Maybe...

maybe (I wonder) if I posted once a month that would be enough (or something).

And in July, this post would be an update of the past few months.

So… to recap

In MAY,

 I fitted out my garage studio, hemmed 6 ready made drapery panels in my bedroom
 (and learned it's probably just as easy to make them from scratch) 

 built a table from pipes,

then

 flew to Macon, Georgia

 to meet my Love and the newest member of our extended family,

Ruby 

and expand my historical reference

 by visiting Warm Springs

and then HERE

 for some of these.

After that I headed on to another week in Michigan to play

with three little butterflies, who are well into their 8th year. 

Then I flew home for a chilly Memorial Day & a girlfriend weekend at one of my all time favorite places in the world…

The Mabel Dodge Luhan House & Taos, New Mexico

In June,

I painted some walls &

turned these

into these

hung a few more light fixtures

 and then flew To meet my Guy in Cody, Wyoming before we stepped into the

Never Never Land of Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone is where I began my life as I know it today almost 6 years ago to the month.
This time, which was my fourth visit to this amazing place, had me touch and see almost every magnificent site in the park, before heading on to

Grand Teton National Park

Jackson, Wyoming

which was quite civilized & one of our favorite stops…

and Ketchum, Idaho

and Sun Valley, where we watched Olympic skaters practice their spins...

visited Ernest Hemmingway's Memorial and grave...

and dipped our toes in a mountain lake….

before we headed to...

 Salt Lake City, Temple Square,

and Moab, Utah, Arches & Canyon Lands National Parks,

the Four Corners Monument, 

and then Shiprock, New Mexico the sacred Navajo birthplace,

and the Salmon Ruins, 

 before heading home to Albuquerque.

July
has me regrouping before heading out on another three week cross country driving trip back to Michigan to visit with friends and family with a return trek through the center of Colorado before we land back in our own beds in August.

After all this busy-ness and travel, I'm home today, still unpacking my former life into this little house, asking myself one question.

Am I still the person I used to be?

Release, release, release.

Continuum….

A continuum is something that keeps on going, changing slowly over time

10 years have passed…and how I spent them 

2003-2008
Moved to and lived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Maintained an artist's studio near Queen Street West
Studied Bookbinding CBBAG (Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild)
Took advantage of the many offerings at the "Temple of Paper" (The Japanese Paper Place)
Met and forged a special friendship with Wendy Golden-Levitt
Studied with Dorothy Caldwell at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts

2008
Moved back to Michigan after nearly 5 years as expat in Toronto
Reluctantly embraced major renovation of 80 year old house
Experienced an unusual and unexpected change in long term relationship
Fell to my knees in a puddle

2009
Remained in recovery from events of 2008
Readied dear old house for sale
Took respite in metals studio at my local Art Center
Introduced to energy medicine by Elaine Grohman in Michigan.
Started Studies in Sacred Geometry and Healing from the 4th Dimension
Said YES to a 'way over my ability' hiking trip in Yellowstone National Park.
Met many amazing uplifting spirits there (now dear friends) including Roz Hawker.
Traveled to Colorado for 2 weeks of bookbinding workshops with Daniel Essig at Anderson Ranch
Continued on to Taos, New Mexico for respite
Continued work in enamel and metal back in Michigan

2010
Gained courage and strength.
Continued studies in energy healing.
Put big house on the market for sale
Sold house in difficult market with unimaginable difficulty
Rewarded myself with two delicious summer workshops (India Flint/Shakerag, Helen Carnac/Penland)
Emptied old house of 30+ years of 'stuff'
Moved to rental townhouse
Said YES to India Flint's suggestion and...
Traveled to Australia for a workshop at Roz's then went on to explore Bali and New Zealand
Returned to Michigan for a difficult winter and contemplation

2011
Started the year unsettled with where I lived
Continued work in the metals studio
Realized my deep unhappiness
Decided not to renew my townhouse lease
Purged more stuff and packed the rest into two storage units
Said painful Goodbye to Michigan
Drove Shirley (my car) to New Mexico and rented a little house in the middle of nowhere
Began studies with Healing Touch Program

2012
Sunk into New Mexico life
Opened to Love
Drove cross country to experience Natalie Chanin workshop at Shakerag in Tennessee
made stuff
traveled some more
healed
Continued Studies in Healing Touch & also with Jean Houston

2013
Traveled to California, glorious Pointe Reyes & Yosemite in the Spring
Moved to new studio in Albuquerque
Finalized divorce
Bought a little townhouse in the north valley of Albuquerque
Traveled to Whidbey Island for Retreat with Joanna Colbert Powell
Studied with Claire Zammit and Catherine Woodward
Committed to advanced work in Healing Touch Program
Settled into renovation of new home

2014
Focused on home renovation, two steps forward, three back
Continued Healing Touch studies
Became and remain very quiet with all that
Enjoyed the Wisteria tumbling over my fence, then
Lamented removing tangled Wisteria branches as my neighbor dismantled the rickety arbor between us
Two steps forward, three back…..and three steps forward, two back.…mostly the latter
It's been like that

Continuum…..changing slowly over time

Which reminds me of an old saying my BFF and I use….."plan the plan and work the plan." And I added "and do not judge the plan while doing the work". 

I had many little setbacks this week.  I discovered a  pigeon was nesting in my swamp cooler, so I had to purchase a new one. This weekend, while finally assembling the last of three bookcases I ordered last December, I noticed some key parts were missing, and learned the cases are no longer available. Today as I was painting my kitchen cabinets I noticed I should have had my handyman install some finished side panels on them when he was here last week.  That's good because the new ceiling fan I installed hits the top of my canopy bed and the bed needs to be cut down. And of course I need to consider a new fence because my neighbor took down his arbor and the wisteria is now being supported by the fence which is also now crushed from the weight of it. And last but not least (and not even all of it), my iPad was stolen from my car last night. 

What is odd here is that I do not have the capacity to be upset by any of this.  Perhaps because it's still all part of working the plan and all of these issues can be resolved.  Or that the setbacks are so minor compared to many. 

ox