The good - I'm finding such joy in picking up the needle to stitch whenever I have a few moments! "They" say not to stitch too much on muslin, since it puckers easily, but I'm finding the roughness of the stitched muslin very appealing. Beginnings can be rough, after all. When I began to stitch, I thought this would be a very simple piece, with very little stitching, but it's not turning out that way. In fact, I think this is the beginning of something much larger, although I don't know what that is yet.
These two paintings sold recently! I'm very grateful to all who were involved in the sale.
The bad - We had to take our old Beau-doggy to the vet last week, after a pretty rough week for him. It turns out that, in addition to the arthritis we knew he had, he also has dementia, cataracts, more bladder stones, possible epilepsy, and worst of all - a fairly large tumor on his spleen.
We have been through three surgeries with him, and he is no longer a candidate for surgery, so at this point we will never know if the tumor is cancer. It doesn't really matter anymore. Thanks to daily doses of medication and pain pills, he is comfortable and still finding joyful moments in his day. It's a daily vigil, though, to check his gums for signs of internal bleeding from the tumor. We are taking it day-by-day. Every day together is a blessing. And when his time does come, we will work with our wonderful vet to make his final moments as comfortable as possible.
The ugly - This part is something I really didn't want to write about, but it is finally time. I have been blogging since October 2008, and for the most part it has been a real joy meeting people and forming genuine bonds with quite a few very special people.
However, four times during this period I have been the target of bullying, threats and criticism, if I did not do what someone wanted me to do, in the way they wanted me to do it. And, frankly, I'm tired of it. I have a life beyond what I share here, and that life is my priority. I know most of you will obviously understand this, but apparently there are some who do not realize that they have no right to make any demands on me.
Enough said. Onward, to better and more positive things!
"There are better things ahead
than any we left behind."
~ C.S. Lewis
