Mary and I spent ten days in Houston around Thanksgiving. The primary reason for our visit was to place my mother Ruth in a nursing home. We had her living in her own home after Dad passed in 2008. She had three very nice caregivers keeping an eye on her for the next three years. But this could not continue due to the shrinking family assets. I thought this was going to be a difficult transition for her, especially since it was scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving. There were moments of anxiety for Ruth and they were hard for us to watch, but overall she has adjusted pretty well. Since so many of us were visiting her because of the holiday, the visits from family helped her to ease into this dramatic change.
It has been a challenging time for me as well. In April, I had plastic ankle stabilizing brace molded to my foot and leg profile. The purpose of the brace was to stabilize my right ankle, which has experienced permanent scarring of the ligaments over the last forty years. There are no records but I think the original injury was an ankle sprain in 1969. I remember having the ankle wrapped in an ace bandage and then walking on crutches for a few weeks. There were never any x-rays that I can remember. The brace did help me keep working and walking for the next several months but as October came around the pain and discomfort came back and continued to get worse. Mary and I met with my Orthopedic Surgeon and scheduled surgery for an LAS (lateral ankle stabilization) for December 15th.
Although surgery is coming right up this Thursday, I have continued my work at Winder Farms and spent the three day weekend working an event in Pahrump, Nevada with my team partner Lori. We were blessed with beautiful weather every day and learned how to raise a 10′ x 10′ Easy Up tent in less than a minute. We made several sales and put the wheels in motion for several events we will work after the new year.
Our group of artists from the Studio Tour in November put together a Holiday Christmas Sale which re-introduced more of the community to our work and who we are as artists. This was a very successful event for our first time out and we have high expectations for the coming year, with an extraordinary group of very talented artists.
After the surgery, I will be off my feet for at least two months. I expect I might view the world quite differently for awhile. Mary says it is a blessing to know that the surgery will allow me to get back to doing things I love, such as back packing, tennis, and maybe even rock climbing. I may be in bed for a bit but it is possible to carve pots in bed.
Cheers to all and a happy new year!
Marc
Hi Marc,
Great to hear your news re the new art space and studios, sounds very exciting.
I hope the ankle surgery has been successful.
Have been ill for a couple of months with a virus but picking up now. At least I managed to finish book no 2 whilst confined to quarters, it’s at the printers as we speak!.
All the best to you and Mary.xx