Thinking Ahead

There are a couple of small shows approaching towards the end of the month/February that I would love to enter. However, it requires me actually sitting down and working in the studio. My brain still hasn’t been able to swing focus back to life here at home. The constant confrontation of daily things regarding my brother’s health keeps taking precedence. Regarding Tom: Yesterday was pretty monumental. He walked without a walker for two loops around the physical therapy space (as the therapist was walking just behind him ready to grab his belt). I will admit tears welled in my eyes from happiness. What an accomplishment! My sister had to look away so she wouldn’t have the same problem. We managed to get approval for car travel and embarked on a mini trip out! He even had some real food at the Thai restaurant!! Not that I particularly wanted to eat, since I had already consumed a big lunch. I tried to get him to agree to going somewhere he would really enjoy the food, but he kept asking “but can YOU eat there?”, which I couldn’t (major food allergies on my part). So Thai it was. The sunshine was glorious!  We are trying to get him placed in foster care for the next couple of months as he continues to improve.  His strength is increasing and the therapist thinks his wheelchair days are limited. He will continue to use the walker for many more months until he is fully able to navigate without. The big question remains regarding his cognitive and memory ability. Safety and making good choices are a major problem right now. Below is the photo I took at the restaurant. He did a great job of chewing all his food and not choking, well, except for the fluids. That continues to be a serious issue. Ok, enough about him!

The upcoming show at the Brownsville Art Center has a size restriction: nothing over 8″x 8″x 8″. My goal is to create a wall mounted( lighted) silhouette piece, something that would be of interest to the Brownsville crowd. I need to do a bit more research before diving in. There are also a couple of other shows that I would love to create something for, but it would be ok if I missed this year. I don’t want to push myself too much right now and feel awful as deadlines pass and projects unfinished. Playing is good, if I can regain space in the studio. It’s amazing that those cleaning fairies haven’t shown up. Didn’t they get the memo that it’s been over 2 months since anything has been touched? Seriously, I need to get a grasp on the clutter to free my brain. Maybe tomorrow after dealing with my brother today. I can’t spend all week in Eugene…. I hope!