Patti Gibbons Art

I awoke to a soft quiet layer of snow. The trees were laden with the heavy snow, the electric went out a few times from lines stretched or down. No cars, no footprints, a perfect white blanket laid upon the landscape. I remember the joy of getting pulled down the street on our Flexible Flyer by my mother, bundled up a snowsuit and red rubber boots that went over my shoes. I must have been about 3 or 4, and my brother Jim about 2. It didn't happen much after that as my mother had more babies, and could no longer haul all of us. I hated when someone ran through the yard in the snow, making forts, snowmen and in general messing up the snow with footprints. It wrecked the aesthetics of an unbroken virgin field of white. I still feel that way. Strange I suppose, and perhaps it is the only thing I am anal about in my life. I stayed in all day, took a hot bath, sipped glug. I bought webspace, started fixing the bugs in my pagibbons website that have been long overlooked, and updated som...

I have been busy with lots of entertaining for friends and family. My dishwasher has not seen a workout like this in years, the house has been cleaned in places that have not seen daylight in forever. In the moments in between I have bought a new domain, started planning my business strategies for next year, and cleaned up 2 gigs of hard drive space on my computer, thanks to a great article on PC World that I found online. I have hot linked it here as it was easy to follow and created a miracle on this older jammed up computer. I have had snippets of time to muse about life. I finally posted some news about my daughter on her MEGANAID blog. In doing that, I came to think about this past year. It was the year that my daughter was diagnosed with a deadly rare form of cancer. It was the year that I had to watch her suffer greatly. It was the year that I co-parented my grandchild. It was a year that I had to face my own demons and work hard to heal. It was a year that my marriage almost f...

I got up early this morning, and saw Megan and Alanna off. Larry and I cried when the car pulled away with them, and we walked back up the driveway wiping away tears knowing it won't be that long before we see them again. A few cups of coffee, and I was ready to put time in the studio. There are cards to be designed, cards to be made for orders, and I received a call for art for a book titled 1,000 Cards. I have already been in one book, and it would be nice to be in yet another. I feel this is the year of growth for my business, and I have a really positive attitude about my work and where I am going with it. As I was heading to the house, I saw a women in a red city pick up truck stopping to pick up all of our garbage which had been forgotten as part of the trash pick up.I walked down to meet her, and ask her what had happened. We ended up having the most amazing conversation, and I am going to have her come into my classroom to do a presentation on the importance of recycling. W...

I need a vacation from the vacation. It has been a busy past 6 days. Megan leaves tomorrow for Nashville. I hired a limo to take her to NYC to LaGuardia. It would cost me about 50.00-75.00 in gas and tolls, and about 5-6 hours of drive time, so 200.00 seemed like a bargain to get them back. I had offered them the difference in $ to fly into the local airports which are much closer and easier than driving to Queens, but they did not take me up on it, so now she has no choice but to take the limo so that we don't have to drive into the city. If you have been following my blogs over the last year or so, you already know that I DO NOT like driving in the city, or to places that I am unfamiliar with. Perhaps when I get a GPS system that will change, but after my nightmare of getting lost in Yonkers and Westchester for hours in the pouring rain at night, I am quite reluctant to drive to the airport. My friend Gary is slipping away..his mother told me he is eating less and less. I am goin...

Thousands of thoughts have run through my head. So much to blog, so little time. The fire is dying down, and I want to catch the last few moments of its heat. I have cooked, I have fed, I have entertained nights on end. I have struggled, and I have laughed. I am full of glugg, of wine, of spiced cookies, of eel, and many other exotic foods. I have survived the family disasters, and basked in the love of friends. Tonight's picture is of my husband last night, making a visit to all the little children. Alanna tells people, "I saw Santa outside the window, and I FREAKED OUT". Out of the mouths of babes. To all a good night, and there is plenty of time for more words of wisdom, and of 1001 tales. Patti

