Patti Gibbons Art

I have owned many pairs of cowboy boots over the course of my life. There was a long hiatus where they walked out of my closet into someone Else's, but the last two years they have made a resurgence in my wardrobe. I have always been a shoe and a boot girl. In the boot department I had CFM boots, rugged work boots, hiking boots, Uggs, cowboy boots. Each boot served a particular purpose, or went with a particular "look". But after I severely broke my ankle, I was very limited in what I could wear. Two years later I still can't wear certain foot gear, and I have been sadly giving some of my collection away. One style of boot I could wear was a black leather and snakeskin pair of cowboy boots that I bought gently used from a good friend. As a bonus she threw in a few more pairs. Dark brown, light brown. They were wide in the ankle, (where my leg still swells!) and I can tolerate the heel, though I think that someone needs to design a pair that has a nice soft thick insol...

I can't blog tonight as I have been incredibly busy, and am getting my last minute costume together. It is simple. Ears, makeup, black t-shirt, black leather pants, high boots. Classic Cat Woman. At almost 50, I am indeed a classic. The kids in school will love it; I am not sure about the staff, but because I am an art teacher, I can often get away with more than others. Many expect it of me because I am one of those artsy freak types. The students have already figured it out, and I suspect my co-workers too, but it's all good, and I don't care what anyone thinks for that matter. Another advantage of being a classic. Photo tonight is courtesty Larry. Self portrait of him, Shiva, and fellow freak who stops by once a year. Patti-O-cat

You know you're in Nashville when you go to the airport and there is a stage complete with seating, and a sugar faced young man named Shelby Merchant crooning country songs. Alanna has always been fascinated with music, so we sat and listened for a while as we had arrived in plenty of time to spend a few more moments together before I had to jet out. After a few songs, one being a lovely rendition of John Mayer's Daughter's, I took Alanna over to the stage and asked him if I could take his picture. Well, if that sweet young man didn't ask Alanna to come up on stage with him, and give her the microphone so that I could get a photo of the both of them. I smiled, knowing that this had made our day. Megan sat in the background smiling, Alanna was most decidedly mesmerized by the entire experience, and I knew he was my blog for tonight. Thanks Shelby, for making a moment special in all of our lives. I didn't have much time to explore Nashville this time around, and...

I spent today going back and forth a few times between Kentucky and Tennessee, on a military base. Megan's husband, my SON-IN-LAW (oh my God, it is so strange to say that) is stationed at Fort Campbell which straddles the border of both states. We shopped at the commissary, went to the liquor store, and toured the base. Now I have to say it is a very strange world for a woman who is often called a hippie, though I am far too young to be one, nor would I call myself one. I am just a northern liberal artist, who still can't understand how her two children went military. It is a strange world for me, one that I just can't fathom. Dole let me try on his 45 lb. vest, which is what Megan wore for over a year in Iraq. No wonder her back is destroyed. I was able to lift it and put it on without a problem, but after 10 minutes my shoulders and neck ached. I tried to imagine what it would be like to wear it in battle, or even walk around, in 100+ degree weather. Dole is being deploye...

Things have been low key here in Tennessee. A trip to the mall, lunch at the Olive Garden. A mid afternoon nap for all of us as we hardly slept last night. Then later, we had dinner at Megan's with Andrea and Alyssa, who are Alanna's father's wife and daughter. Now I know some of you out there might think it a bit strange, but we are indeed the epitome of a "modern family", where in spite of unusual circumstances and events, friendships are forged and families bond together to raise children. Andrea bought a few games to play, one of them being the 80's edition of Trivial Pursuit. Wow. What I learned from three hours about myself while playing this challenging game was that I don't remember much about the 80's! I don't know if it is the brain cells that I killed in the 70's and early 80's, the birth and raising of two children mostly on my own,(I am convinced it is not the placenta that you deliver after the baby-rather it is part of your b...

I am sitting in the Atlanta Airport for a two hour layover. I saved my battery just so that I could spend some time online for a while, but I can’t connect to the WI FI here for some reason. Keep losing the signal, and the airport has a “charge” for using their connection. The free public WiFi isn’t working and I don’t see any potential friendly geeks sitting nearby me that I could ask. The first part of the journey has gone well. Perfect timing to the airport, no delays thus far. There were some extra seats on the plane, so the large man next to me got up and moved. He said he regreted losing the potential excellent conversation that we may have had together, but he was afraid that he might squish me. He wasn’t that large, but who was I to argue about gaining more room and some quiet time to myself. I picked up a new magazine in the airport shop-a magazine for women over 40. I figured why read the magazines for women who have pencil thin bodies who wear fashions that I can’...

I am burnt. Toast. Crisped. Not from partying or living the high life, but from a very rough day at work, dealing with some very intense issues at school. I was angry, frustrated, upset. I can't talk about it here, but let me assure you, my job, though rewarding, can be very intense, as I work with street kids, gang kids, troubled kids, emotional kids, all day long. I love them. Yet I don't know what I was more angry about, the behavior of the students, or the way it was handled by the school. I REALLY want to go on a rant here, but being a professional, I won't. Enough said. I am packing so I can leave after school. I am not feeling well, I think stress may have invited the beginning of some illness. But I am going to swap with Zicam and drink more ginger tea, have a nip of vodka, and snuggle down deep into my soft mattress and down comforter and watch another episode about Ancient Egypt. FYI, it is called "Egypt-Rediscovering A Lost World", produced by the BBC. ...