Would you like to see my etchings?

Had to take my car for service yesterday and since I didn't want to bother anyone for a ride, I went prepared to spend some quality time drawing and practicing for a weekly art class that I'm taking.

There's a little cafe at the Honda place so once my car had been taken away for ministrations, I ordered a delicious Cuban cafe con leche,  took out my little sketch book (the size of a small notebook) my pencils, some charcoal and my trusty eraser and rag and proceeded to draw and shade and erase as necessary to avoid the ire of my teacher when I presented my results next week. Basically I was doing some  homework and patting myself on the back for leaving my Ipad at home!

Not five minutes had gone by when I felt I was being stared at.  Sure enough, a man was looking at my work and promptly started to comment on it.  "Can you draw me?" he asked flirtatiously.  "Nope" I said.  "I don't do portraits and besides, I draw a lot of hair!" said cheekily of course as I stared at his hairless head.  He thought that was very funny so he sat with me for a while and brought his cafe with him. Interesting face...maybe I should have tried.  He was a Honda employee so he was called to work soon after only to be replaced by another very attractive gentleman who commented that he loved the lady I was drawing.  He also sat with me. He also had his dose of cafecito. Both men were friendly and nice looking.   His car was ready so he reluctantly left our little chat dropping his card on the table with "I hope we can continue this conversation another time?...call me!"

A few minutes later another gentleman joined my table again commenting on my sketch and enhancing his conversation about a visit he'd made to the museum only last month.  I think he was trying to impress me. It was rather sweet.  Another card joined the first. Oh my!

Three more men stopped at my little out-of-way table to find out what I was doing.  It occurred to me that this etching thing was a very good way to meet people!  I didn't even need a dog or a fancy car to have six perfect strangers sit at my table quite naturally, chat away and suggest another meeting to further the artsy conversation. Most of them were spanish speaking and quite lively.  Most of them were attractive and definitely my age or older. Hmmm, have I discovered a new way to make friends?  At my age I guess a Honda service department is as good, or even better than other more traditional venues where people get to talk to each other! Who knew!

The cards? I threw them out.  I was flattered and had a great time.  Why push it right? Still, must return to the service department next week for them to install a spare part that they didn't have yesterday. Should I take my little magic sketch book?

Shibori - Instant gratification

I thoroughly enjoy the preparation.  Yes...the wrapping and scrunching and tying.  Here's what a piece looks like before submerged in the dye:

White silk wrapped with wooden circles and mung beans tied with string

Dipped in the dye

Drumroll please.....the results:

and some more...

and more...

and one more...

The Post-Menopausal Artist Moves to Miami

Young women hear about menopause and they wonder how it will affect them.  The perimenopausal among us complain about an array of symptoms that they experience or expect to experience.  I know that I certainly blamed menopause for a whole range of things that were in one way or another related to my age at the time.  What I never expected was an enormous burst of energy that helped me cope with what was happening to me in my own life then and which has allowed me the opportunity to carry on after my husband's death and thrive.  Is it hormonal?  I believe so.  Because menopause comes at a crossroad in our lives.  Our  grown children move away. In addition, in my case, my husband died and I was left with this life to live on my own and a major lust for life that I never expected without him.

I hosted a thousand people in two states for the weddings of my four children by myself.  I sold my house in New York and moved to Miami by myself.  In fact, I spent the last night in the old house on a mattress in the floor of the bedroom I had shared with my husband in the company of my dog and two cats!  At 3am I woke up in the cavernous house and thought it was time.  My belonging were already en route to Miami and I decided that I needed to drive with my dog rather than fly.  I needed to be actively leaving.  Physically, emotionally and spiritually leaving that house which had housed us all and gave us so much pleasure. I loaded my overnight bag in the car in addition to a few odds and ends that had remained and with the dog as my only company, I drove to my new destination while it was still dark out.

When I was crossing the George Washington Bridge, I turned on the radio and one of those evangelical types told me "you are going to your future, it will be everything you want it to be" and on and on he spoke... directly to me.  It was spooky!  South and down we went Ume and I only stopping for a few hours of sleep in a dog friendly motel on our way. I was never sleepy and like anyone who's driven down 95 to Florida will confirm with few distractions apart from the famous signs of the "South of the Border" complex.

We made it to Miami the next day in the afternoon. I managed to avoid speeding tickets and the car worked like a dream. My energy needed to be and was boundless.

After settling down in my new home I started painting. And you know what?  I couldn't stop!  I had no idea how to paint so I signed up for classes in acrylics.  Took one class with a lovely lady in Coconut Grove and was inspired to just go home and paint. Then came the jewelry making and recently the "Shibori" which I talk about in another part of this blog.

Its that energy again.  That creative energy that pulls me out of my shell and reminds me that I am not alone. I am on my own. I'm in good company.

The post-menopausal artist with her grand-daughter Lily