Time for Nature

In Maine winters are quite long, cold and often lonely, many people living very isolated lives. When spring comes, nature comes alive and everyone seems to come out of their hibernation. I love flowers and birds and this spring we did some landscaping in our backyard to attract more birds and see more nature. Now we have our own little bird sanctuary and we love it. Having had health issues and some days where I don’t even leave the house, looking outside at these birds and flowers is now a great gift. I love taking photos as some of you already know and these are a few of my most recent ones. I love to watch life unfold right before my eyes. Birds go in waves, they have what I call rush hour, where they are at all the feeders at once and then there are times when no one is around…it’s too warm or dark outside or not time to eat. Hummingbirds love the in between times when no other birds are around, mostly as a safety issue. They also generate a lot of energy while they fly or drink nectar. It seems our garden is a place of rest of them. A month ago Zippo, one of our hummingbirds who comes back every spring was resting every evening at dusk on a bush by the house and we could tell he was mostly resting/sleeping. We have also a whole family of bluebirds, mom dad and their 4 children, who first started in one of our birdhouses and they are always visiting on a daily basis.

Of Course watching birds and flowers hasn’t been my only occupation. I learn a lot from nature. Sometimes I really want to see my birds and they just seem like they vanished at that time. I have to learn that creativity and inspiration just work the same, you can’t make it happen. You have to wait for the right time. The same happens with my jewelry…inspiration comes in waves like the birds. I have made many new necklaces and earrings in these past few months. My Etsy shop has been quite busy. I’ve had 171 sales since Jan 1, 2018.

Last but not least, our daughter has two small children whom we adore and try to spend as much time as possible with them.

Hope you are all enjoying a wonderful restful summer

 

The All New Me

Since I last wrote My Favorite Blue Piecean article on my blog, a lot has happened to me physically. In April 19 this year I had a Stroke (Acute Arterial Ischemic Stroke, Vertebrobasilar, Thalamic) and have some annoying numbness in my left hand and mouth as a result. Of course I was hoping to recover feeling in my dominant hand but it didn’t happen yet. I am still praying every day for that miracle to take place. Apparently I was blessed that this is the only problem I have since fatalities are common when someone suffers such a stroke. My whole world was shaken with this unfortunate event which happened coincidently the same day my youngest sister Agnes attempted suicide. We are all grateful she survived this ordeal after two weeks in a coma and is basically healthy and getting better, as I am. What brought on the stroke was inactivity from my broken foot that took 6 long months to heal. I don’t want to be ranting about how difficult life is, but want to let you know why I have been so quiet. Life has been quite overwhelming with MRI’s and many doctors and chiropractor appointments which didn’t help much.

In July I started having horrible Migraine Headaches which actually are still present I am sorry to say. They were triggered by the stroke. Any kind of stress triggers them. I have a hard time tolerating any medicine that is not natural, so all the medications for headaches gave me terrible side effects and I had to stop. One wonderful woman told me about Medical Marijuana (or Cannabis) which is about to be legal here in Maine where I live. Honestly I wasn’t thinking that would even be an option for me. When I heard that there are Cannabis Tinctures that are not dope but actually used for pain for people with autoimmune diseases, cancer and other sicknesses, the light went on. I have been using this for now maybe a couple months and the greatest thing is that it helps my sleep as well.  So I am slowly getting my life back.

Hand Knotting a Blue Pearl Necklace

In spite of all these intense hurdles, I never closed my Etsy Store. I continue to make new designs and love what I do. Most of my fingers are numb on my left hand but I still can feel them, so I am able to wire wrap and solder and do most of everything I like to make… but with more effort and sometime frustration though!

I bought some gorgeous High Quality Freshwater Pearls from my two favorite suppliers in the Greater Boston area a few months ago. I made for the holidays a lot of new Single Pearl, Double and 3 Strand Pearl Necklaces and Pearl Earrings with these amazing pearls. I have also removed from my store the custom orders because that takes too much of my time and brings on stress. I love what I do and put all of myself in it. I am happy to say that all my efforts haven’t been in vain and this past month of November was my best month ever in my almost 7 years on Etsy.

Please take a look at my New Designs if you get a chance,

Happy Holidays to you and a Merry Christmas

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Back on My Feet…Almost!

 The Boot
The Boot

Here I am  again after a long absence. A long series of physical issues and overall exhaustion have kept me from blogging. I’ve had my foot in a boot more or less for 4 months now. The ER misdiagnosed a sprain. I had extreme swelling, extreme pain etc. Eventually MRI showed that my foot was badly broken and on top where the healing takes the longest. The Prognosis on Nov 17 was 3 more months in the boot. I am coming to the end of what feels like a prison sentence. I love to walk and haven’t done that since September 26. The good thing is that I have been getting around a bit because it is my left foot and I can drive. Snow and ice in Maine haven’t helped but it has actually been a mild winter for here. CT Scan in a few days will hopefully show that the bones have fused together and the boot will come off.

In spite of everything I haven’t stopped doing and selling jewelry these past few months. God has been good to me and taught me to relax. I prayed for patience and will never pray for it again!!!!! Since Sept 26 when I fell I  was able to fulfill 67 jewelry orders which seems like a lot but has been done at a slow pace and in peace – something I couldn’t do before.  I have learned patience and perseverance through this trial. I have also learned to really appreciate my kind, loving and caring husband who has been just amazing through it all. I am eternally grateful for him. He is also an artist so we do have flexible schedules and that really has helped this healing process.

I just want to also let you know that there is a 25% off sale in my shop. This is a good time to get Valentine’s, Anniversary or Birthday gifts.

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