How was your summer?
I flew into Arizona on Oct.3
International flights aren't what they used to be. Seats designed for child sized people, last minute gate changes, and don't get me started on the food.
In the end it's worth it to see family and friends. I came first to southern AZ to visit my Father and while here I'm helping him with a project on the roof of his condo. He and I make a good team, we work well together and I always enjoy the time spent.
Unfortunately I got Covid on the plane...AND strep throat, joy!
Despite this I am working each morning on the roof, where the temperature is easily 100 degrees before noon. So we start at 7 and stop before noon most days. The job is going well and should be finished in a couple more days.
A friend asked me how am I able to do this at 60, crouched over all morning, in the heat, and feeling less than 100%.
I told him the same thing I said to my sister, "I'm channeling my Great Grandmother Birch". I was lucky to have known her, born in 1902 she lived to be just a couple months shy of 97. The main thing I loved about her was her cheerful attitude, despite a challenging life.
She couldn't finish school and pursue her dream of teaching because her brother accidentally killed their mother. She was so poor at one point that she and her husband could barely afford to feed her starving (and abused) brother. Her son had a terrible disease that caused her to have to take care of him for life. She got a terrible form of arthritis that destroyed her joints and left her in a wheelchair. Her husband fought in World War 1, experienced horrific things and returned with PTSD. Yet all those things are not her story because she chose a better path. She was a joyful person who even accepted her diminishments as she aged.
She was always excited to see me, and like both of my Grandmothers, she always told me I could be whatever I wanted and encouraged my earliest drawing efforts as a child. Those women are a big part of the reason I had the audacity to become an artist.
Resilience is in our DNA. Life is good.
