Hello from Lake Tahoe...

Greetings from the cross-country ski trails of Lake Tahoe, where I am thoroughly enjoying all the snow!

I’ve been feeling a little out of sorts lately and I can’t put my finger on why exactly. My guess is that it's a combination of a few things: I haven’t been sleeping well (kitty antics at 5am don’t help), my commitments to some volunteer positions I have are stressful lately, I haven’t been eating very well, nor have I been getting any exercise to speak of unless it's walking through an airport.

January came and went and we’re already halfway through February (?!) and I’m feeling the inevitable sense of “Holy cow, my June exhibition is going to be here before I know it and I’ve got an insane amount of work to do for that.” I love my life, but lately I’ve been edgy and the classic Retter "short fuse" is rearing its ugly head. We're mellow until all of a sudden we're not.

It couldn't be more perfect timing that I am cross-country skiing in Tahoe for a week. John tries to meet up with a friend of his every couple of years to go downhill skiing and this time I was able to tag along, going off on my own while the guys go zooming down the mountain. Tahoe feels like a winter wonderland dream come true and, best of all, it’s getting me outdoors in fresh air moving my body around for hours at a time. More photos to come.

Now to figure out how to keep up some version of this at home without feeling like like I’m “exercising.”
*sigh*

Life Lately: January

I took apart my desk calendar and hung the pages on my wall because 1. They were too pretty to just have them doled out one month at a time, and 2. I’m realizing that I need to see every month at once sometimes. There’s a lot coming up this year & it’s kind of exciting! By the time December rolls around I wonder what these pages will have filled up with.

So far I have loved January! Starting out the year by hanging up a huge exhibit was a great kick-off! It was a surprisingly satisfying thing to see my photographs out in the world again. I even sold a piece from the show already! The buyer and I chatted over the phone— I can’t wait to meet her when I take the show down in April and give her the photograph in person.

Then there were the snowstorms! It finally feels like winter, ahhh. I was even able to go cross-country skiing, which felt like such a treat.

It got pretty cold too… here is Sherman looking out the window at 7 super-puffed-up robins who were perched in the courtyard trees.

Miss Hazel. I love her so much! She is growing but still has that “little kitten” meow which I hope never goes away.

She is giving Sherman a run for his money (and I think Sherm is happy to finally have a friend he can have some fun with).

John came home with these beautiful flowers! I cut them short and put them into the one ceramics project of mine that was a success. I love the turquoise/purple combo.

In the studio… I’ve started working on finishing my Tiny Poems book. Yesterday I spent a couple hours sorting through sample packs of Japanese papers to see what I might use for printing. In the process, I was hit with an idea for another little project… sometimes the perfect paper leads you straight to the project it’s perfect for :-)

Also art-related: I’m excited to be working out the details of new collaborative projects with the Ohio State School for the Blind and also with Project Jericho in Springfield.

So yes! A lovely January. How is your 2019 so far?

2018: This Year I ...

On this snowy January morning, I’ve been rereading my journals from last year. I’d say it was a really good one! In no particular order:

• I read more books!

• Took a writing class & found a mentor.

• Taught a bookbinding class at CCAD and loved it.

• Took a letterpress printing class and finally made a book of my poems (which I am finishing this year!)

• Celebrated John’s four stripes and tagged along on a bunch of his trips.

• Put on the red dress and sung jazz.

• Got appendicitis and had my first (and hopefully only) surgery.

• Attended the reception for the students I worked with at the Ohio State School for the Blind and was so thrilled to see their finished projects.

• Sewed a bunch! (including this dress I made for my trip to Paris in April)

• Climbed the Eiffel Tower on my birthday.

• Boated around the Venice islands & got to eat my favorite sandwiches!

• Sat on my favorite mountain (Kitt Peak in Arizona).

• Finally spent time in Vermont again (yay for creemes, the Long Trail, Bristol, and visiting Jeanette!)

• Bought a typewriter from a typewriter legend.

• Flew a little.

• Sat on the beach in Florida more than once.

• Spent a lot of time in my courtyard working on the chaise lounge (#freelancelife)

• Changed up my studio.

• Got through half of my house projects, which I would definitely call a win.

• Got to see a Manhattan skyline sunrise, which is such a completely magical thing!

• Spent time with great friends, made some new ones, and re-found some old ones.

• Spent Thanksgiving in the Asheville mountains where I sat by a fireplace every. single. day. for a whole week. Ahhh…

• Received a Columbus Arts Council grant and re-inspired my photo-self.

• Had a wonderful Magpie Consort season & sang at the Ohio Theater (dream come true!)

• Was visited by my brother, who flew in for one of the concerts :-)

• Lost my kitty of 18 years.

• Adopted a new kitty.

• Had a super-fun, unconventional, and memorable Christmas & New Year’s.

• Got ready for a big exhibit. (And today I just found out that I sold one of my photographs from the show!)

There’s plenty more, but these were kind of the big ones. Thanks & so long, 2018! Cheers!