2009 has been a stinker for our family, and I'll be glad to see it pass. Our furnace broke down and had to be replaced ($$$). My hubby has had two major surgeries and a root canal; we've both had the flu. My aunt was sick with cancer and recently died, so all the older folks in our family are now dead and gone. We are orphans. I still have arthritis in both thumbs and must limit keyboard activities, probably forever. Luckily, I don't get pain when operating the mouse (thank goodness for this, cuz I like video games); it's just the typing that's painful. The neck is finally better, though!

I'm still going to have to limit the correspondence here, probably until the end of time. Taking Aleves helps the pain, but it upsets my stomach. It's not good stuff to take for too long.

Anyway, I hope everyone is well and doing better than I am. Sorry I haven't been around much, but I've been pretty depressed and very uninspired, art-wise. Hope this will change soon. I've got a few things I'm working on, but....I dunno.
So please forgive me if I don't respond to notes or correspondence right away, or if my answers are short. For the sake of my poor thumb joints, I've got to be very careful not to overuse the hands. I guess at my age, this is all a part of life. I'll do what I can and be happy for that!

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and will have a great Christmas and New Years! Peace and blessings to all....

Jean

I am deeply honored that Lori chose to honor my cat "babies" with one of her beautiful photo manips. I'm thrilled to pieces! These are cats I had from the early 1970s to 2004; they all have a place in my heart and I've never forgotten them. Hope everyone enjoys this lovely picture as much as I do!



Thanks, Lori!

Seems like an eternity since I went out on a photo shoot, and I'm not happy about it. To some degree it's my fault for not overcoming inertia and just doing it. And partly it's because of a long series of health- related and other events in my family that have kept me busy, worried, and dispirited; there's the non-stop rain (who wants to deal with that?); and now we are having some much needed repairs done on our bathroom; the noise, dirt, and dust are driving me nuts. Hopefully, it will be a decent place to take a bath when it's finished. And then, maybe, I'll go out and take some pictures!

That's why I'm not posting too much these days.

If you are a mother or are like a mother to someone, this is for you. Hope you have a happy Mothers Day and know that you are loved and honored. There is no greater calling in life.

Happy Easter to all. Peace, blessings, and all good things to you. He is risen!