I have to go run and make pudding for the three chocolate cream pies which I have to bring to my sister in laws Christmas Eve dinner. I am exhausted, need a nap, and wonder how I am going to stay up for another 8 hours. Most of my presents are wrapped, all my food shopping done, and if I get home at a decent hour, I may even feel little if any stress. I ran into my friend who teaches yoga, which reminded me that I need yoga for my mental, physical, and emotional health. Put that on my New Years list too. I am a high stimulation person, I just need to figure out how to be stimulated to the max and be centered and not stressed. Therein the challenge lies. A picture of my tree. I finally had to ask Larry how to set the speed and F-stops on my digital camera. I do not like to shoot with flash, which adds quite a challenge in setting exposure, light setting etc. At least this is relatively sharp, or was sharp until the internet reconfigures my photos and then they appear blurry, when in fa...

I am thrilled my daughter and granddaughter are home for a week. Though I know I won't see them all the time, and welcome the break from all the commotion, I do so love the times we have when we are together. I should be thrilled and constantly ecstatic, right? I have felt stressed, had back pain, general malaise, and some depression, and bemoaning the fact that I have to now do all the things in life that I hate; cleaning, wrapping, tagging, and cooking, and the E word. Entertaining. The way I have been feeling, I don't care if I ever saw another human again. Bah Humbug. Yesterday Megan, Alanna, and I went out for a ride for a while. Alanna fell asleep in the first five seconds of the ride. We could not wake her, so we thought, what can we do? First thing we did was head to the Burger King drive thru where I ordered a Whopper Jr. Do you know how many years it has been since I have done that?! I had this intense craving and I went for it. I wolfed it down, while Megan daintily ...

For the heck of it, I went back to last year's blog entry on the solstice. Interesting how introspective I was about family dynamics. Much hasn't changed much in a year, though I have learned how to deal with my family problems and issues and process them better. It still doesn't change the sadness and pain you feel when you see your children suffering and know there is nothing you can do to help them. I worry about my 22 year old son, who is periodically unemployed, homeless, depressed, struggling, and who knows what else... I suspect several things, but perhaps it is better than I don't get too deep into it right now. I saw him yesterday briefly. I know things are not going well, yet they are situations I need to stay out of. I went to two parties, managed to smile, but wasn't in my usual jovial mood. I met a large group of my co-workers downtown, then headed up to Woodstock for the Photography Centers Holiday Dinner at the Bear Cafe which is always a fun, ...

Larry received two packages from his dear friend Eric. One, a fabulous limited edition photography book for his collection, another, a pair of wild white shoes, one in the z coil line, similar to the above photo. The shoes do not fit Larry. I look at the box, see they are my size, and promptly put them on and bounce all over the house in them. I think, wow Larry, your friends just sent me a 150.00 pair of shoes? Did you tell them that I have foot and hip problems? How did they know my shoe size? Larry shrugs, says he has no clue, and I continue to spend the night on my bizarre, but fun and comfy pair of shoes. I think, hmmm....a bit funky, but I could see myself walking miles in these... I make Larry call Eric. He tells Eric, "Patti is jumping over the Christmas tree in her new shoes!. Eric says ..... "what are you talking about?" Turns out Eric has not sent me shoes. I feel sad and say, "you mean I am wearing someone else's shoes?" Turns out his shipping c...

Many of you probably wonder..why I sign my blogs, Patti O Furniture, Patti O Decorations, Patti O Tale. It is actually a very silly story, but one to tell nonetheless. I was in the heart of the Catskills, in a town called East Durham. It was the week of the Irish Music Fest, where musicians from all over the world gather to take classes with well known musicians that play traditional Irish music. In the evenings, the teachers get together, as well as the students, and jam in all the pubs that dot the quiet little town known for its Irish population and for the fest. My friend has attended several times and rents a tiny cabin at a cabin coloney called Stacks, which is resplendant in its 50's worn decor. So we are out one night, and everyone is drinking pints, many feeling no pain. I am staying overnight so I don't have to make the long trek home. I am in the middle of a large group of people, being introduced to Paddy O this, Paddy O that, and at one point someone asks me what...

