I have some sort of update.

I spoke with social security yesterday about end of life arrangements. What is allowed is a burial plot, up to $1500 in life insurance, and up to $1500 in a funeral trust savings. I called my family cemetery for the price of a plot, which also happened to be $1500. I will have to find a life insurance company that allows such a small policy. Otherwise, I'm looking at $3000 that I am allowed to raise for this purpose.

The reason I am doing this is because I have no parents or children, and my siblings are not financially capable of burying me. It is important to me that I achieve some kind of dignity in death, and I have been worried about how to help my next of kin do this when neither of us have any money. So I talked with social security, and this is the allowance they gave to me in writing.

When I figure out how to set up the right kind of fundraiser, I will post it here.

I am hoping and praying that I will not incur any legal expenses, but a close relative has put me in a catastrophic situation that I am having to address with his attorney and mine. Some of you already know what's been done to me, and I appreciate your input. I need your best vibes...send some sanity my way, please. This is a nightmare, especially on top of serious illness and everything else I'm already dealing with.

Thank you always for caring about me.

Happy Sunday

The weather has triggered every muscle in my body. I’m in severe pain in places I didn’t remember having. I did make it to the store to pick up a small lunch, but the rest of the day will be spent curled up on the couch with tea and ibuprofen.

A young lady told me Happy Mother’s Day earlier. I smiled and said “Thank you very much!” with as much enthusiasm as I could push out. My policy is that there’s no good reason to get defensive when someone is being kind. She didn’t harm me. It’s no different than saying Merry Christmas or Happy Halloween or any other holiday to someone who doesn’t celebrate it. I feel that the best thing to do is be considerate, say thank you, and move on. So that’s what I do.

My life is very different from what I planned. I’m sure nobody plans to be chronically ill and disabled. Even though I grew up wanting to be a parent, and I cared for a lot of great kids in my younger years, it’s honestly a relief that I didn’t pass down my DNA. I’m glad for those who happily chose to take that journey, and they have my love and well wishes, but I envy no one. That doesn’t mean I accept my circumstances, but that I endure them to the best of my ability in both body and mind. It’s the only thing I can do, so I will try to do it right.

Good day to all.

2019 Twitter Art Exhibit

I'm always honored to be a part of Twitter Art Exhibit. This year, my postcard is in Edinburgh, Scotland to benefit Art In Healthcare. The reception was live on Periscope, so I was able to see the ribbon cutting from my bed, which was great. I hope my postcard sells.

Art Lately

In spite of the severe pain I've been struggling with, I've tried to keep myself distracted by working on some art projects. It hasn't been easy. A few of them were challenging, and being on my feet even for those few minutes had me audibly aching, nauseated, and in tears at times. This along with muscle weakness is the reason I can't do this but every once in a while. People don't realize how much physical labor goes into these things, and it's impossible for someone like me to operate my muscles on a set schedule.

At any rate, my new acrylic abstracts are as follows:

I've learned acrylic pouring, and I'm loving the effects caused by various mediums I use, especially alcohol. Some artists use vodka, but I don't drink, so I keep it cheap and simple with rubbing alcohol, which produces the same results.

All of those should be clickable for larger viewing, but please don't download. (Side note: I can see downloads, including your IP address. I do track that.)

I appreciate all of the nice comments I've received about my work. I can't do much anymore, but I'm slowly using up all of the supplies I accumulated back in the day when I was able to be more active. I'll try to do more later this year.