done.  I was thinking that we should have our pictures taken for our licenses (just the face) done at the same time.  The expression on the picture might just stop the cop from handing out a ticket.

Thinking that I would get everything done in a single day, I made an appointment for a bone density test directly after the mammogram.  Since the bone density imaging machine is not only in the same hallway but in the very next room and I assumed I could just go directly there but no... they wanted me to dress, register again at the front desk, go through a new door and wind up 3 feet from where I had the mammogram.  Right.

I threw my bra in my bag, threw my big sweater on and made three lefts, signed a paper and was back where I started.  It seemed silly to stop at the lady's room to put my bra back on, might as well be comfortable, so I had the bone test sans bra.

Then I headed out to my gp/internist for my flu shot and having totally forgotten the uncomfortable bra by now I slung my bag on the seat next to me and headed out.  Knowing the hazards of plastic bottles, I prided myself in bringing my own britta water in my own safe plastic bottle and had a sip or two during the ride.  When I got to my doctors office, I realized I might have to remove the long sleeved shirt under my sweater to get the flu shot as the sleeves were snug.  So when they put me in the room to await my shot, I took off my shirt and pulled my bra out of my bag... it was soaking wet.  Drenched, drowned and dripping.

Like any good doctor she tapped on the door before letting herself in.  And there I stood, clutching a dripping bra in one hand and my shirt to my chest with the other. 

"Water bottle opened," was all I could croak out. 

To her credit, she just smiled and said "these things happen."  Gave me the flu shot and left the room.  I put on my shirt and sweater just in time for her return with a bag for the wet bra...

I'm opting for room temperature!  Who says mammograms aren't fun!

PS The results were normal!
 

100th post & Nanowrimo

One hundred posts and 50,000 words!  How appropiate they come together!
 
It's National Novel Writers Month again (every November) and this is my 5th year participating. The idea is to write 50,000 words between 12:01 on November 1st and Midnight on November 30th.  I won in 2006 when I made it to the 50,000 words.  I didn't do as well in other years but none of the words were wasted.  Someday they will find life in other stories or flurish when a new idea comes along but they were all fun to write!  And most important, I met some great people from all over the world. 

We had our kick-off meeting at Cozi's in West Hartford - about an hour from me - but I wouldn't miss it.  Here is our fearless leader in "steampunk." 
   
And our group - CT North - some dressed for Halloween - all ready to start writing after midnight!
 
Good luck everyone! See you at the write-ins! 

Frist Snow...

I love the first snow of the season!  Last Thursday & Friday, I was in snowflake heaven!
 
I know it will get deep and hard to shovel and it will get dirty and piled up by the road side.  It will be difficult to drive in and will be hard to remember what the grass looks like but that's for January or February, maybe even March.  But not today.

Today it is fluffy and white and sparkly and reminds me of fairy dust.  Today it is a magical world and we have gone for a walk in it. 
 
Our "first snow" ritual - a walk in the nature preserve. 
 

 

A Trip to Charlotte

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see my kids and grandchildren!  There are no words for the feeling you get when your granddaughter flings herself into your arms yelling "Grandma is here! Grandma is here!" Or the comfort that comes from talking to your children face to face, instead of across a thousand miles of phone line.  To share a holiday, a meal, a funny story, a care that becomes lighter from speaking in it the open - it's a joy!  A mitzvah.
To share their dreams...

To be part of their lives...

To be part of their fun...

 To be there in the morning and at night...

It fills your heart and heals your soul.  There's not a lot that can compare.  
 
 
 
 

Good Friends...

I'm so lucky, I have a good friends!  I don't know how I would get down the road without them. Thanks for being here for me!
 

"It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us." - Epicurus (341 - 270 BC) Greek philosopher. 

Kim's Book

Here is some of the wonderful work done is Kim Dubay's book by our Artistic Dozen Round Robin group. Welcome back, for those that went to Squam this year!

Here is Kim's cover!  What a great old book!

Here's the inside cover - great instructions, what fun!!

Here's Terry Fryers page.  I realized after I took this picture that the "s" in artist had come loose, so I put it back in place.  It's a great page!

This is Kim B's page.  I love it - there are no rules!  Amen!

Mary, remembers!  What a great page!

A wondeful page from Elise!

My page... What a treat it is to be a part of this book and what a wonderful job Kim did in setting it up for us!  Just delighful!  Thanks so much to every one for working on this project!!

Stuff...

Well, when I said I wanted to go slower, I didn't think blogging would come to a screeching hault.  It's hard to tell everything that was going on but it would be safe to say I was over whelmed.  Some of it was good stuff.  hil started teaching school in Hartford, I've had all sorts of work and commissions to do, three friends had hospital stays (all are doing fine I'm happy to say), and more, so much more.  Some things that were hard to handle I passed off to experts and gathered my resources and promised myself that I would make some changes.   So I am starting to stick my head up and look around. 

Sorry for being gone for so long... 

Slower... I want to go slower.

 Slower.  I want to go slower.  This is the beach at Smuggler's Cove in Cape Cod.  A healing moment in this crazy summer, sinking my toes into the wet sand and looking out over the ocean. 

We have been careening toward a new life.  Filling out forms, writing cover letters, waiting for replies.  Taking tests (Praxis 1 & 2) and waiting for results.  More letters, more waiting, student teaching, job hunting, juggling finances, painting a hundred yards of fabric, ironing it, painting more.  Packing for shows, making brochures, printing business cards, endless hours of "what if" and hopes flung out to the universe...

Transitions are like this, turmoil, fraught wishes and worry, hopes and fears.  We're in a blanket toss, up in the air, flying out of our comfort zone and hoping for a soft landing.  And then we are down and the landscape has changed, the bread crumb trail is gone and a new yellow brick road is stretching out in front of us.

But now, I need to pause.  To sink my toes in the sand, to remember my childhood and imagine my future and reconnect with the things that feed my soul.  To catch my breath...and enjoy the salt air.

Graduation Day...

ARC (Alternate Route to Certification) teacher "boot-camp"is over and it's graduation day!  If anyone was meant to be a teacher it's Phil.  He worked so hard and did so well!  

Graduation was at Conard High School, where Phil did his student teaching.  We got to meet his cooperating teacher, Mark Dursin, and see the classroom where Phil cut his teaching teeth on summer school students.  The ceremony was marked by some interesting speakers and a fire drill.  Since the speaker at the time was a Physical Sciences teacher, Glenn Couture, an actor in local theater, we thought for sure it was part of the fun.  But, since it was the last day of summer school, and most likely a departing student's idea of fun, we filed out and used the time for photo-ops, then filed back in for the rest of the ceremonies. 

We (Phil, Richard, & I) rounded out the day with a wonderful dinner at the Max's Oyster Bar in West Hartford, a spectacular restaurant for a special occasion and a real treat for us.  The oysters were superior!  Thanks, Richard!  

It was a wonderful day and the beginning of a whole new life for us.  A big thank you to everyone who has cheered us on!  And a special thanks to Tracy who told us about the program and Jimmy, who made it possible.  The universe has given me the world's best kids!