I am experimenting with the tripod that Larry picked up for me for 10.00 at a yard sale down the street from us. For over a year I have been hand holding my cheap BUT GOOD Canon digital camera in low light conditions, and perhaps 1 in 30 pictures might have been decent enough to post on my blog. I am an untrained photographer. I don't have any intention of BEING a photographer, and really don't want to know any more than I have to know. I will leave that to Larry. However, I am trying to figure out how to do the best with the least amount of equipment and information (lazy, eh?) I have discovered I can get a sharper picture, but that I need some additional lighting from SOME source. I do love the digital camera. For me it is instant art; I get to experiment, compose, light, and then work with in photoshop without getting my hands dirty. (I do plenty of that as it is) SO...tonight's photo looks into my hallway. Over the holiday season I will be posting other photos of my hou...

In a moment of silence and pre coffee awareness, I read a headline about the death of Dan Fogelberg. I stopped, and tears came to my eyes. He was one of my favorite singers when I was 19. I was in college, and shared a house with three other people, spending many fabulous long nights in my room painting while playing my albums. The Eagles, Pink Floyd, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, John Denver, (OK yes, I even had a crush on him and fell in love with a few boys who definitely had his look but were taller) My little room was the most magical of places as it was my first place away from home. It was a place that was MINE; only invaded when I wished. It was also a time of being wild….having left the prison of my family home, where I existed a mere shell of myself. Be quiet, behave. Get good grades, and NEVER express your own opinion, and NEVER talk back. I was a free woman and it was the 70’s, when disco rocked, and life was one big party, while at the same time pulling a 4.0 average in col...

I enjoy when I am snowed in, and today was the second day this week. It forces me to stay home and be quiet. Perhaps not still, but more quiet. I am able to find time to sit with my thoughts and listen to my heart and create. To me, that is nirvana. I was able to go back into the studio today and work for the first time in a few weeks. I burnt out so badly that I had to take a hiatis from my artwork. This afternoon, during the storm, I made gifts, and handmade cards for some of my friends with papers or images that they collect. I may have problems remembering my passwords, but I know what each and every friend of family members collect. Elephants, peacocks, dogs, cats, monkeys, vintage transportation, windmills, concertinas, fiddles, and more. I also made some more cards for customers, and thought about the direction I want to go this year in art and my life. I have found the winter an excellent time to examine an aspect of my life that I need to understand or change, and have also w...

I ventured out into the world today, warm in my insulated boots, sweater, wool coat,scarf and gloves. Larry had manicured the driveway, cleaned the cars, and all I had to do was get in and drive. Nice. The roads were slick and I fishtailed quite a bit, but I am fine as long as no one else around me is spinning out of control. When I drive in snow I visualize a force field around me and so far it has worked....try it! lol. After a calm day, I headed over to the mall to see Beowulf. I was not sure I would like the animation, but quickly I was transported to another world, and swept away by the special effects which were much more impressive than the story line. I found this type of computer animation fascinating and its complexity makes what I do seem like infants play. I will need to rent it on DVD so that I can view the extras, which are sometimes more interesting than the movie itself. I did object to the fact that though Beowulf was shown nearly naked, (they did show plenty enough to...

The older I get, the more simple and meaningful I want the holiday season to be. I can't stand crowds, and I hate the mall though I don't mind shopping in smaller shops, where the owner can be found digging in the inventory and checking out customers. I do like to shop on occasion in some of the "chain stores" and I can never resist a Pier 1 or a Barnes and Noble during the holiday season. Journals, books, music, candles...all the things that make MY life a sensual life. One of the best books I found thus far is Michael de Jong's CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing. I am becoming more and more aware of the toxins we put into our body, into the environment, and when we are cleaning we are doing BOTH. This book, small in size but large in impact, has simple recipes for cleaning using baking soda, vinegar, borax, lemon, and salt. It makes a great stocking stuffer/gift, and costs a mere 7.95 at B&N. I have a few extra copies, and am debating as to whom I am go...

