The Last Sunset

I’m completing my blog on Father’s Day as I remember my father and my husband who was a loving father.  I miss them both and this is a day also of remembrance of all the fathers who are not here to be honored in person.  This sentiment from The Grief Toolbox fits the feelings I have and I’m sure for many other people.

When I got home last Sunday in the morning,  I felt all my energy leaving me. I needed to get my blog out there as soon as possible.   Thank goodness I work on it throughout the week.  It would be very overwhelming doing it in one sitting.  As soon as that was accomplished, I laid down and slept for eight hours. Then up for a couple of hours before sleeping through the night.   This had been getting worse. I started to have problems scheduling anything. I did see a doctor about this and he took me off a water pill which is the first step they take with people with high blood pressure. I don't have high  blood pressure. This medication has a side effect to keep me from losing calcium when I urinated.   He said my brain was not getting enough oxygen and that was why I was feeling so sleepy. Blood pressure on Friday at chemotherapy  was 113/71.  When I was taking that medication, it was running 99/66.   I am scheduled for a test called a Cortrosyn Stimulation Test.  They are looking at Adrenal Insufficiency.   It is all related to looking at why I’m so exhausted that I could sleep for so many hours.

My granddaughter Cassadie graduated from the University of Oregon this week. And, her mom sent me her first published article in a magazine about a woman who made specialized soap. Well done!  I will see her next weekend.

Meghan with her sister Cassadie who graduated from
The University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism

It is only me in Carol Bradshaw's art class now.  This week was drawing sunflowers.  I was telling my step-mom Kate and she wondered how Carol can do this for just one person.  I agree, but I am glad I have had her.  I've learned a lot even if I have a hard time getting some of what she says.  It is interesting because it will hit me about the meaning of something she has said many times in the past and then all of a sudden I "get it!"  As I was talking to my step-mom, she told me about a picture she drew using cheap colored pencils.  She had taken a photo of her friend's cat.  She was just struck by the color of his hair.  She said he is almost the size of a Maine Coon cat.  This drawing she did was on a 12x16 drawing paper.  She gave the drawing to her friend who was very pleased.  She is a very good artist!

My Step-Mom Kate Gaman drew this picture

My picture of Sunflowers- Pencil and Color Pencil

I went to Martha's home and then the Helping One Woman dinner.  The woman being honored was Theresa Lopez.  She started with breast cancer in 2010 and in 2014 with Stage IV liver cancer.  And just recently they found a lesion in her brain.  Many people were there to honor her.  She has a very positive attitude and a wonderful smile.   Her attitude has helped her in dealing with this.  It is amazing to me how people do what they do when given such tough news.

Theresa Lopez is on the left

A friend, Victor  who I worked with called me. We hadn't talked in a long time.   He is writing a book and asked if I would read it when he is at that point.  I'm honored that he would like me to do this.  We have scheduled lunch this next week at Mama Roomba.  We were best buds at work and though we haven't talked in quite a  while, I still feel this way about him.  I am really looking forward to spending some time with him.

I picked some veggies this week. It is so exciting when you grow it yourself. It also has much more flavor. I like that!  I have actually eaten several tomatoes and green peppers from my garden.  I'm eating them as soon as I pick them.  These green peppers are so small and very tasty.  I will cook the squash today.

Veggies from my raised garden

Here is a lovely picture of my two great-grandsons that my Granddaughter-in-Law Meagan posted this week.  They are one year apart.

Kason and Conner, brothers

So last night my daughter Shelley and I went to a going away party for two of my friends, Susan and Jennifer.  They live on top of a hill and have a wonderful view of sunsets here. I will miss them, but I think this is a wonderful move for them.  Shelley and I will make a point of visiting them.  They were there for me when times were incredibly rough when Paul was dying and when I was having medical problems,  in addition to being just two wonderful women.  There were also several people I knew and that Shelley knew by voice on the phone.  She was finally able to connect a face with the voice.

