Such a Variety!

I know I repost things on Facebook because I agree, that it reminds me of me or those around us, it is funny or it is cute. So there was this one of a woman who goes to handle something, gets distracted and keeps moving never getting anything done. 

That is not quite me.  I do get things done, but not necessarily the intended thing or I get a lot more done than the intended task.

For example, one morning this week I knew I needed to pick up a few items for my art class. I thought I'd take my pills with me. I left my water in my bedroom. I go to get that and decide I need to make the bed. I then can't find my cell phone. That whole process leads me to change the batteries in the smoke alarm in the garage because it was beeping.  Now I don't remember where I set down my pills. So I decide to take another load of laundry out to the garage to start. When I bend down to put the laundry in, I see my cell phone on top of the washer. I put it in my pocket. I go to the living room to get my purse and see my pills. I go back to my bedroom to get the water. So during this process, I made the bed, changed the batteries in the smoke alarm, started a load of laundry and moved a load to the dryer in addition to getting all the stuff I thought I needed for my drive across town.   Is that multitasking?  There have been times I have spent all day and into the evening doing this. This last incident was only an hour. 

In my class with Nina Landgraff, she had us do exercises using acrylic paint. We drew a fairly large circle on two pieces of paper for acrylic.  Then we divided the circles into twelve wedges.  Then we did a color wheel but the labels we put on each color was the emotion we sensed with that color. It would not necessarily be something that others would feel. She suggested we keep it up to note how we are feeling or to pick a color to help us out.

The second circle, she asked us to put the colors we were feeling then. She told us not to overthink it, and it was okay to have the same color in different wedges. 

Then we took one of the colors that evoked a negative feeling. We were asked to put the color on the paper, then start mixing colors we liked in with the color we didn't like.  In the process of doing this, it would help in looking at the color in a positive light and then have a positive feeling about the original color. This is what I did.  The blue was somewhat of a negative color to me.

Class with Carol Bradshaw at the Bakersfield Art Center was very good.  We brought in the washes we had done and then we started a picture of mountain ranges using a wash with each one, but making the next one just a little darker. It was a good experience.  She suggested we get stencils to put on our washes. So I now have some I got at Michael's.   She also suggested using a little more pen sporadically on my seaside town and put a flag on the largest boat. She wants me to darken the green on my butterfly picture.  She has talked to us to think of mama, papa, baby for size of areas and for intensity of color.  My yellow and green are similar in intensity, so I need to make a change. It will be done before class, but not this blog.  We also worked on doing several washes of mountain ranges. I still need to put trees in.                                                                                                          

I used a brush for stenciling, but with watercolor- little detail.

I used a watercolor brush and different colors- lots of detail

Chimneys outlined, sporadic use of pen for outlining and flag on one boat

Five layered washes.  In final picture, I won't have pencil in it.
I'll also put in trees                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

The Helping One Dinner was very nice this week. I identify with the woman, Elisa Analla, who was honored this week. Very touching. She got lots of support which I feel will really be helpful to her.  Since the event was on Saint Patrick's Day, they had a traditional meal done by The Marriott of corned beef and cabbage. The Marriott has been doing a lovely job being the venue for Helping One Woman in Visalia.  Martha and I went to The Runway for breakfast.  Quite good and a nice setting!  It's at their local airport.

I sent a message to my endocrinologist about the question of taking calcium and Prilosec. My friend Vicki who brought this up is smart and I didn't take her concern lightly.   She thought that the Prilosec would affect how much calcium my body would absorb.  Well my doctor told me to take calcium citrate instead of calcium carbonate because calcium citrate does not depend on stomach acid to break it down. I always  wondered why there were two types of calcium.  I think there are other calciums too.  Pharmacists have told me it didn't matter which one I took when I asked in the past.   I also found calcium carbonate to be much more common and cheaper than calcium citrate. You really have to check the label. 

Because I have been juicing, it has thrown off the levels of Coumadin in my body. So it has been increased to accommodate my change. I'm glad they are able to adjust the dosage, because I think the increased greens and therefore Vitamin K has gone up. But these greens have multiple benefits and I want to continue it. 

I saw the doctor at the pain clinic. He said in addition to the compression fracture, I have several discs that are slipping. I'm going back on morphine with Percocet and I'm scheduled for two separate injections in my back with cortisone which might lessen the pain.  I will have to do the injections of Lovenox again around this. Ugh!  I never thought I could get used to it, but I think I am.  My friend Janet will be my driver again.   I need to learn that if it happens once, it is possible it will happen again instead of fooling myself that I am over something. Really, I have been learning to think like that, because it is so much less stressful if you have in your head it could happen again. Because when I do it this way (it won't happen again, I'm disappointed that I have to go through it again.  I just cope much better if I leave that option on the table.  I also don't want to take morphine unless I have lots of pain, so I will not use it regularly until I have to. 

Janet and I had lunch at Muertos. Good food!  I had the Ahi tacos. The horseradish sauce was so hot but tasty. I think I'll ask them next time to thin it out some to cut the heat. It was almost hard to breathe. Janet had a very hot burger, but she loves the heat.  I took her over to The Bakersfield Art Center which she really enjoyed.  I love showing this place off to friends. It is so nice. My teacher Carol Bradshaw was there with another student. It turned out Janet had met her when she walked her dog Poopy. Since Poopy died six months ago, she cannot  get herself to do the same walk she used to do. Too painful. 