I felt assaulted by flashing lights while on my adventures tonight. Cars. Police. Firetrucks. Police. Flashing Lights. Christmas lights. More Police. (did I say Police?) It put a damper on my evening as it took me forever to get to Rhinebeck, and I was paranoid about having anything to drink at dinner with Lois, so I made my wine spritzer last two hours, and slugged down a glass of seltzer afterwards. I walked to my car, jumped up and down to get my cheeks flushed (what for---I don't know) walked around the car, checked all my tires (I have a few sloooow leaks) and wished that my tail/brake light wasn't out. I have known all these things for a few days, and have been putting off dealing with them. Now that I have a leatherman, I am capable of fixing all these things on my own. NOT in the cold. On the drive home I see police lights. Sure enough, a car is pulled over, and has one headlight, and oops, it looks like a Firebird. I make sure there is no braking action in case the co...

It is Tuesday. Tuesdays are busy days, as my students have finally woken up and recovered from either their weekend of rest or of partyland. Yet I have to pause and remember--it is much the same for the adults. We are not immune to recovering from a weekend of quiet and rest, OR a weekend of wild abandon. On Tuesdays after work I head to Woodstock to see my therapist/guru. I have been to many therapists over the years, and the last few have been amazing, each one getting better and better. I now have the creme de la creme, and it is not mere chance that I have been graced with her presence. I have worked with her for a year. I have traveled roads that were rough, roads that I never wanted to go down, and roads I never knew existed. I have turned myself inside out and upside down. But now I am on my feet again. And the one thing and the ONLY thing that I have realized that means anything, can make any difference, that MATTERS in life....is LOVE. And, this line from the song All You Need...

When I signed onto my blog, google had put in an ad for urinary tract infections. WHEN did I write a recent blog about that? I guess any illness is fair game for them to place an ad. I am multi-tasking. Larry is gone for the evening, I am alone, and enjoying decorating and cleaning the house, ordering presents online, paying bills, making lists. The cat is patiently sitting next to me while I eat my edamame. I threw him a few, and he pounces on them and chows them down. I go to grab my Waterford crystal ashtray which I never used as an ashtray even in the days I did smoke, and it has been used as a spoon rest by some mysterious person. I grab another bowl to put all my vitamins and supplements in. I am finally feeling up to taking my pills. I am also listening to a meditation cd that my friend has sent to me….I think I am not supposed to be multi-tasking listening to them, but I figure, at least I am listening to them and it is a start. (right?) I find a pile of things to list ...

A friend of mine forwarded this to me several days ago. I just watched it and was horrified. And glad that I am saw it, and you ALL should watch it too. I will NEVER drink out of a hotel glass again that is in the room. Though I am not a germaphobe, I am very aware of what can be transmitted through drinking glasses, unclean food, etc. I have been the victim of a nasty staph infection which ate through my skin, down to the bone. I carried it systemically for months. I think I had a form of MRSA. (I was running down a carpeted ramp at work, fell, skinned my knee up pretty badly, was sent to the hospital the next day for treatment through workman's comp, than POW, I got an infection and ended up on crutches for a very long time!!) In fact, I currently have a stye in my eye. I can't help but wonder about the fact that one of our students is in the hospital in isolation with MRSA. Sadly, the school had told us they are in complete compliance with state regs, and must feel that they...

I should have known better, not to drink on an empty stomach, but somehow that did not register. The pain of making that mistake in the past did not sink into my mind. I did not have any time to eat dinner before going out. Larry was driving, I figured I could have a few drinks, but POOF---I was rendered useless for one entire 24 hour period, suffering miserably. It is only now that I can sit and type! I only had a few beers, and Marcel was sipping on scotch, so I took a few sips of it in exchange for some of my beer. The crowd was good, Jeffrey Gaines and his opening act were both fabulous, made even more special by the intimacy of the small audience. AND the beer was fresh brewed and very tasty. I only had one other scotch experiences, and from that I should have ALSO known better than to let any of it past my lips. The other time was skiing as an older teen (I was legal---drinking age then was 18) with my boyfriend and his friend. One of them had a Thermos of hot tea, and a hip flas...

