Wednesday, October 27, 2010

OFFICIALLY AN OLD LADY


"Dejeuner" is a 24x19 pastel on Sennelier LaCarte Pastel Paper, from my France series. I really like this piece. $3500.00.

Just can't seem to pin myself to the computer long enough to write in my blog. But I sure have missed it. And I miss having some sort of contact with people in cyberspace. When I teach my workshops (which I've been doing a lot of lately), inevitably several people from the class, whom I had never met before, tell me how they followed me in France through my blog. It's a funny feeling, but rewarding.

Much has been happening, and I shouldn't tell all in one post, then I'd have nothing to write about in future posts. But I'll tell the most embarrassing thing...I AM OFFICIALLY AN OLD LADY.

How so, you ask? While in Greenville, New York, in late August, the evening before my 3 day workshop was to begin, I was to meet with my 18 students in the dining room of the Greenville Arms B&B. As people were beginning to congregate for the wine and cheese, I was stepping out of the shower, when my foot went out from under me and I crashed hard onto the side of the ceramic tub. I knew immediately that I did something very bad; I could barely breathe. It took me a good 15 minutes to get up (the only motivating factor was the fear that I might need to be carried out naked). I was able to dress, drive to a nearby drugstore to purchase one of those back brace thingies that you wrap around yourself, and make it to the reception...straight to the bar for a glass of wine. I knew I should see a Doctor, but I had 18 people who had paid months in advance and come from distances for the class.

I taught the 3 day class, barely able to breath or move, drove home to Atlanta, and went to an emergency clinic, where the x-rays showed I had fractured 6 ribs, 3 in multiple places, and had a contusion on the lung. Nothing to do for fractured ribs I had been told, but pain medication. So I lived on Tramadol for 2 weeks. It has healed remarkably quickly. Within the 2 weeks I was almost back to normal.

But I am soooooooooooo careful now, when getting out of the shower. And walking down steps. And wearing high heals. I am officially an old lady.

8 comments:

  1. Reading your description of your accidental fall reminds me of my own fall. Glad you have healed, but just because we have accidents and are far more causcious of our movements doesn't make us "old ladies",we're always young at heart! Love your pastels!

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  2. Oh my gosh...amazing that you could still manage to teach in that condition. All the best to you.

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  3. I thought as I was reading you were going to tell us you had a milestone birthday or something... a fall in the shower/tub is not at all what I expected to read about how you became an official "old lady". I can understand WHY you write that..because well, true enough, old people do break things getting out of tubs! Seriously, though, I am equally certain there have been much younger people suffer a mis-step out of a shower too. Random! I am amazed you soldiered on as you did. My Mom would call you a "tough old bird". Glad you survived! Beautiful painting.

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  4. Amazing! I admire you for having the drive to go one.
    But old lady...??? Not really I would say.
    Best wishes, I love your pastels.

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  5. That could have happened to anyone.
    If you were an old lady you would not have been able to teach the class with all that going on.

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  6. Margaret, Chuck Yeager was a test pilot who flew a very fast jet, all with a broken rib! You are a STUD, or "STUDDETTE" to have done all that you did before having it heal! And you are not old, just a bit seasoned!

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  7. May The Lord heal you completely! One thing that will never grow old is your works!

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  8. OMG! An "Old Lady" could have never done what you did. Amazing! You lucky too, oh....

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