The First Shot

Today, Jan 21, 2021, I received my first Covid-19 vaccine shot. As I am writing this, my arm is a little sore but it is only about 12 hours since I got it. My older daughter warned me that she had a very sore arm for a couple of days (same type, the Modern) so I have been alerted. But I also decided to take some extra Vit. D and K since that is supposed to help moderate the effects.

I am grateful I was able to find a clinic that had enough supply and was willing to work with me; up until a few days ago I was considered too healthy even though I am well over the age limit. The only thing that changed was that this clinic in Mattawa (about an hour away) had some appointment openings. Many of the distributors in the larger cities are already filled up with appointments for the next two to three weeks and have several weeks of backlogs as well.

Although I know there are folks who are eligible who do not want the vaccine and who don't want to take the risk of what might happen with something not well-tested, there are plenty who do want it. The risk of getting Covid-19 is so much worse, as I have learned from friends and one in particular is a nurse who got it herself and now, almost two months post-recovery, she is still dealing with lung capacity, stamina and brain alertness. I do not want that.

The current theory of some doctors is that Vit. D, C and K along with Zinc are good as prophylactics for the disease. I have been diligent in taking all of them and also the social distancing, wearing a mask, washing hands and sanitizing when out since March when it first became apparent this was going to be more than a 'flu' strain. The U.S. leadership failed the population by minimizing and refusing to take aggressive actions and today, almost a year since the whole world became aware of the dangers, over 400,000 people in the U.S. (of all ages) have died from it.

Perhaps I should have written about the isolation, the weeks and months of staying at home, finding things to occupy my mind and hands, but I did not want to add to the frustration by putting it down on paper (blog). And there were other issues to focus on after Wayne developed a blot clot in his left leg in June and then had other health issues all through October, November and December - one we are still dealing with today.

The one bright spot in all the turmoil of the past four years is that Joe Biden was elected and inaugurated as our new President and yesterday offered up a plan for hope and recovery! It feels to me, at times, as if my relationship with Wayne has been just like the political situation with the discovery of things which should have been revealed before we ever decided to get married. There is not much I can do about it now except go on from here. But when I find I am with someone who has his own self-interest at the forefront all the time, it is discouraging.

So tonight I am hoping that the astrological and energetic shifts will bring me some personal hope and recovery as well. And this First Shot will be followed by another and while we may never return to what was called 'normal' perhaps we will find ways to nurture the needs for social interaction bordered by national respect for each other and that our hope is not misplaced.

A Day Like No Other

I WAITED...

for the results of the Run-off election in Georgia and was encouraged to hear that the Democratic. candidate Rev. Warnock was already being considered the winner of his race. And as the final results started coming in for the other Democratic runner, Mr. Ossoff, there was other news beginning to overwhelm the airwaves.

I WATCHED...

as thousands of (probably) paid protestors swarmed over the Washington D.C. Capitol building, like fire ants bent on destruction and disruption. And they had that effect, at first. The Congress had to adjourn from their ceremonial acceptance of the Electoral College votes for incoming President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

I HELD MY BREATH...

wondering if our democracy would hold against the tyranny of seditious senators and callous congress members seeking to overthrow everything for a bully, a con man, a lawbreaker, a liar. And while the halls and walls of the Capitol building may have been sullied, the pustule had broken wide open for everyone to see... the blood-red infection spread throughout the building leaving its dark and nasty marks everywhere. And suddenly there were a few who backed down from their previous plan, seeing the damage and seeing what traitorous acts were being done.

I SIGHED...

and the Congress returned to do its real, albeit ceremonious work of accepting the Truth - that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had won the election fairly - after weeks of over 60 judicial actions discounting any claims of fraud or mishandling of ballots. 

STILL I WILL NOT SLEEP EASILY until the 20th of January when Joe and Kamala are installed and inaugurated. And I will not sleep well again until those criminals have all been brought to justice for their un-democratic actions...  the wound cannot heal until it is fully cleansed and then we can think about stitching it up.

Trust is a delicate commodity... once violated it is hard, perhaps even impossible, to regain.

Wonderful Shifts.

 The news that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be leading this country starting in January 2021 has given me great hope for the United States and for the world at large. The existing president continues as of this date to be in denial about the election which was one of the most carefully executed processes in American history.