An image for the season...... I am doing the snow dance so that I get a three day weekend...or so I hope. It is snowing out now, but we are only supposed to get a half inch or so. It has been a busy week--visiting Gary, cooking for his brother, still filling orders. I have been going from dawn till the late hours of the night. Last night I needed some comic relief and watched South Park (I am a secret South Park fan) Later I am meeting up with Marcel, my friend from Berlin, to go out to the Skytop to hear Jeffrey Gaines sing. Snow or no snow, I will be tasting a few of the brewery's beers and grooving to some fab music. Till the next time......... patti

"Its four in the morning, the end of December I'm writing you now just to see if you're better New york is cold, but I like where I'm living There's music on Clinton street all through the evening." The words of Leonard Cohen echo in my head as I lie in bed. I am wide awake, the facts, thoughts, and emotions of the previous day race through my nervous system like the Grand Prix. It's hormonal, I know, and I get up to make some warm milk. I hope that it will calm me down, my heart racing in my chest. I have on light silk pajamas with a thin cotton robe, far too diaphanous to be wearing on a cold December night. But it feels like the tropics, and my hair sticks to my face. I decide to check my email even though research shows that the computer screen, like a TV screen, can interrupt one's sleep. How much more wrecked can it get tonight? There are no emails, not even one for Viagra or a breast enhancement miracle. I feel insignificant, and the world of cy...

I am posting this for Gary. He doesn't do much these days except rest. He was moved home yesterday, and I will stop by and see him for a bit today. Gary is a music nut. He recorded the live sessions for WDST for YEARS, catching Dave Matthews, October Project, and many, many, other musicians who played in our little artsy local town famous for art and music, and the 1969 Concert which was not held in this town...rather in Bethel, about an hour and a half from here. So Gary...to your love for music, and some human touch. (thanks to Bruce Springsteen!) You and me we were the pretenders We let it all slip away In the end what you dont surrender Well the world just strips away Girl, aint no kindness in the face of strangers Aint gonna find no miracles here Well you can wait on your blesses my darling I got a deal for you right here I aint looking for praise or pity I aint coming round searching for a crutch I just want someone to talk to And a little of that human touch Just a little o...

You can be assured that neither one of these photos are my laptops background. In fact, on my laptop is a photo of the ocean looking out through a window in the fabulous Muse Restaurant in Provincetown before July 4Th.. However, you don't get a two hour delay in school for sunny beach weather, so I have graced tonight's blog with photos taken on the way to work after last night's ice storm. I had a two hour delay, and some schools were closed so I had very mellow classes. I am taking tomorrow off as I am exhausted, and need one day to regroup. Today was the first day I have not had to work two jobs in what seems to be a month, and I headed over to see Gary in the hospital. He is going home tomorrow, with hospice and a nurse to tend to him. I spent the evening with him, and perhaps they were four of the most valuable hours of my life. When he could, we talked, or I mostly talked. We talked about life, my life, his life, how we had crushes on one another when we were some 35 ...

The fair was a success. I delivered my order, sold a good amount of my inventory, and had a wonderful time seeing my customers and fellow vendors for yet another year. I watch children grow, hairlines receed, and character lines develop in the people I have gotten to know over the past 14 or so years. I did well, I am grateful, and I sold some larger pieces for higher prices. I have under valued my work for so long, and this was a year where I put a fair value on my work. I am tired, can't write too much more, and hope that we have a weather delay, or even better still, a SNOW DAY tomorrow. Perhaps the universe will be kind to me again. I had to say goodbye to this piece. One of my best customers liked it, and bought it without hesitation. I know it has found a good home. patti

I had a nice new banner, which featured one of my assemblages titled "Ecstasy Girl". Very cool, and it went perfectly with the title of my blog, but blogger did something, took my large banner away, and now I am left with a little thin strip to put a piece of artwork in. Blech. I know a little bit of HTML, but am too fried to figure out how to fix it. Perhaps the universe will be kind to me and give me a snow day on Monday, and I can spend some time trying to figure it out. Long day. Did the fair, did OK considering I did not have that much to bring, and I came home and crashed for a bit. My feet hurt from standing, my face hurt from smiling (truly smiling...I love this fair-both its clients and vendors!) Wendy is coming over soon-it is her last night here as she is flying back to California tomorrow. She will be back soon I suspect as the doctors gave her brother a week or two to live, and she is heavy with knowing that tomorrow is the last time she will see her brother aliv...

