Staying with it . . .

Showing up - again. . . 

This is Tuesday, but my intentions have been good.  

It is such a difficult time in the world that it is easy for me to get side-tracked.  My heart and love are with the innocent people in Ukraine - everyone there - all victims of the greed and need for power at any cost.  

I woke early, early this morning and realized I had not posted my "Monday post" that I committed to doing each week in March. But, I am here doing just that. My studio work has been hard this past week.  I came to my studio each day, but my heart and thoughts were somewhere else.  So I would just "show up" and do a "little something".  

Work from studies this past week . . . 

I keep working on my "moon studies".  I am taking a great class from Rosalie Dace - "Over the Moon".  It is online and offered through The Stitchin' Post in Sisters, Oregon.  I really enjoy her teaching style of kindness, knowledge and inspiration. I am trying to get my chemo brain activated again and this class is a great way to do just that.. 

At first I thought I wanted to make a wall quilt with the phases of the moon.  But I couldn't stay focused on that idea.  So I decided to do "studies" of different approaches to capturing the moon from my heart.  

This one started from just painting across wet white cotton.  After it dried I added a bit more paint, fused on the little moon, and I will do some hand stitching to focus the scene a bit better.

These three are moons on fabrics I painted this past few weeks and I want to try some different ways to accent with thread - maybe hand stitching and maybe machine stitching.  I am not sure yet, but I will share as I do more with these. 

These three studies are moons on backgrounds - one is fused, one is appliquéd and one is painted.  I started with the fused moon below and have added some stitching.  I will work on this one this week to get it finished.  Below are the first few stitches.  I want to finish one each week along with my other work.  The hand stitching is so relaxing for me in the evenings.

And then . . . 

We had a little birthday party for my Bob on March 3rd. It was a fun gathering to help me remember all the good things that bring me endless love and happiness. It was wonderful to gather with family and feel the joy from laughter with shared memories and dreams.  

See you next week . . . 

Getting more work done . . .

Showing up . . . 

I have wanted to get going with blogging again and it seems to just fall off my radar screen all the time. And then I want to be more productive and that falls off as well.  

So - I have decided to use the blogging to share my work - ideas in my mind, in progress and completed. That just might provide the needed incentive to get more of my work completed and it will give me something to share in these blog entries with writing and pictures.  

I will make a commitment for the next 4 weeks to share a new blog post each Monday. And then at the end of March, I will let you know how it is going and what I need to change or forget or whatever.  

My dad always said, "Show up - on time - and do your work".  So that is what I am going to do!  I have defined the time and the work and now I just need to "show up".  

Work in progress . . .  

I have been working on the piece below for a couple months now and it is finally coming together. It is my story about my walk through breast cancer. The background is finally complete and now I need to sew the five panels together and show the path of my walk across, up, around and down using fabric and hand stitching. 

Each block and each segment have meaning to me as I traveled the journey. It was not a journey in darkness.  I created the log cabin blocks to show the stability, love and strength I gained from my home and loved ones. The love and good memories provided by friends and family throughout the 16 months are also told in other sections. And throughout the journey there was always light and hope. It is about 25 x 43 - at this point and it will be a bit smaller after it is quilted. 

Studies for things to come . . . 

The piece below is one of my "moon" studies. I am taking an online class from Rosalie Dace called "Over the Moon". I love the class, but I am not as productive as I would like to be. I wanted to try a simple, simple full moon with hand stitching - seed stitches here that represent mountains with the moon behind them. I originally thought I would do one of these for each phase of the moon and join them together in one piece. I will not continue with that exact idea in this format. I am still thinking on this as a project but in a different direction. 

The fabric here is recycled silk and is from a navy blue blouse and the yellow is from a tie. I like this one and will finish it with a facing. It is about 7" x 9". For me, this idea would be more interesting if it were big - like 40" x 50". That would certainly limit the use of silk from a blouse and a tie, huh?

See you next Monday . . . 

Life gets interesting . . .

Activate . . . 

This is a piece I completed a couple months ago.  It is painted on cotton with organza overlays and then quilted.  The story of the creation is beautiful to me and I will share that next week.  But it really captures where I am tonight.  It is time for me to "Activate".  

Intense Times . . . 

I want to share this piece of my work as it is titled "Intense". I created this the end of 2018 as a reflection of the intense feelings of life we were experiencing from the impact of a grand son's cancer - my mom's death - extreme drought and fires -  difficult life choices - difficult times in our country . . . 

From February 2020 until now, we have all experienced the impact of the pandemic and related extreme hatred, fear and divisiveness.  

From September 2020 until now, we have experienced even more "Intense" times from my own cancer fight!  

I am a believer that if you live a long life, as I have, you must go through lots of "Intense" times.  

My cancer update . . . 

I wanted to share where I am in my breast cancer treatment with my family and friends. I have not written in my blog since last May. This is a summary of the year and where I am now . . . 

I started my treatment for breast cancer in November 2020 after the diagnosis the month before. I had heavy chemotherapy infusions every three weeks consisting of 4 different chemical drugs through March of 2021. Two of the most fierce of the chemo drugs ended in March and my treatment plan was to continue with the other two drugs through infusions every three weeks through October.  

In April, after surgery, the pathology showed that I was free of all the cancer in my breast and the two involved lymph nodes. It was "highly recommended" that I continue with the chemo infusions and move forward with radiation once my surgery had healed. That combination was to add additional "insurance" for remaining cancer free. I decided to do both. The 33 days of radiation ended the first part of July and I continued with the infusions through October.  .  

I continued to have CT and MRI scans as well as echo cardiograms throughout the year as recommended with continued positive findings. Yesterday, I had a diagnostic mammogram recommended following the end of treatment and 6 months after the surgery. It showed no sign of cancer. I continue to be cancer free and my recommended treatment plan from over a year ago is complete.  

