Alzheimer's Acceptance

My sister has Alzheimer's. Her personality has changed over the last five years but she still has a wonderful sense of humor. My sister and her husband live in another state so it had been five months since I had seen her last and at that time she could sit on a chair and walk a little. She could still feed herself and she sat at the dinner table and she could watch television but she spoke very little. I was surprised this time to find her more talkative and, although bedridden, she seemed more mentally alert. This heightened consciousness might be the result of stopping her medicines and this resulted in some improvements such as responsiveness. If she was in a home I'm sure she would be given something to calm her resulting in the disturbing scene you sometimes see in Alzheimer's wards where the patient is quietly lying in bed on their back sleeping with their mouth wide open.

This situation is so sad. It is so hard to see my sister,who was always so strong, smart and independent, declining. But, I realize that I must accept her as she is now in this the moment and love her just as much, or maybe more, then ever. She is still my sister.

Lying on the bed with her it was easy for me to get into her world and respond just as if I was living her fantasy world as she was. I was in her zone. She was a great cook and always had delicious food for company. So from the comfort of her bed lying on her back she reached her hands high into the air working her fingers furiously in order to create a meal starting with hard boiled eggs for the company she knew was there. She wanted me to help. I right there helping her to prepare this imaginary meal. She wanted me to take the hard boiled eggs carefully from her hand and put them on the table next to me.

Next, she told me she wanted to buy green jeans so we got in the car and drove to the store. She decided she did not want to spend the money. Then, we went on a trip to Jacksonville, Oregon to a cabin she knew of. We had a little trouble finding parking.

Often, during the hours I spent next to her in bed, we were reliving past times when she was young and our parents were alive. We had an Ice Cream Business and she told me how busy she was ordering things and picking up deliveries. She often called out for our father who we all called "POP".

Other times she would see people standing in front of her that she didn't know. She'd comment that they looked sad, then said it's because they didn't have a job. She mentioned how skinny one of the girls looked. I would ask if she knew any of these people but she always answered no.

For the most part, we stayed in the past with only a few moments of clarity but the really important thing is that I was with her in her world. I was grateful to be able to share bits of her life as she is living it now. She knows how much she is loved and cherished and I am very grateful for the time I spent with her and I am looking forward to spending more time with her in her altered reality.

Best Sand Tarts Ever!

Well, it's new year's eve and on this last day of 2010 I have decided to share an old, secret, family recipe for the best sand tarts ever!

Things are quieting down after the Christmas rush. Tree up early, for a change, fifty holiday cards sent, packages to the east coast sent, cookies baked and gifts wrapped ornately and given to friends and family. After scouring Christmas sales and then buying things I really don't need I felt the rush and it was fun, exciting and intense.

Since I had such a great time I'm feeling generous and will now share my recipe for sand tarts. They are buttery, crisp, and easy to make. What could be better? After they are rolled out thin they can provide fun and entertainment for the whole family when the dough is cut with cookie cutters into various shapes. It was a tradition in our Pennsylvania Dutch family to have these cookies every Christmas and to share them with our family and friends. They are also very delicious.

BEST PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH SAND TARTS EVER!

INGREDIENTS:

2 and 1/4 cup sugar
Three 4-oz butter sticks(three fourth pound)
5 cups flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups Walnuts
Cinnamon sugar.....one cup sugar to two teaspoons of cinnnamon

PROCEDURE:

Mix butter with sugar and eggs
Then add flour and baking soda

Let cool in refrigerator for about an hour
Divide dough into six separate balls
Put all the dough but one back into the refrigerator
Flatten dough ball with hand
Dust rolling pin
Sprinkle flour on working surface
Add flour as needed
Roll dough thin
Cut with cookie cutters
Spray or butter cookie sheets
After carefully placing cookie on baking sheet wash with brush with whole egg that has been whisked.
Next sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Add a chopped walnut to each cookie....I always break some into small pieces to represent eyes etc.
Bake 8 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees....watch carefully they cook very fast!
Take off cookie sheet to cool

Enjoy and let me know how you like them!

Cowboy Lassos Horse

Yippee Ki Yay I am a lasso throwing cowboy! This design was created in my digital illustration class for my two year old grandson Noah. I thought this would be a fun design that could be made into material for a shirt or pajamas. It could also be used for wrapping paper or even to use as a Western theme for a birthday party.

I'm new to computers and have always been resistant to technology but now I am finding that, in many ways, the computer seems to free me up. No more tension about mistakes, mess, expense and the limitations that you have with paint. I think that I have always been terrified of the blank page. With a paint program you can choose an attractive color for the background fill then you're on your way!

Tahiti Flower Vase

What is it about Terra Cotta Clay that I love so much? I'm addicted to the cool and smooth texture. Also, the flexibility and ease with which I can manipulate any shape from clay is enticing. Creating from the earth's muddy bounty is very therapeutic and grounding....in more ways than one!

Anyway, here is a recent vase that I created from the depths of my being. I never know what I am going to create, basically it creates itself. The flowers were given to Sonia, my daughter, for a recent opera performance.

Flower Child!

Natasha my Flower Child! Nothing can stop my daughter from gardening...having a broken foot or nine months pregnant is no deterrent!
And, it's not unusual for her to garden with a child in her back-pack or front pack.

Natasha is my middle child. She would always follow me into the garden as a very small girl. She loved the feel of the dirt on her hands and the satisfaction of planting seeds, watching them grow and then harvesting their bounty. I'm wondering if the love of gardening is inherent or learned. All I know is that despite exposing my other two children to gardening they do not share this same passion. Where does this fascination with the earth and growing plants come from?

I think, in my case, this love of the land came from my dad. He loved to grow things in our fields in Pennsylvania. My earliest memories are of weeding the asparagus patch. I was about five and I distinctly remember going down row by row clearing the weeds from the asparagus and feeling so proud to have freed the asparagus from its forest of weeds. The asparagus could now clearly be viewed like tiny, green, upright soldiers all in a row.

My other strong memory is of our strawberry patch which was directly in back of our barn. We would hire local kids to pick the strawberries. Some of these kids were neighbors that I knew. It was thrilling to see all the baskets filled to the brim with bright red strawberries. We also grew potatoes, corn, and celery.

One year after my dad had turned the earth to reveal the hidden potatoes he had also uncovered a nest of baby mice. Don't worry they were left undisturbed and after we observed them we gently returned the cover to their home. What a learning experience! I also learned how to dust off the potatoes stored in the barn and eat them raw. This provided us with a nice little snack when we were too busy playing to take time to go into the house. To this day I still love to eat raw potatoes with a little salt.

After all this reflecting on the growing days of summer I am reminded that winter winds are blowing and rain is pouring in blinding sheets. I long for warm days and the feel of the earth between my fingers. I also long for fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables on my table. I miss canning fruit and vegetables....Heck, I even miss pulling the weeds that are sprouting up everywhere. Hurry up SPRING!

Noah Typography

This is a test.......Currently experimenting!

Twiggy Fern Plate

Hello again! I'm so excited that I'm finally seeming to "get" this technical stuff!

This is another product of my inspiration at "Lotus Land" botanical gardens. I used a cutting of my backyard fern to imprint the clay. I did this by placing the fern on top of the clay and then covering the clay with a sheet so that the clay would not stick to the slab roller. The pressure of the slab roller on the clay and fern make a very nice impression.