Have you ever worked so hard and so long where one moment you just can't stand it anymore and you feel like you are going to lose your mind, explode and run out the door screaming? You got it. That is where I am, but all that is left is to pack the car early in the morning, drive to the show, set up, and hopefully enjoy the weekend. There is a rumor of snow on Sunday, which could make things difficult and slow both sales wise and driving, but I have experienced many storms the first weekend of December, the date of this show that I have done for years. I am bringing higher end art this time, along with fabulous Victorian papers, and my cards and ornaments, as well as a few of my vintage Japanese cardboard houses and those little elves. I bought a large lot of them to sell and use for display, but sadly they did not arrive in time. The USPS isn't too fast these days and I tell you, mail early. Five days and no package from Ohio. It has been a rough few days, especially hav...

I came home today to my house smelling aromatically of turkey soup. Wendy had started a pot for me, and the warm homey smell made me realize how priceless this moment was. And, the most precious part of it -- I had done nothing. It was a gift. As I was finishing it off and straining and chopping I thought about our friendship that has spanned a space of some 37 years. In 1969 I was transplanted from Long Island to the Catskill Mountains. Wendy had also moved from Long Island, but a few years before me. The kids were very different that those I knew at St. Frances de Chantal, it took me a long time to make friends, and I did not have that many. My father was a teacher in one of the local elementary schools that fed into the Jr High and High school, and he quickly got a reputation for being a hard, strict, and sometimes mean teacher. Many of the kids hated him, and as they moved up into the High School they would torture me about him. I snapped a few times, and as a result beat up...

I am sooo busy that I have not had any time to write, or do much of anything else.Thankfully Larry made most of tonight's dinner, otherwise I would have gone without. Having a guest in the house also forces us to be more civilized and take time out to nourish our bodies. I am almost done with my ornament order. I still have lots of odds and ends to finish up for the show, and only three nights left to do it. My student worker is coming over for a few hours tomorrow, so she will help with some of the things. I am trying to not take a day off until after the show so that I can relax rather than work. It I take a day off this week, all I will do is work my day away. I keep saying, "it is what it is" and be grateful for the order that I have rather than perseverate about what I don't have for the possible sales that I will or will not have at the show. Over the years I get better at not being so stressed out about it. I will check back in tomorrow with hopefully somethin...

I have been working all weekend getting ready for the show that is advertised in tonight's photo.It is a great show, with fine quality work and a minimum of wood and dried flower crafts. If there are wood crafts, they are handmade pens and clocks. If they are dried flowers, it is one vendor and they are exotic works of art. I love the vendors and the customers at the show. If I could find more like this I would do them. Out of all the local school shows, this is the BEST as it is run by an arts organization, and the clientele tends to be art sensitive. The weekend is over. I have school work to do, and I am hoping that the predicted freezing rain will give me a bit of a delay. It would be a lovely gift. In fact, it would be an even nicer gift to get off so that I have a relaxed day in the studio, and maybe, MAYBE even get some time to myself. Now that is a novel thought. Will report back tomorrow, patti o weather

I am writing quickly as my high school best friend is flying in from California and arriving soon to stay with me for the evening, and possibly for her week long visit here. Her brother is gravely ill with cancer in the hospital, and she needs a place to stay. I welcome her into my home; I have been part of her family for the past 35+ years, and I am honored to be able to give back to her family in whatever way I can. I visited her brother today. I dreaded it. Memories of watching my father die of cancer, of a dear friend who died in her early 30's from cervical cancer, and more recently, dealing with my own daughter's fight with the disease Gary was my girlfriend Wendy's older brother, the brother I could legally flirt with. We sat through many holiday meals together, and have kept in touch on and off over the years. Cancer is cruel, but my other friend reminded me that death is not the end all, rather it is the uniting with the beauty of the spirit that is our creator, in...

