Another Reason to Celebrate

Well, I must admit it is very exciting to have voted for a President who actually won AND to enjoy living in Virginia where the Commonwealth voted "Blue" for President for the first time since LBJ. Somehow it seems really wonderful & symbolic to have a person leading us who had a black Kenyan father and a white Hawaiian mother...here's to co-operation and change in outlooks! And living in a time where, to quote our president elect, "All things are possible".
(And i would add: about time for some GOOD things being possible). I also realized today that the Obama kids are almost exactly the same age our kids were when told their mom had breast cancer...you think moving to the White House or dealing with a mom's cancer is a bigger challenge? At least the Obama girls will get a puppy out of it ;-) And our kids learned so much and grew up with the most wonderful attitudes, that I can't say which major change could bring more challenges to a family. But here's another toast to HOPE.

A Quick Break for Celebration

One of my favorite authors, Tom Robbins, took a break during one of his books to say "Here's Chapter 100. Let's Raise a Toast to Chapter 100!". Then he went on to begin Chapter 101. Today, I celebrate with our good friends, the mailing of their daughter's wedding invitations. I was slow and distracted, but I tried to design and address them to be as beautiful as the upcoming bride. Here's a picture of our Jenni & Carrie all dressed for Halloween about 18 years ago!

Lovely Week

It has been a cool and lovely week. I am now over halfway through my glow treatments and have been very spoiled by folks who have decided to accompany me...the treatments themselves consist of climbing onto a long table (with a window in it), lying still while they get me in just the *right* spot, and staying still while a large armed machine beeps at me under the table for 27 seconds and then silently rotates over me and beeps at me for 26 seconds. I hop up and they say "see you tomorrow". I'm taking a series of pictures to share of cool things along the way, check back soon. Then I/we go out to eat or shopping (well, i'm supposed to "exercise" on flat ground) or home to play with art/blogging/catching up with chores I haven't felt up to for a while. Next week or so I'll go on some new form of chemo, but I must confess I'm really enjoying this "break". No terrible side effects from the radiation so far :-) Roger and I relaxed, watched football, and kicked back last weekend. It has been a rough week for emotions: while I'm enjoying this reprieve, I've had friends have major radiation for new tumors, have old cancer come back, have new treatments be effective, and have the ultimate loss of a family member from cancer. I am always aware of what a large community of survivors I am part of, and always completely grateful for the love and understanding I get from so many of my own special supporters - you.

Jen Grove's Hand lettered & kiln fired on glass Cab Baby

from this world to the next, you'll never leave us Mr. Blue Eyes

When I was 24 (1978?) and he was 50, I had the privilege of escorting Paul Newman through a back door away from adoring State Dept. employees...he was the President's Special Ambassador to the UN on Peace & Disarmament (job first held by Pearl Bailey) I believe, and everyone from the vice President to Secretary of State Vance were there for a meeting in our secure conference room.

Of course folks had lined up the hallways to see "Paul" and despite wearing yellow sunglasses to hide the baby blues, he was the most handsome & expensively dressed man I'd ever met close up...but he wanted to escape the adoration and asked my boss if there was a back way out. Said boss was clueless but this savvy clerk was in the right place and time to say "Please come this way", cheeky grin. As we walked along, Paul said, "You know, when I turned 50 I thought this would all be behind me." To especially endear myself to him (well, that was the closest I ever came to being a smart & Cute young Career Woman) I replied, "Well, my *mother* was thrilled to know you were here."

Needless to say, no more small chat with the cute clerk....but once I pointed him & his aide to a clear hallway and an open elevator to their waiting limo, he deliberately switched back to Mr. Movie star mode, turned, took my hand, looked deeply into my eyes and said "Thank You." OK, my *knees* melted.

So if he turned out to be the opposite of the incredibly creative, sharing, generous, talented, family loving, earth helping Spirit he really was, I would probably still think he was Mr. Cool Hand, another wry grin, but Oh, I'm so glad he was on This Earth and we all benefited.

I hope his extended family will feel the love we all send their way during this transition from body to spirit.

Sorry So Loud

So sorry about all the large shouting from yesterday's post, can't figure out yet how to make that smaller. Still reflects how I feel though. Today looks to be a damp & chilly day outside but we are going to relax, make art, computerize, listen to music & eat junk food inside to soothe our souls. Hope you will find a way to do some of those things too.

Cockroach Cancer

@$%(*&##@**%$# my friend has cancer cells that have been hiding like cockroaches and they have come out to show themselves again. WORK DONOR CELLS, stamp out those damned spots.

Otherwise, my check up today with my oncologist, Dr. Harry McCoy (dr. Harry) was good (time for less steroids and more codeine, OK, no problemo), he approved and appreciated my new dragon tattoo, big grin, he's always been a great supporter of my Art. I'm feeling better than in weeks, had some wonderful social excuses to visit with friends going to & from rads this week and even enjoyed driving myself through the rain today...XM radio played Strawberry Fields and I sang loudly. Got to visit with Ceil and do some grand plan jewelry making/designing on Weds AND my friend Connie was in town from Nashville AND Feza showed up with her own 49th birthday cake at lunch and i ate two pieces, somebody had to...and there was a great group at lunch that day, we spent 3 hours catching up! So I'm a lucky girl in so many ways. AND when Ceil and I were driving over the New River, what came on XM but Jackson Browne's "The Load Out & Stay" which was recorded live for his Pretender LP in 1977 at Meriweather Post Pavillion (between DC & Baltimore) where Lynn & I & Gail can be heard leading the applause when David Lindley stood up to sing the falsetto part! OK, you have to listen closely but it was just like Lynnie patted me on the shoulder from heaven and said "Didn't we sisters have fun?" and Ceil didn't mind that I sang loudly along this time too.

Have a great weekend everyone, go Hokies, beat Nebraska!

Real Letters at Last

Ok, so I'm learning how to post photos and artwork. These are the two pieces I actually pretty much finished this summer. Will get this down to a better skill eventually! The first is a quote from Dante "And then they came forth to see the stars again", supposedly said as they came out of Hell. It is done with bleach on and gold leaf on black paper with a scarred up top piece of mylar with the italian translation spattered on it in acrylic inks.

The second is from Michaelangelo, "My soul can find no staircase to heaven unless it be through earth's loveliness." It was inspired by last spring's flowers and is done on Artists' "paper canvas" with Inktense Pencils and liquid acrylics and some masking fluid.

Glowing Day Three

Good morning! Beautiful day here in the Blue Ridge, early-morning-foggy as I drove through the mountains and over The New River and still got to the clinic on time. My radiation doc is a tall, strikingly handsome woman who wears very cool jewelry and is always pleasant and on time. So far so good :-) She says if I feel any side effects it will be most likely a bit of fatigue next week or so. My orders are to walk on flat surfaces and not fall down and break any bones...obviously, she does NOT know our house and neighborhood but i'm being a Good Girl.

Thanks so much for all the supportive comments, I'm so blessed to have this amazing web to keep up with all your encouragement and love!

Oh the new Obsession!

Well my friends and family, thanks for checking in! I was trying to get music I liked to play last night and realized suddenly that Saturday Night Live was over and I'd stayed up later than I had since The Wedding, wry grin. Will try to be more profound in my time spent on this new endeavor...but I'm loving the comments and will keep in touch!

Welcome!

Do you see me dancing inside?
Check back soon for Ann's Dancing Letters to the Universe