I went out to lunch with my friends Lisa, Charmaine and Janet at The Pyrenees Cafe in old town Bakersfield. The setup was very good as were the Bloody Marys.  I didn't care for my Ossobuco (tough and made with beef), Lamb Shank (Janet said it was blah) and Fish and Chips (Charmaine thought it was too bready).  Lisa got a tuna salad which she liked. The dining room was remodeled but maintains the feel of the family dining.  I don't know if I'd go back but there were a lot of people there. We made a reservation and I would recommend doing that if you go there. 

I went to the Baby Shower for Meagan who is due in early May. It was good. They held it at a pizza parlor and had extra foods beyond what they provide. Very enjoyable.  This will be my second great-grandson. His name is Kason. 

Barbara and I saw Insurgent. I didn't like it nearly as much as Divergent.  It was more action and much less of a story line.   We then went out for Chinese food at Ching Yen on Columbus Street. The food is fresh and tasty. Since Barbara is vegan, she ordered the food. We each had enough for another meal.   I loved it. I don't know why I don't think of this place when I think Chinese;  it would is worth it. 

Here is an incredibly cute picture of Meagan with Conner sitting on Kason (Meagan is pregnant and due in about six weeks).                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Another full week!  I hope your week went well.  I'll see you next Sunday.           Rachel  

The Impact of Suicide

My friend Marykay called me and said "David is talking about suicide". I said I would come up (she lived 1 1/2 hours from me. I was working in hospice and had a full day. I asked her if I could come the following day so I could work on my scheduling of home visits. She was okay with that. David was her husband then. He was a school teacher and a sensitive soul. This had been going on a while, but it changed into something very scary. He was well liked at school. He had three step-daughters who thought he was very special. Marykay worked for Regional Center and did a lot of art on her own time. It seemed that Marykay and David had a warm relationship. But I don't think those were the issues at all. You see, David suffered from major depression.  It wouldn't matter how well things were going.
.
When I came up the next day, Marykay and I drove to a river not far from there and walked along its banks as we talked about what was going on. It turned out that David shared with her his morbid thoughts of suicide. Marykay wanted to make it all better and made contact with a psychiatrist in a large city thinking they might have more to offer. He was started on a different medication. I'm not sure much else was done. Marykay was wringing her hands trying to figure out what else she could do. I couldn't think of much. David wanted to continue what he was doing.

My biggest concern was that I did not feel she should take on responsibility or guilt if David took this option because there really was no way she could prevent him from doing this and he could look at other options but was not willing to do that.  I'd say my biggest role was to listen, let Marykay talk and give support to her.

I'm not sure how much later it was when I got the call from Marykay, that in fact David did commit suicide- maybe a month.  He had taken his car up to a family cottage in the mountains, put a hose into the exhaust to a window in the car lying down on the back seat. I think it might have been June.  It was summer time and they didn't find his body for two days.

Really, I don't know what to say, but I said I'd be up that day. I went to a bookstore and looked for books for survivors who have to deal with this and headed north. Marykay had her daughters there and we sat around the kitchen table. I gave her the books and asked questions really with the idea of getting them to talk. I thought that bringing those books might have come off as an assignment which I had not intended to do.  I told them to read them if they felt it could be helpful, but it was their choice to read them or not.

What do you say? "I'm sorry for your loss. What can I do to help you? Would you like to talk about it?" Some things seem so inane during these times. I think it is okay to say you're sorry for their loss because you would be. If you can go to someone who seems to be in charge, ask them how you can help. Bringing food is very helpful. No one has the energy to cook for themselves, let alone others. Perhaps tidying when stuff is all over the place and mop the floor as needed. Don't take it personally if you aren't the one they would want to talk to you. Not everyone can play that role. It is up to the ones who are grieving to decide who they would select. The biggest thing is to be a listener, sometimes a gentle touch on the hand or arm, though not everyone appreciates to be touched. If you are not sure, ask if you can give a hug or what is okay to them.

A few days later the service was held at a church. There were so many people there! If David could have seen how many people who loved, liked, appreciated him, maybe it would have helped. But I think Robin Williams did get a sense of that and it did not make a difference.

On to current events:

This is the latest picture of my great-grandson Conner. He is four months old!

I met my friend Janet for dinner. As always a pleasant visit. We went to our old standby Mexicali's on California. They make good Margaritas!

I have been organizing all my paper related to art. I got all of them in page protectors in binders. I had ordered this attractive bookcase I was going to put in my bedroom. One of the pieces was drilled wrong and I have been waiting for it. Darn! It hasn't come! I think it will be attractive when put together. My plan is to put all my art books in it. Hopefully it is enough space!

Tonight I went with Barbara and met a friend Jacquie and her daughter Debi.  Jacquie has had lots of medical issues and has been talking about putting her house up for sale and move to the coast. She has family there. So, we went out to dinner at Marie Callender's in case we could miss her before she goes.  When I get back from my trip, hopefully we will go to see a movie.  Barbara agreed to be the host to a backyard potluck.  She has done a lot to her patio, but we want to wait until it is a little cooler.

Tomorrow I'm heading back east to see my brother Ben and my friend Lynn. I'll be gone a week and expect I'll have a wonderful time.  My friend Janet will take me to the airport and pick me up when I return.

My next blog will be the day before I come back.  I'm having some trouble doing my blog on my iPad.  It will not let me see the bottom of my blog, so I can't seem to fix that part.  One thing I have been able to do is in the Notes application and transfer it to the blog program.  I can't seem to put pictures on the notes.  I send them as emails to myself and work on sending it to my blog.  So, the part I can write ahead of time will be at the end.  I have worked on that.  So expect it to be the reverse next time you see it.

See you next Sunday. Rachel