Larry, Meredith, and I had a lovely dinner together yesterday, and for the first time in a long time I enjoyed cooking for a good part of the day. The dinner was absolutely delectable, and we were blessed with love, friendship, and a wonderful meal. It was a mellow day, her house a visual treat, filled with items which she has collected from her travels around the world. We listened to world music, looked at art books, sipped on wine and champagne, and chatted. No disasters, no pretense, no stress. I did not sleep that well on so much food, and was up early this morning. I refused to go out and do much of anything on Black Friday, save for a quick trip to the PO and to a friend's house for an hour or so. Most of the day I spent working in the studio on my orders, listening to music, nice and toasty warm. Larry took some photos of my studio after he photographed Kip's bowl, which can be seen on my Catskillpaper blog .He was playing around with some flash techniques, so I begged ...

I had just written this entire blog, and it got lost in space. GRRRR. I guess it is a practice in saying what I had to say in less words. I got this photo forwarded by a friend. Normally I don't "capture" images from the Internet, but on forwards I figure it is part of the forward. I cannot give credit to the photographer, as there was no info to do so. I love the images of animals..animals love unconditionally, they kill only what they need to eat, and they don't abuse their young, and they usually don't shit where they eat or sleep. Something that humans need to learn. Yesterdays drill was pretty much as I expected. Lots of noise, cops in riot gear pointing big guns, and some of us even got screamed at with obscenities. Just another example of using fear as a control factor. After some research on the Internet, (and you can do your own) I discovered that there is a very very small percentage of violence that ends in death in schools per year, as compared to the ...

I have decided that the world for the MOST part, is run by incompetent people. From the top on down, I am constantly amazed at how little those in power have in terms of people skills, intelligence, common sense, and empathy, to run the country, the government, and yes, to run our schools. Case in hand. Our school is the only one in the area who has to go into work the day before Thanksgiving. Once upon a time we too had off, but over the years it has morphed into our "Superintendent's Conference Day". I am OK with that. It is part of my job. But this year they have really hit an all time low. The day before Thanksgiving, they are doing a "mock hostage or school disaster" where the police, swat teams, etc. will run around with their fake weapons, shooting blanks, screaming in people's faces, and generally acting like boys playing war games. And we, the teachers and staff, are the victims. Perhaps such drills are necessary, but I am tired of being bombarded w...

I find myself having a hard time writing this blog tonight. It is coming upon the holiday season, and we are trying to figure out how to get Megan and Alanna home for Christmas. I don't want for much in my life, in fact, I think I have too much. I would trade it all to have my children healthy in mind and body; it saddens me when I know otherwise. I am glad I will have my daughter one more Christmas. I pray that she will beat the statistics....and be one of the 35-50% who live beyond 5 years with LMS. We make every email, every conversation count. I cannot stand when we disagree, or when I say something that hurts her. I have learned to make amends, something which has been hard for me. I want very little this Christmas. One thing that I ask, is that if you want to do something to make a difference in the world, make a donation to the National Leiomysarcoma foundation , or buy a bracelet (they are a mere 2.50). With funding being cut right and left by our government, we need to dig...

Larry was appalled when I told him that I photograph while driving. He told me it was dangerous, and I looked at him like he was even crazy for questioning it. Heck, I can take pictures AND put on lipstick at the same time Larry! Here are a few photos of my ride to work the other day. I realized it had been a while since I had taken the camera out, and I wanted to immortalize the leaves still being on the trees in mid-November. What is up with that? Here it is, past mid-November, and some of the trees are just turning, many still have their colorful yellow and red leaves, while others stand buck naked among them. I can only guess that this strange weather has confused the shit out of the trees, as it has us, though I can't say that I don't mind the show of color for the past month and a half. Larry raked some of the leaves, but he was reluctant to do the entire yard as there are still huge maples behind us that are tenaciously holding onto their leaves. The city has already bee...

