Joy and Sorrow

In the three weeks since my last post so much has happened that it is difficult to fit in all in the body of this post. If you have been following me for any length of time, you already know that I have been experiencing an incredible run of good fortune surrounding my crafting. (See my artist blog, The Creative Diva, to read all about it.) This series of events has gotten me some recognition for the creative work that I do and has allowed me to work from home with financial compensation. As the winner of a sweepstakes sponsored by A.C. Moore, I received an all-expenses paid trip for two to attend the Craft and Hobby Association Craft Supershow in Chicago, a mecca for all things craft-related. With my sister as my guest, we were treated like visiting royalty from July 28 to July 31 while in Illinois. As if the trip were not enough, while at the show I won several drawings and a craft challenge for yet more prizes. My sister and I laughed and smiled the whole time we were in Chicago. It was a heady and joyful experience.

I returned home on Saturday, July 31 and checked my email to find a message from my oldest and dearest friend in the world, Art Zaballero. He and I had communicated several times in the week prior to my departure and he had sent me a message wishing me a good trip and expressing his desire to get together with me after my return. On Sunday afternoon, my caller ID identified an incoming call as being from Art but it was his wife instead, calling to inform me that Art had died of a massive heart attack only hours before. In that split second, all of the euphoria I had been experiencing up until that moment evaporated, vanished with the realization that I had lost one of the most precious things in my life. My friendship with Art spanned nearly 50 years, from the time we were young children. To describe the nature of our relationship would require far more space than is available on this blog. Let's just say we had transcended the limits of friendship and had become each other's sibling. He was my family and I was his. As far as I was concerned, I had lost my brother.

If the week prior to the funeral was surreal, the wake and funeral ceremonies were a wake up call. You've no doubt heard it before but I'll say it again. Life is short; make the most of it everyday. I've been on that path for a while and I'm not going to slow down now. If anything, I'm going to press on, living and loving every golden moment as much as possible. That's what Art's death has taught me...to live every day as if it were my last.

Ok, Arty, I've got it.

Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

A Good Day

Today was a bit of a departure for me in a few ways. First of all, I had a lunch date with a friend and former classmate from my graduate school days, someone I haven't seen in quite a while. After making sure my garden was well watered, I showered and dressed to meet her. I chose to wear white, one of my favorite summer colors and one that, in spite of its association with purity, makes me feel very sexy. That's another way today was different...I felt sexy, something I haven't felt for too long a time. I felt it and it showed.

I traveled into Manhattan to meet my friend and we had lunch at a hidden little Spanish restaurant on 14th Street. It was truly a jewel filled with old world ambiance and good food. It felt like stepping into a different world for the time we were in there. As we were leaving, we noticed a sign saying the place had been established in 1868. We were incredulous and curious so we turned around and went back inside to inquire. The owner himself answered our questions but what was remarkable was what came afterwards. After his explanation, he introduced himself to me pointedly to which I responded with my own introduction and shook his hand. He commented on my beautiful name and lovely earrings and held my hand for just a touch longer than was necessary. The old bird was flirting with me!!

I am so out of touch with the whole mating scene that I was taken by surprise. When my girlfriend and I left the restaurant, we were talking about it and she said, "We're getting up there in age. Take your compliments where you find them. Let the old man flirt. It's okay." You know, she's right. Let the man flirt. Even better, let me enjoy that I'm being flirted with. I guess if I'm not too old to feel sexy, I'm not to old to be flirted with or to enjoy it.

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around a paper specialty store, looking at the beautiful imported and handmade papers available there. Then I came home to my family, my dog and a dinner that needed cooking. My sexy day was over but the memories still lingered.

On another front, my husband, who had been laid off on Memorial Day weekend, came home with some great news. He had interviewed a week ago with a local employer and today he filled out the necessary paperwork to become its newest employee. I don't have to tell you in this economy how great this news is. I told him we should celebrate.

Hmmm, maybe my sexy day isn't over just yet. :)


Ballo ergo sum,- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Time to Catch Up.

I have been crazy busy since my last post. As I mentioned then, I was creating paper flower arrangements for my daughter's high school's graduation ceremony. In the midst of that, several other projects came up. You can read about them and see some pictures here in my artist blog. Seems I've been running on a treadmill, expending a lot of energy yet staying in the same spot. Since the spot I'm staying in is home, I don't have a problem with that.

My newly graduated daughter has moved to North Carolina to live with my older daughter and her family and will be attending a nearby college there. The quiet in my house since her departure has been downright deafening and I'm still getting accustomed to the lessened workload in laundry, cooking, dishes, etc. Less work, more quiet...I can used to this.

In the middle of all my activity is my husband's inactivity, an inactivity that stems from his having been laid off on Memorial Day weekend. Yes, we have become part of the latest statistics in this bad economy. Perhaps inactivity is not the proper word to use here because the fact is that he has been hard at work looking for another job since his feet hit the ground but the market in his field, electrical construction, is very soft and jobs at his level are not to be found. We're holding our own for the present time but that may be short lived. Now we have two children in college and no income. This is not a pretty picture. I guess my flurry of income producing activities couldn't have come at a better time.

To be continued...

Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Oh My! How Time Has Flown!!

I just read the date on my last blog update and realized I haven't written a post since early February when I decided to volunteer at a local senior citizen's center. Now, four months later, I have become a fixture at the center where I not only run an hour long crafts session once a week but also stick around to do many of the organizational tasks that the director and her small staff can't get around to. I have spent untold hours cleaning, clearing and organizing the crafts cabinet and storage closets and discovered lots of great materials that were being neglected simply because no one knew what was there or how to find it. The director and I have made several visits to Materials for the Arts, a organization that collects donations from private donors and commercial concerns and makes them available to non-profit groups, schools and theater companies. We have been able to score some great finds there that have been put to good use as crafts materials, office supplies, and storage. In short, I've been having a great time putting my organizational and creative skills to use in an environment where I am welcomed and appreciated. You can see the projects I have completed to date with the seniors at my artist blog, The Creative Diva.

As if I needed something else to do, I am also volunteering to decorate the auditorium of my daughter's high school for it's very first graduating class of which my daughter is a part. The mission of the school is that of environmental responsibility and sustainability so all elements of the celebration must be eco-friendly. To that end I am making paper flowers out of used and recyclable paper with which to create floral arrangements to decorate the front of the stage. Of course I've never done this before so I'm dead in the middle of a steep learning curve but so be it. When the flowers are done I'll be posting photos on my artist blog so I hope you'll come over to check them out.

After my daughter graduates, she'll be attending college in North Carolina and will be leaving sometime in July to get settled into her new role as an adult. In the meantime I will be settling into my role as a mother hen with one less chick and I'm looking forward to the quiet in my chicken coop.

Another news-worthy occurrence since my last post is that my son returned to college after a few years of not knowing quite what to do with himself. His first attempt was not successful because he frankly didn't want to go to school. After dropping out, going to work, getting laid off and spending a long time unemployed, he finally decided he was ready to take another stab at college. I'm happy to say that he seems much more settled and comfortable this time around and I hold great hopes for his success. In due time he, too, will be leaving the nest whereupon this old bird will be doing the empty nest happy dance. Oh yes, I'm looking forward to an empty nest in spite of everyone telling me otherwise. I've lived the last 30 years mindful of my responsibility to the needs of others. I'm ready to finally live for myself. But until my nest is completely empty, I still have to contend with the droppings.

Somebody, hand me a shovel, will ya?


Ballo ergo sum,- Gitana, the Creative Diva