Is it over yet?

 

Thursday, June 7, 2012 – Is it over yet?

Our last houseguests departed just about an hour ago (around 1 pm), en route to Texas.  My step-daughter Debbie and her daughter Dana stayed here last night after a week-long road trip through Pennsylvania and Delaware.  Marshall (Debbie’s brother), who had been staying with us since the birthday celebration, went with them to lend a hand with the driving.  With their departure, the house is entirely ours once again.

My mother, Katie, is in her new assisted living unit at Greenspring, and she seems to be adjusting well.  The furniture fit right in, and Elliott and I will hang the paintings and art on her walls in a couple of days.  It’s amazing how much time and energy even a minor move, like this one, requires.  I’m more convinced than ever that we’ll stay put in our house for quite a while.  I couldn’t bear the thought of any more packing or unpacking. 

Meanwhile, we’re living with some bare walls since we sold 10 of the pieces in our “gallery” to guests who saw them at the celebration of a century.  At first, I found it hard to consider parting with them.  The works you create seem like your children.  But Elliott’s cooler, more rational approach won out in the end.  And I must admit that it’s better for the art to be enjoyed than to be hidden away in storage.  We’ll just have to go through the garage and the flat-file drawers to find some other pieces to hang.  And I might even get back into the studio. 

Also, I finally completed the jigsaw puzzle that some of you saw (and worked on) at the party.  It was based on a photo of Elliott and me taken in Rome in 2000.  Working on the puzzle turned out to be very therapeutic when I was physically and mentally exhausted from everything that’s been going on these past couple of weeks.  I’d forgotten how enjoyable this simple, non-electronic activity can be, and how restful it is for my brain.