So in the meantime this happened.

Well, months have passes since my last blog post at the end of 2022.

Lots of things have gone on in our lives—as in yours, I'm sure. To recap, in February my husband sold his business and the store it's been in for the past 40 years. Now he's helping the new owners get it back underway as an ongoing operation. His "next retirement date" (as he keeps calling it) is today, August 1. Remains to be seen how long this one will last.

Since my last post I've taught an online tapestry class through Lessonface for John C. Campbell Folk School. That was back in January. Then I taught another one for design for tapestry in February through the same online platform.

I took a wonderful book arts class in person at the Folk School in late February and have two leather-bound journals as a result (still blank).

 

There was another online Lessonface class in March—I was a student in that one, a writing class taught by Carol Crawford.

In March I went to Asheville to a gathering of members of Tapestry Weavers South at the Folk Art Center where TWS had an exhibit. 

My husband had eye surgery in April and then at the end of the month I landed in the hospital for an overnight stay and to have IV of fluids for dehydration. I'd been fighting increasing hip pain since late March. That trip to the emergency department in April was the start of a several months of hospital visits. I had hip replacement surgery on June 22 and stayed overnight for that. 

In early July once more I was at the emergency department, this time with possible heart episode (didn't turn out to be that). But I was found to be very anemic so I had a couple of transfusions of iron, staying a couple of nights at the hospital then. I'm recovering slowly from the hip replacement, having PT a couple of times a week. Maybe by this time next year (or next month!) I'll be walking normally again and without pain.

In May I was the juror for Transformation, an exhibit sponsored by the Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild, held at the Hudgens Center for the Arts in Duluth, Georgia. Elizabeth Buckley's tapestry was selected for the First Place award and she was able to be at the reception & awards ceremony.

Elizabeth Buckley (right) talks to visitors about her tapestry Cosmic Heartbeat

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During this year I've made the difficult decision to sell a couple of my tapestry looms to other tapestry weaver friends. It was bittersweet to see both of those leave but I know they'll be well loved and used by their new owners.

I've finally completed the manuscript for a book I've been working on for about two years—I'm just about worn out from that! With the health issues during the past couple of years I despaired of ever being able to do it. But I sent the digital files off this morning on my (revised) deadline! Maybe in a year or so it will be an actual book. Look for it at Schiffer Craft in the future.

I have an exhibit coming up at the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art at Piedmont University in late August and September. An artist retreat at Lillian Smith Center in early September is something to look forward to and I hope I'm up to walking in the woods while I'm there.

There's a class to teach at Arrowmont in early October and another at John Campbell Folk School in late October. And that should wind up the year.

Here's hoping for no more medical adventures for either my husband or me this year (and for many years beyond!)