Today is Larry’s birthday which marks another weekend of celebration. Larry and I have birthdays a week apart, and we typically celebrate it for a 10 day stretch. People wonder how two Scorpios can cohabitate without killing one another. I suppose over the years we have become immune to each other’s poison, and know when to step back, leave, or just plain hide. We do have a lot of fun, and when we’re hot, we’re HOT, and when we are not, we know that a cool down period is necessary so that we don’t burn up into a little crisp. Fighting is not fun as we both are intense; me in a louder, more aggressive manner, and Larry being the silent but deadly type. He can hold a mean grudge, while I let it all out in a cathartic but sometimes dangerous storm. We do laugh a lot, and that is what I remember most. We have laughed so hard that we cried, or made those funny SNORT sounds. Laughter is the best medicine for a marriage. Tonight’s art is a card that I made for “Lars” for his birthday...

Here is LINK to the recent newspaper article about my daughter Megan. She was one of four veterans interviewed in an article about veterans who have returned from the war in Iraq. Some of you read the Meganaid blog on occasion, some of you may have never been there. I started the blog when my 23 year old Iraq veteran daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer last year. Though Megan is currently in remission, she is still undergoing visits to the doctor for a number of ailments. No 23 year old should have so many problems, but she does. We are both strong women, but it pains me to hear her tell me how tired she is of doctors and tests. There is nothing I can do but be a good shoulder to cry on, ears to listen, and someone to echo her laughter. We talk nearly every day, something we never did before she was diagnosed. We have become very close...again, out of what appears to be bad, has come many wonderful things. I am glad that the veterans and soldiers are starting to openly t...

I felt like this cat, especially at the end of the day when a student decided to play "tough chick" in my room. I was in no mood for confrontation, for aggravation, for instigation, or any other kind of "tion". Perhaps I was a bit over the edge, but I let it fly. I don't get paid enough to be abused, and in no uncertain terms I let be known. I am a kind and nurturing teacher, and usually kids are begging to get into my class. Today someone was begging to get out. FINE. The card is part of a series of cards of mostly dogs that I just made, and have not posted anywhere for sale. Interested? Drop me an email. I just got home from a screening of a film about the poet Stanley Kunitz by local film maker Toby Carey. By chance Carey found out that they both spent their childhoods in the same house in Worchester, and Carey made a documentary about him, with some of the footage taking place four days before Kunitz died at 101 years of age. I know little of Kunitz's po...

After not sleeping much since Thursday!! I could not even blog last night. My biochemicals are out of control, not helped by a bad drug reaction, now hormones, and by 9:30 I was wiped. Of course I fell asleep, (I always do..) and slept for several hours before I was wide awake. The past few night's bonus was night sweats to boot, and Larry uses me as a heater when he is cold, and then has to scoot away when I become a furnace. I can't wait until this phase is over. I feel like the walking dead. I look OK however, and no one would know how burnt I am. Today grades are due, I have Jess coming over to work, and there is a movie at the local arts society that Larry wants to see. Off to begin the day.......till later, Patti PS photo Larry took in my friend's barn of a light for this past New Year's blog. I thought it apropos again!

After the massage at the Emerson, we headed home to change for dinner. I wanted to dress up as we were headed to a restaurant which I had never been to, but heard about for years. The Depuy Canal house is a fabulous historic site, build in 1797. The restaurant is renowned for its cuisine. Larry had eaten there before he met me, and had never been back. A few years ago I had dessert in the basement, as there is a small, more casual eatery called Chefs on Fire. It took a while to get a drink, but the service for the rest of the food was adequate. The borscht was wonderful, as was the salad we ordered. Larry ordered a fish I never heard of for his entree, and mine was beef tenderloin. My meat was cooked to perfection, but the breaded cauliflower was cold, and the polenta was BURNT!!! I could not believe they served it. After a bite, I had to call the waiter over to send it back. I kept the meat, which I had to nibble on alone while I waited a good 10 minutes for the rest of my dinner. Lar...