Jennifer and Susan- Note the dry landscape on the hills

My daughter Shelley and my friend Beth with me

Silhouette of Palm Tree at Sunset

The Last Sunset

That is it for the week.  I hope your week went well.  I'll see you next Sunday.      Rachel

My Grandson Kevin's Birthday Party!

My friend Jody sent this to me. It is full of wonderful points on being creative. Any of us would benefit from this. It helps you cope better and calm down about issues going on in your life. 

10 Tips for a Creative Life

My class with Carol Bradshaw was good as always.  Wayne, my fellow classmate was on vacation, but two women have joined us for some of the flower drawing and painting.  We talked about roses, how they are made up to fully understand them.  It was fascinating to me.  So I should have been working on drawing a rose for my next class, but we have a reprieve since Carol will be out of town this Tuesday and we will not see her for another week.  So I have decided to show you a couple of other pictures this week that I have done a while a go.  I'll have the drawing of my rose done next week.

My Cat Pepper - She Really is a Sweety!

Two Parrots on a Branch

My grandsons Devin and Kevin go to Junior High next year. Kevin got a nice reward with a trophy for how he did. I know Devin is just as smart, so maybe he will shine next year.  Both are now 12 years old.  They are growing so fast!

Heather helped me pick out a couple of new pots and plants, and with the pots  and plants that I bought earlier put plants in pots and painted bird houses which are not quite done.  They turned out very nice. My veggies and herbs have gone nuts. Next time I won't put the squash in the same planter. I will get a very big pot with a cage for it to climb.   Below are the two planters I bid on at the last Helping One Woman dinner.   My granddaughter Heather added the paint on the orange pot.  I think she did a great job!

Heather added the extra paint to this pot

Such a cute planter!  We put Cacti in it and it looks great!

Overgrown Planters with veggies and herbs.
I definitely killed the dill!

I got the second shot in my back. He said he believed that the pain would reduce by 50%. He said "don't bend your back or lift heavy things."  I said "For how long?"  He looked at me in surprise and said "For now on.  It hurts your back."  Huh.  It didn't occur to me that this was for ever. 

I saw my oncologist and had chemo the following day. My oncologist said the MUGA scan showed blood pumping at 60%.  He said it was up from three months ago which then it was 56%. He told me he will make this the baseline in deciding how I'm doing. 

When I came home from chemotherapy, I was needing to eat something comforting. As a kid I would have toast with butter, cinnamon and sugar.  So I sprinkled what I thought was cinnamon and it turned out it was ground cayenne pepper.  Ugh!  I didn't want to throw it out, so I loaded it with cinnamon and added a little more sugar. Very strange!  It was spicy hot cinnamon toast. Not my style.  The taste was not off, just hot. I don't think I'll do that again. 

We had a great birthday party for Kevin yesterday.  Shelley rented a blowup waterslide and we had it set up in the back yard.  Five of Kevin's friends were here with lots of our family.  Perfect weather for a waterslide.

Kevin with a friend

The Blowup Waterslide

Brianna and her Cousin

Kevin with his friends

Kevin and his mom Shelley

 

My granddaughter-in-law, Meagan posted two combined pictures of her and my grandson Billy with each of their sons.  Cute!

Conner is Just Learning to Use a Spoon!

Zylar (Meagan is using Kason's Middle Name)

Jeff and Stephanie (My son and daughter-in-law) are coming up to visit today.  They thought Kevin's birthday party was today (though it is his birthday today)  we had the party yesterday.  So we will be barbecuing today, or should I say Jeff and Stephanie are doing this.  Looking forward to it.  They are getting the food and doing the cooking.  I'll have pictures next week of this.

