I dunno

Since the passing of my oldest son back in November, my posting on the blog has become very sporadic.  Every time I sit at the computer I end up writing on a memoir about my son.  It began to get lengthy so I decided to divide it into two parts, Daddy’s Little Boy,  and Not Daddy’s Little Boy, but, even as a two parter I am afraid that each part will be so long that no one will finish it except my other children who will then fill my Email box with notes  explaining that I have my facts wrong..

In the meantime enough has happened that I would have liked to post about, and I didn’t.  I mentioned a while ago that I am very pessimistic about the results of what is happening in the Middle East.  I fear that the Egyptians have gone from one dictatorship to another, Yemen is going down the tubes, and my deep suspicion is that Khadafy is going to end up exactly where he was.  For forty years he has played his enemies like a violin, and ‘No Fly Zone’ or not, except that he will have winnowed out some of his diplomats, and a lot of Libyans will have died, we are in for the same ol –same ol.

On the home front, I looked at my self the other day in a full length mirror and realized that I look like a frail old geezer.  I had surrendered to the geezer/coot identification a long time ago, but “frail”/   Yuck.

Janet has had another episode where she suddenly “drops out”.  She was working with her computer when suddenly she felt terrible, and called for help. I had to almost carry her  (almost is the noticeable word, since I am now “frail”) to her bed.  She fell immediately to sleep and slept for the rest of the day and most of the nest night.  I took her to our doctor (We have changed General Practitioners, we no longer trust our former one.) and the doctor said that we did the right thing, and he couldn’t find an immediate cause.   She also kicked the vacuum cleaner rushing for the phone and broke her foot, so she is reluctantly wearing a moon boot. 

We just keep on keepin on.  Will finish Daddy’s Little Boy  in a few days and post it.  Let me know if it makes you snore, and I will know whether to spend time on the next episode.  (Actually, for some reason that a good psychologist would probably be able to identify, I am, sort of, driven to finish this)

Crafty Observations

I just spent Saturday at a Craft Sale in Columbia South Carolina.  I didn’t buy as much as I usually do on such occasions but I made some observations.

It is sometimes amazing that so many people can create so many different things out of things that others throw away. (Everything from bolts, nuts and old automobile mufflers to lonesome pieces of old silverware).

It is interesting that so many of the booths in these places (ostensibly made to show individual works)  are filled with obviously factory made items  that are presented as “craft” (hand made or at least created by the folks who demonstrate and show them) by clever salesmen who make these items look like their own work (ranging from some types of furniture to canned goods).

The world is filled right now with very thin women wearing “spray on” jeans, high heeled boots and tight tops.  About ten percent of these look absolutely lovely and the other ninety percent look anorexic and boney like starving waifs in third world countries (even though much better dressed)

I met and chatted with doll and puppet makers who are doing good work and who make me insanely jealous because they are doing stuff that I can do and have done, but for one reason or another I haven’t sculpted a dang thing in over a year..  Every time I go out in my studio, I feel like I should apologize to all of my nice equipment that is sitting there unused.

It was a very nice day, though because there was enough real art there to make my imagination start to churn.  Maybe I can start going into the studio and actually exercising  some of those tools .

When you can’t trust a hospital

My grand-daughter is going into a hospital tomorrow for surgery on her shoulder. A week ago Sunday she fell and broke her shoulder.   Her mother took her to the hospital emergency room.  (A place where she has been before.  She is a diabetic as well as epileptic so she can’t drive herself.  She has been in and out of this hospital often, usually with ketoacidosis which frequently keeps her in ICU.   Truth to tell, she has now always been a perfect patient)   They don’t like her much anymore, so they did an xray, told her there was nothing serious wrong with her and sent her home.  She was actually left outside, waiting for a ride.

He mother picked her up.  She was in such pain that she was taken home, her mother dug out a sling from a medical supply and tried to take care of her.  She was in such pain that her mother had to bathe her (She is in her twenties)  Finally they took her to a different hospital, where they looked at her shoulder which was visibly broken stabilized the sholulder and referred her to a Orthopedist,  The orthopedist examined her and told her that her shoulder was broken so badly that she will have surgery tomorrow to completed rebuild (replace, one of those things) the whole ball and socket part of her shoulder.

I guess the only thing I want to say further, is that, if you are ever in Ocala Florida and you have an accident, avoid West Marion (Marian-I’m not sure of the spelling) Hospital at all costs.  I think one would be better off lying in the street praying for Emergency service to come along.