There
were some big changes this year. Chuck had bypass surgery in October
of 2002, and by January 2003 he was in rehab and well on the way to
recovery. Fortunately that turned out well. It's amazing what a bypass
can do for you.
Last January
I also taught my first class in making metal book clasps. That has been
particularly significant for me. Although I was still teaching metals
skills, it meant that I had made a real change from the jewelry arts
to metalwork as specifically applied to the book arts. I had to do a
lot of research into the history of book clasps, apply that research
and plan how to best teach these skills to people with limited or no
metal experience.
My class
was well received, which felt very good to me, and I created a web site
about the process. As things have a tendency to build on themselves,
I also taught another class in the Fall of 2003, and I have been invited
to teach at a pretty significant workshop next June. Because no one
else is really doing much in this area, I can make this exploration
into something more if I want.
But, still
my "career" change is a jumbled up mess. I work on the book
clasps and I try to find the time to work on book repair, conservation
and restoration and to learn more about that. I still have a number
of places which order jewelry so I have to stop and do that. I want
to make some mixed media works which are primarily related to book arts
or which require book art skills. And I can very easily get sidetracked
by little fun craft type projects, too, like making paste paper or even
making bath bombs. And I also have a part time free lance job for a
non-profit book organization. So, it's really been very hard for me
to just to concentrate on one area. I lack focus, and if nothing else
this next year, I want to try to find that focus and do some serious
work again.
In the
meantime there is also the need to help with all of the business. It's
not bad, but can be tedious. I'm not complaining because that's the
income source for now, and we must generate as much as we can.
Then in
August we were thrown back into the pit for another go round with health
issues. Chuck was admitted to the hospital unexpectedly with impending
kidney failure. It was a very scary and very bad time for a while. After
a week in the hospital he was released and required to follow a very
strict diet and take meds in the hopes of dissolving the many, many
kidney stones which were blocking his kidneys. Fortunately, after weeks
of care the treatment worked, but it is still a constant cause for concern.
Not to mention that all that down time wreaked havoc with our finances,
and to top it off, our health insurance premiums skyrocketed through
the roof, going up 66%. So now we feel like we are always in a state
of panic trying to be sure to have enough for the premium each month
on top of everything else.
We are
still too young for Medicare, so we still have to self insure, and because
of his many pre-existing conditions we are unable to switch insurers.
As a reward for being self employed and working hard for years, we just
get totally screwed by our government's failure/refusal to take care
of the health care needs of its people, and its failure to keep health
care costs and drug prices in check. I cannot begin to tell you how
much I loathe this administration.
Aside
from business issues, personal issues are on a relatively even keel
with the usual ups and downs. I'm pretty happy with the family relationships
now. All the weddings are over, and this year I didn't have to host
two holidays! So I am a happy mom. All my kids have turned out to be
pretty great human beings, and I get along with them all well, I think.
And I adore my grand daughters.
I've turned
a corner with regard to my relationship with my father. He had some
serious health issues in the last year or two and I suddenly realized
that I did not want to continue to concern myself with past injustices
or sleights. It's too late for some things to change and I don't want
to still be having major issues with him should he die. I found out
when my mother died that grieving was so much more complex when all
sorts of unresolved stuff continued to confuse the issues. As a result
of letting go, I am feeling much happier when I am around him. And since
I don't have to carry around all that extra baggage, that translates
to feeling better about life in general.
For the
new year, I predict more of the same.
Only I'd
like fewer health care crises. Hopefully we can bypass that chaos by
making some real attempts at serious life style changes.
As I said
earlier, I want to get focused and accomplish something!
And, I
hope for continued goodwill in family relationships.
And, last
but not least, I hope the heck we can vote the Bozo out of the White
House