Hope you are doing well.   See you next Sunday.    Rachel

Art in Different Mediums to Heal

On Monday I went out to Hart Park which is a really lovely park with a small lake and the Kern River flowing through it. There were few people out there, which is fairly unusual. I took art supplies to draw and paint trees. I watched a couple of tutorials on this on my iPad. So I did do some work. Going out to this park was what I needed.  The problem was when I was making the area around the butterfly and flower a deeper green, it probably was not a good idea to do that outside because even though I used water, each stroke of the brush can be seen. I need to find out what are the rules for plein air painting. My teacher's suggestion was to wet the green area again and add another layer of green. While I drove out I saw a parrot flying between the trees. Parrots do not live here unless someone has it as a pet. So it must have got loose. Anyway, I thought he was enjoying himself. Wish I had gotten a picture of him!

Butterfly on Flower with the Streaky Background
Watercolor

Butterfly on Flower, Less Streaky
Watercolor

The following day I thought I had nothing scheduled and just worked on my art. At the end of the day, I was checking what I had on my schedule and saw I missed an appointment. That is embarrassing!  I called the office and they said to call the call center. I'm scheduled a month later to see her.

So I figured out why I was so distracted. The next day was the eighth anniversary of my husband's, Paul's death.  I was glad to be alone and found working on art very comforting.  The following day Shelley, my daughter, texted me and asked how I was doing.  I told her I was doing fairly well, but missing her dad. She asked me if I would like a hug from her and I said yes. I offered  her a glass of wine and we talked about Paul and what he meant to us. A little later my granddaughter, Shelley's oldest daughter Alyssa same over. It was a wild trip down memory lane and became more lighthearted. They will come at Mother's Day. We will barbecue. 

I started a book called Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orlando. I had this book and I couldn't locate it. So I bought one for my Kindle.  My stepmom Kate raved about this book and she felt it freeing to get this perspective. So I decided it is time to read it.  It has some good thoughts about us all being in the same boat. So I connected to the Google Plus group called art and have found this to be s supportive community. 

I told  my teacher Carol Bradshaw what my stepmom suggested I read (which is a good book), Carol suggested I buy newsprint paper to work on making big movements, from my shoulder. She thinks I keep the pressure in my fingers and that it is too constricting. I did buy a couple of pads of newsprint to work on making big moves.  Here is a flower drawn on the newsprint using large strokes. So this is 18 by 24 inch newsprint paper using oil pastels.

Oriental Poppy and Buds

Our assignment was to  draw a poppy that we will then convert to watercolor.    I will do a full drawing of this before class on Tuesday and then I will do a light sketching for preparation of my watercolor.  Here is my picture.

Beginning Sketch of Oriental Poppy

We were supposed to draw a California Poppy so on the eighth anniversary of Paul's death, I did research on the California Poppy and then did a drawing.

California Poppies = Graphite

So my youngest great-grandson Kason has weathered the storm and doing much better.  All of us are relieved.  His mama, Meagan wants us to know his name is Kason Zylar Roydell Lane.  She loves the name Zylar and does not want it lost.  Here is a picture of Conner, big brother holding Kason Zylar.  They are just about one year apart.

Kason Zylar and Conner

My garden continues to do very well.  There are three tomatoes growing on the bush next to the house.  The other plants are flowering and/or budding for the vegetables I expect to get.  Here are today's pictures.  By the way, I found out that lint is good for a compost pile.  I did not know that.  My pile has been going for a year and I thought about all that lint lost!  Well, for now on it is going in. 

My Planting Boxes

Tomatoes and Lavender

I am leaving shortly to go to a group meditation run by a friend.  I think I could use it.   She is also very good.   I am going for an outpatient procedure to get cortisone shots around my spine and then a followup of this three weeks later.  And, I just have a lot going on.  I think it is all good, but if I could put it on a schedule that works for me, I'd pick one a week at most.  I am excited about Mother's Day next Sunday.  We always have a wonderful time and for some reason, all of us are feeling the loss of Paul. This is now eight years, but there you have it.

So I hope you are having a wonderful week.  Mine was good, and I'm sure next week will be okay.  See you next Sunday.     Rachel