A Vedic Astrologer, Hogarth Brown (https://vedicastrologycenter.net/members/contacthogarthbrown-com/), has been doing a lot of forecasting prior to the election (and afterwards) and he has pinpointed December 14, the day the Electoral College casts their votes, as a particularly interesting day on many levels - one element is a solar eclipse seen in southern Chile and Argentina. It turns out that Delusional Donnie was born during an eclipse and this one is going to put a lot of pressure on his chart/person.

The eclipse will also affect the United States due to some of the planetary aspects as well, so prepare yourself for some surprising news and revealing of secrets which may be temporarily disruptive. This is not intended as a scary message but simply one to be aware of.

It is my belief that the vast numbers of Light Workers who have been uplifting the energies have been huge contributors to this first shift and others to come. There is news today that work is progressing toward finding the right combination of elements to bring a vaccine to the public and it will not surprise me if it is ready for distribution within a few weeks of the Inauguration. It turns out that the mutation of the virus is working toward its demise as researchers are discovering weaknesses in that mutation which the vaccine will address.

So these shifts and others are coming and these changes may develop quickly as time appears to be speeding up. 

Coming Around Again

 After ‘graduating’ from the program of learning The Zentangle Process, I was entitled to use the initials CZT after my name. And I was also entitled to teach this process to others. But I didn’t feel ready and I set myself the goal to learn the 100-plus patterns that are part of the Zentangle experience. 

Here I am now, 14 months later, and I can call myself a teacher. I have a small group of women, friends of mine, who were eager to have me show them how to learn various patterns and so, on most Thursday afternoons at tea-time (4 p.m.) we gather on ZOOM for “Tea n’ Tangles” for about an hour of friendly tangling where I teach new patterns, new techniques and tips that I’ve been learning.

The restrictions of the COVID-19 that started back in March 2020 were actually helpful to me as I could easily grasp on-line teaching. I found an inexpensive camera and in a few weeks figured out the basics. Now my three friends are each moving forward with their art skills and I couldn’t be more proud that they are advancing and building their confidence.

My watercolor skills have been utilized as well, but I don’t do as much scenic watercolor work these days. Instead I use both tube colors and watercolor pencils to bring color into my Zentangle art pieces.

I find that with the stress of the various “rules” or “restrictions” (changing daily in some cases) that having the relief of drawing something that requires ALL my focus helps me to relax. Watercolor doesn’t do that for me as much and thus I do more tangling these days.

The uncertainty of this time needs a little more structure and interestingly enough being challenged to put particular patterns in small spaces is just such a structure (as shown above). The idea for this design was created by Deb Bowyer, CZT, a teacher at the CZT: AE2020, an on-line creative learning platform for CZTs - a kind of training for the teacher event. I will do this one again because it is so challenging.

Finally I managed to be at the sunset-watching place in time tonight, capturing the brisk departure of El Sol. We are now in the phase where there will not be any long and late sunsets. The last 8 p.m. set was over yesterday. But this was a clear and lovely event and I got my panorama to work on the camera!

So I conclude my return to blogging with this great view of Moses Lake in Washington State on this August evening. Wishing all my readers near and far good health!

Catching Up....

Right after I posted my last blog about my life in Moses Lake, a couple of special friends died suddenly, within two weeks of each other.

The first one was my former boss at the Peninsula Daily News. Rex Wilson moved to Mexico to join his wife, Olga, in their family business and was suddenly diagnosed with lung cancer and just as suddenly left us all behind three months before his birthday.

The second was a fellow I met while traveling about eight years ago, William Good from Florida, and who became, along with his wife Sandi, delightful additions to my life online as well as when they came to Washington State to visit family. Bill was traveling in Spain with Sandi when he had a heart attack in mid-February, less than two weeks after my boss.

I tried to talk to my husband about the grief I was feeling, but he did not really understand the joy that having any exchange with these fellows gave me - their laughter, their quick wit, their expansive natures causing the lights in my world to shine a little brighter. In some ways it felt like my Dad had died again because there were aspects of each of these fellows that must have reminded me of him.

