Update time...

At one time, I posted to my blog fairly regularly! Really, I did! But here I am, almost 2 years after my last blog post. Where has the time gone??

Since my last post, so much has happened, I suppose it makes sense that something had to give. But truthfully, I think Facebook has managed to steal some of the time I used to spend on this blog. Okay, a lot of the time Too much time. Oddly enough, I have been neglecting my Facebook "business page" as well. So. If you want to know more, keep reading. I have a little time now, and some beads and an egg in the oven, curing.

First, I enjoyed the retreat/workshops in Indiana. It was fun meeting Cynthia Tinapple of Polymer Clay Daily fame in person. as well as some of the online polymer clay people I've "seen" but never met. I found the person who blocked me on Facebook, and once we talked, we found that we enjoyed many of the same views. She did not even remember blocking me. We are now Facebook friends. I roomed with Ponsawan Sila, a truly amazing woman who does beautiful polymer clay work while caring for her disabled daughter, who was in a serious car accident about a decade ago and suffers from traumatic brain injury. (She is now living in Thailand, where she was born and raised, along with her daughter.)

In August, my grandson Ezra was born. He and his parents, my daughter and son-in-law, were living with us so I got to enjoy seeing him quite a bit. He spent a week in the NICU because of fluid in his lungs, but recovered and came home. Needless to say, it was busy around here, since I am still caring for my dad, who has Parkinson's. Six adults and one tiny baby in the house... PHEW!

I attended another Indiana retreat last year (2017) and got to meet Libby Mills. She was so cool! I stayed in a hotel off-site by myself and it was great for my introvert soul. Libby (and others!) were excited by my eggs, and bought several. I hadn't brought as many as I had the year before. That was uplifting. I am not good at dealing with compliments, so a part of me wanted hide under the table. Ron Lehocky was there again, with his wonderful hearts.

My daughter and her little family moved to Carbondale in the fall of 2017, so my son-in-law could go to school. I drove the U-Haul truck when they moved. We were all a bit frazzled, but survived.

My father has begun seeing a movement specialist in St. Louis, a three hour trek from us. We've made 3 trips down so far. I'm not sure it has been helpful, although at first I had a great deal of hope. They've added medication, and that has caused him to have dyskinesia that he did not have before. He began falling more frequently and his speech disintegrated. To some extent, I am at odds with his doctor down there - I reduced the medication and he is somewhat better, but the doctor wants him to go back up. Parkinson's sucks, but so does the medication.

Between all of the fall busy-ness, I was asked by The Polymer Arts magazine to submit photos and information about myself for one of their issues! Freak out! So I did, after finding someone to take good photos, and my blurb was in their winter issue. They called me an "accomplished artist," imagine that. There was a misspelling of my last name in the title, but the article was well written.

My own health issues have also wreaked havoc. I suffer from depression and Fibromyalgia, so throughout this past couple of years it has been difficult to pull my muse out from her deep hole. Watching current events has not been good for my psyche either, but I guess I feel the need to keep up. I have been getting back to my clay, albeit slowly and somewhat painfully.

I think that's it! Don't hold me to it, but I hope to keep up with this blog on a weekly basis. Peace!