Shout out to my friend Sheila Murrey for taking this photo of the axolotls in the store where her daughter works for me. I simply LOVE these. If you look very carefully, you can see the gray one pretty easily. You might have to look a bit longer to see the white one who is trying to hide. Thank you, Sheila!!! ♥️
“The axolotl is a species of mole salamander. It is neotenic, reaching sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis, and the adults remain fully aquatic with obvious external gills.”
I found this pic on the net and will try to draw it.
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I finished the first few Christmas cards yesterday.
Each card will be different, and different from anything I did last year. I’ll make a few at a time, finding designs I like, figuring out which ones might be good for each person.
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We are just back from visiting my husband at the nursing home. He was more alert today, but was delusional most of the time, talking about plotting to take over a place we visited years ago and ridding it of all the bad stuff. Brian teased him about being a “master mind of evil,” and he almost smiled with his eyes. He has the idea now that he wants to rearrange his Happy Wall and thinks I’m the current Grandma Moses and that we can sell all my drawings for a fortune – talk about delusional! Anyway, that was a nice thing to say. He broke my heart right before we left. He motioned that he wanted me to come back to his bedside, and he said, “Get me out of here.”
Brian and I talked about it. Harvey says all is good there. He is not hurting. The people are treating him well. So what is he actually meaning when he says this –
We really think he is actually saying, “Do something to make all this go away. Take away the bad stuff that has happened and make it go back the way it was when I was healthier, able to take care of myself, think straight, get out of bed and do the things I used to do.”
He doesn’t realize it now takes three trained people to get him out of the bed and into a wheelchair. That he cannot eat enough food by himself without the nasal tube to survive. Can’t understand where he is, what is happening, what year it is, who we are much of the time, and more. Trying to explain any of this over and over again is fruitless.
We just hold his hands, hug him and kiss him. bring him pictures for his wall from time to time, bring him pineapple pies and grape drink (plus a probiotic, if he’ll drink it), and talk to him about whatever is on his mind while we’re there.
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I feel good because I’m wearing a jeans vest that I’ ve had for 100 years or so that I’ve always worn open (because I couldn’t even THINK of actually trying to button the buttons. Today I put it on, buttoned the buttons, and actually find it ROOMY. The best part of my weight loss is that I’m feeling so much better, but a nice sidebar is when I can FEEL a difference from two years ago to now. 🥳
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I forgot to tell you yesterday that my neighbors and I went toward the elevator at the same time yesterday morning as I was going up to join Brian for breakfast. I asked them if they had a minute and gave the little boy the card I made showing the robot in the tree swing. He really seemed to like it. The parents grabbed a whole sack of his artwork. I took a minute to look and he’s really good. I apologized that I had to leave, but that I would love to take more time and really enjoy looking at his work at another time. Hopefully, they will invite me.
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Pamela Schifano – Substack
You look wonderful and I believe you are managing well in a new country and with the circumstances regarding your husband. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much, Linda. I really appreciate your encouragement.
You do look wonderful, and your hair looks great, too! You have come a long way from when you first arrived in a new country. You adapt quite well, and are truly an inspiration.
I truly enjoyed reading your post. Thank you for sharing your new life with us. (Donna)
Thanks so much for your kind words, Donna. They truly mean a lot to me. I appreciate you!
I forgot to mention that I love your Christmas cards. (Donna)
Oh, thank you! I really enjoy finding ideas that I like, taking my time to sketch and paint them, and then finishing the details at the cafe. It’s like giving myself a Christmas gift every time I start a new batch! :0)
Oh, wow!! Yes, so much great news here! I love that you love the axolotls at my daughter’s art studio work. And that Brian has that knowing of what Harvey meant, and I agree! He wants to get well and come home. Great observation!! Well, I know it seems impossible, but look at you after 2 years of persistence!! That jean vest is fantastic! It’s special to me because of the design. Part spirals part treble clef almost. Or at least that’s what I see!
I admire those Christmas cards too! Spot on!
Wow! What a nice note, Sheila. Brian and I talk a lot about “what did you think of today’s visit” each time we go. We never fail to help each other deal with the hard stuff, celebrate the little good things we noticed, and it just helps to be going through this together. I’m glad you like the jean vest. I love the design and the fact that it’s actually 3-D. Being able to actually button it for the first time since I’ve had it reminds me that I am healthier now, after putting one foot in front of the other for such a long time. The Christmas cards are as much of a gift for me as for the people I give them to. I get the joy of taking my time finding designs I like, then trying to sketch them on the card stock, then doing the base painting, and finally adding the details while I’m at the cafe. It really makes me happy from the inside out. Merry Christmas in July to ME! I may get started on a sketch of an axolotl I found on the net and I may steal some background from the photo you took for me. Thanks so much for that. With you and I in mind, I’m going to try to do a sketch with a ‘keep moving’ theme.
Keep moving! Yes!! That’s exciting and fits us for sure!
Whomever receives the axolotl card is sure to be thrilled!
I’m excited to start the moving sketch. The axolotl sketch will be a full sized sketch rather than a card. Maybe, if I can do okay with it, I can draw it again as a thank you card.
Ah, fun! I told my daughter to tell her boss that her axolotls are now famous in Thailand. She laughed. Kids! Ha!
I have a sketch half done on the axolotl. I’ll take it to the cafe this afternoon to see if I can finish it.