Then, getting over those sad days, my son-in-law announced his Multiple Myeloma was causing numbers to rise and he was going to have treatments again. So I retreated once more and found myself self-diagnosing anxiety and took on the objective of becoming a healer with art therapy.

"Celtic Knot Flower" is a design from another CZT that
I incorporated into a 12 -inch by 12-inch acrylic work.

This art therapy is called Zentangle™and though it is not advertised as a therapy per se, it is well understood that meditation is helpful and this process of drawing certain patterns was clearly helping me.

Something from my journal that has color and light in it.

I signed up for and was accepted to the 33rd session of training for Certified Zentangle Teachers (CZT) in Providence, Rhode Island for the end of March and beginning of April, 2019. For four blissful days I did nothing but eat, drink and draw with lots of laughter and fun. I concluded my trip with a fresh lobster dinner to celebrate achieving this certification, feeling pretty sure it might be awhile before the next trip and lobster!

Me with my seminar roommate, Norma G.
from Brazil. We had a good connection
and helped each other along.

Home again, I find I am not quite ready to begin teaching The Zentangle Method because I feel I still have so much to learn myself. But I have incorporated it into my existing art activity and have some fun plans for doing more in the future.

This is a small frame purchased at a yard
sale; making the Zentangle appear to be
more worthy... 

This is a Zendala, using tangles from Zentangle, Inc.

The other shoe dropped when we heard that a relative was
diagnosed with cancer, so I made her a blanket with pink
symbols for healing but it had special meaning for me as
it had patterns I have used in tangling.

Life in Moses Lake ~ February 2019

One of our first sunsets from our front porch.

"Amigo" is a Pug-Chihuahua cross that
we got in January.

As we complete our second month in Moses Lake, we both still agree it was a good move. There were (and are) challenges to be solved with the house, the grounds, but overall that part of our new life is progressing nicely.

A totally impulsive move was to add to the 'farm' animals by getting the closest thing to a sheepdog that we will ever see. Little "Amigo" (friend in Spanish) sticks close to Wayne's heels when outside and is under my feet almost all the time when inside.

Purriwinkle has one safe spot from Amigo...

Purriwinkle, our cat, thinks we purchased Amigo as her own wind-up toy, and Amigo thinks we provided him with a cat purely for the fun of it. They take turns chasing each other around the living room until one or the other falls down panting.

Peaches was a little annoyed at this small intrusion into her life, but as time as gone on, she has taken the high road to be the dog-nanny and teach Amigo what is what.

Peaches and Amigo on a walk.

Putting the finishing touches on a quilt to be
donated to a worthy cause.

It was a challenge for me at first to find like-minded artists as they are not 'front and center' like in Sequim, but now that I have my weekly art group (on Wednesdays) and a connection for instruction on Mondays, I am feeling less isolated from my creative 'flock.'

And I've found a quilting group that adds to my developing skills in that realm as well. It is a group connected to the Mose Lake Senior Center that makes quilts for donations to various organizations.

Wayne has made his connections to the Grant County Fair (They will find out just how lucky they are to have him in August!) and to local gardeners and a Master Gardening group.

His children, for the most part, have been involving us in their activities and we had the great joy to watch two of the grandkids in their Christmas pagents in December.

Zentangle is the art of drawing one line at a
time to create these little bits of art. It's both
a meditation and a creative process I find easy
and fun. I think I will like teaching others.

When we arrived we knew we would have to replace some appliances, but the stove turned out to be a major headache earlier than anticipated, so we replaced it right away. As I spend time in the kitchen I can see that some modifications will make it much easier to work in for the long run, so we are planning to make a few changes in the spring when cooking and eating outside is an option.

We have plans to go back over to the North Olympic Peninsula for the weekend of the 15-16th of February to go to the Blues Chaser square dance with old friends. If the weather is nice enough and forecasted to stay that way, we may take the RV. We haven't been anywhere in it this winter and I think Wayne is getting itchy feet.

At the end of February I head off to Sew-Expo in Puyallup for a couple of days to connect with my pals from last year's event, and at the end of March I have made a commitment to get trained as a teacher of Zentangle (CZT) so I can offer classes here in Moses Lake. That will mean a week in Rhode Island, leaving Wayne to manage the household on his own.