I am blessed and looking forward to continued healing, regaining my strength and my brain working better. I know I will need to focus my energy to continue to eat the right foods, stay at a healthy weight and become more physically active.  Those are the next steps of my "staying cancer free" treatment.  

What is next . . . 

I was a member of our local Artists Gallery but I left the end of August as the continued chemo was impacting my strength and our Covid numbers were so high again that I was not comfortable working in the public. The gallery is a cooperative where the members work shifts each month. I will not go back to the gallery as I want all of my time to focus on my life with my Bob, my family, my friends and my art.  

I look forward to becoming more prolific with my creating. I have lots of ideas and dreams and I am feeling I am "on fire" with so many things I want to do. 

I will be activating this blog on a weekly basis with it focused on my renewed energy and focused on my art. I have lots of ideas for creating new art.  I want to share more with other like minded mixed media artists. I will share more on all of that throughout the next months.  

Thank you so much for your love, your positive thoughts and for being with me on this journey.  

The changes continue . . .

Getting better with each day. . . 

Good news today.  I have decided to return as an "active artist" to our Artists Gallery in the Emerson Art Center here in Bozeman.  I want, and need, the motivation that this decision brings to move forward.  I will start in June and I am so excited about it.  

It is a co-op gallery so we all work together on it.  We move our exhibits around each month and work three half day shifts in the gallery each month.  I am looking forward to participating again and I know it is the right time for me.  They have assured me if I need to have someone take my work shift that is totally possible, but I feel confident I can do it.  The triptych that is hanging on the right was sold to a large, new, upscale local hotel that opened here last fall.  I was thrilled.  

I am the only "fiber artist" in the gallery.  The scarves hanging actually are done by one of the artists who paints landscapes.  But we have 3D and 2D artists and a new jewelry artist.  We also have an area for cards and an area in the hall that is secure and a hanging area for prints.  

Update on my cancer journey . . . 

Today I had the simulation done for radiation and it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.  I actually start radiation next Monday and go through June.  It will be every day at 11 am for about 15 minutes with 5 or 6 of those minutes actually having the radiation.  Even though my pathology after surgery showed complete remission, it is still recommended that I go through the radiation at this time.  So I am going to do everything I can to stay cancer free.  I will also continue with the immunotherapy infusions every three weeks through October and that is also recommended for my type of breast cancer.  And that is enough about that! Now I am going to get back to my work and my life. 

Change Continues . . .

Connecting Again . . .

I wanted to share this today. It is "Firewalk". I completed it 5 years ago when my grandson, who was 6 at the time, was beginning months of chemo to win his fight over brain cancer. He was officially announced "cancer free" last summer after 5 years. He is now 11.

His journey has been an inspiration to me every day of those 5 years. But his words, wisdom and actions have been even more important to me in the past seven months as I have fought my own fight with breast cancer.  

I finished my "big chemo” in March. That consisted of an infused combination of chemo drugs, immunotherapy drugs, and 4 other drugs every three weeks to kill the cancer and not kill me while it was doing that. I have been plagued with debilitating anemia and have had several ER trips for some good old red blood cell transfusions. My brain, energy, and light seemed to be on permanent vacation from by body. And then, a week ago, I had my surgery - lumpectomy on the left breast and the removal of some lymph nodes. The good news is the pathology came back, the drug mixture had done the job and the cancer was gone everywhere.  So with that good news, I was encouraged by my doctors to continue with the original, best possible outcome, treatment plan for extra assurance that it will not return. I will have radiation that starts the middle of May and will continue with the immunotherapy drugs only - given through infusion. This will not be nearly as debilitating as the chemo and I am already beginning to feel my brain, energy and light returning to my body from wherever it has been.  I am so thankful and so appreciative of the prayers and positive energy you have sent my way.  

I am feeling "much, much better".  Bob says he can tell.  The "spit and vinegar" have returned and it makes us both smile and be thankful!

And Now - Next Steps  . . . 

I am not sure where this will all go as it relates to my continued blogging.  I want to continue from a place of joy.  One thing I am certain of though, I want to focus on my family, my friends and my art.  I want to enjoy being a maker and spend little time on the next steps of the cancer treatment journey. 

I am blessed in so many ways.  Thank you!

Change of Plans Here

I wanted to keep a regular conversation about my journey with this breast cancer.  As the months have gone on, it has gotten harder and harder.  Now, I am feeling a very distinct need to be more private.  At this time, I am not planning to do more entries about this journey.   

I continue to do pretty good and am preparing for the coming surgery, radiation and immunotherapy as set forth in in the original treatment plan.  

Please feel comfortable contacting me directly at any time. 

Thank you to those who have read along to this point.  

I am here - but not much more than that . . .

My great plans for how to write through this journey have fallen by the wayside.  Here it is the first week of March and I have not updated for several weeks.  This chemo stuff is certainly "cumulative".  Of course you hear that - read that - know that - but living with that is quite different.

I completed the last session of the "big chemo" this past Monday.  I am now going to continue with the immunotherapy infusions every three weeks for the next 8 months.  But the ongoing side effects from the two chemo drugs I have completed will not continue with me.  That is good news.  

I meet with my surgeon next week to determine surgery and then after recovery from that it will be on to radiation.  I am planning to have these invasive treatments completed by the end of May or as close to that as possible.  

I had a couple transfusions to help with the anemia and I will probably get another one in a week or so.  That does some help.  It is quite a journey.  I think I would have rather read about it than experienced it for sure.  But, it is what it is.  

I have the help of wonderful friends and family and that is a blessing.  The weather is getting warmer here and there and that brings great joy of renewal.  So it is onward.

Maybe more info with the making, loved ones and treatment stuff next week.  For now, this will have to do.