22nd Year of Grand Illusions honoring Don Gunnerson...

Last night we attended a wonderful celebration of life and surviving with cancer research with the Ohio Cancer Research Associates honoring our dear friend Don Gunnerson. This light roast /saute was highly entertaining and a joy to witness for all in the room. I was feeling a little out of place because I have so little to offer...well to continue paying my hospital bills for my numerous life prolonging procedures.... I should be caught up by 2050 if I am lucky :O}}}! I am including several photos so you can vicariously see the JOY in this collection of giving citizens here in Licking County. Don and Betty are still in the honeymoon state of their matrimonial journey and at 85 they are still enjoying LIFE to the fullest. Ken made a wonderful video tribute but it is too long to post on my blog.... mainly he made it for the family members who could not make it in from Texas.

I went downtown to the studio to meet with another artist so we could work together in the studio but great plans are often side tracked by Mother Nature. It seems we lost power in the whole downtown area and I had a difficult time working in the semi-darkness and I definitely could not paint. So when all else fails ...I went to shop for art supplies and sales for my collage and my Spring line of cards. The rains continued for the rest of the afternoon so I cooked up a storm with a pot roast and a home made chicken vegetable soups ...yum yum...the whole house smelled inviting.

Tonight Ken and I viewed an intriguing movie...a true story about the significance in the color of our skin tones in South Africa during the 1960's until present time. "Skin" is thoughtful presented and a wonderful place to jump into a dialogue about how far have we really progressed in race relations here on planet Earth. I strongly encourage you to check it out when you have an opportunity to sit down and work on the methods you employ in your processes...sewing..knitting...quilting... beading. Have a wonderful weekend and hopefully the snows tomorrow will be brief and not too deep. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart


p.s. The young woman with short hair is one of my nurses who came to my home years ago to insure that my IV's were administered correctly and timely so that I could stay home with my girls instead of being in the hospital...Cindy is one of God's earth bound angels. She is now in charge of palliative care for patients before they go into the Hospice program. She is one in a million!!! My gratitude in endless.