I Raised a Musician

My daughter has many talents. She's a great organizer plus she makes cheese, works a full-time job and she's a musician. In addition she's a fantastic mother. She thanked me this weekend for taking her to her violin lessons when she was a teen. it all started with piano when she was probably seven years old. She also can play the trumpet. Her and her husband have biweekly music jam sessions in their barn with neighbors and friends. i believe that this concert was their debut. They play mostly old timey type music.

My Crimes

For part of my career of 30 years, I have been disabled with bipolar disorder. It is not my desire to be a burden on society. I would much rather be working and living a productive life. In 2016 I had just moved to Penn Yan. I unfortunately went off my medication and became manic and confused. I believed that the movies told the truth about reality and I had watched some scary movies such as Silence of the lambs. In 2012 a friend had been over to my house and he picked up my grandson and bit at his leg playfully like many people do with little ones. When I became manic, I believed he was actually a cannibal. This was four years later. I wrote my daughter and said “watch out for Eric. He could be a cannibal”. For this letter She called the police, and she requested and order of protection. I was very lonely in my new community, it was a sort of solitary confinement. At one point I did not leave my home for six weeks. I did however on Oct 7 2016 drive to Clifton springs to pray the rosary in the cemetery (a little strange I’ll admit). I passed by my daughters home and stopped in traffic for the school bus, where my grandkids were boarding the bus. My son in law believed I had violated the order of protection. I subsequently was told by the judge later that I was allowed to drive by the house and that’s why I thought I only had one crime. In addition to the fact that the courthouse only gave me one paper with the crime listed so that’s all I reported to the state board of nursing. In response to my irresponsibility with my illness, the board nursing put me on two years probation and stayed suspension. I was allowed to work as a nurse but the wording “stayed “ is not understood by people to mean what it means. I worked as a cashier for a year and a half. In Jan of 2017 I went back on my medication and have been stable and appropriate for seven and a half years. My legal counsel said not to clarify anything about the second crime -driving by the daughters house (criminal contempt) as my probation period was over. Aggravated harassment in the second degree crime was for the bizarre letter to my daughter. When I pled guilty it was out of fear- fear that I would lose my home if incarcerated. I know when some one sees these crimes they must think that I am aggressive, irrational and irritable. That is not my nature at all. I am calm and cooperative. I am grateful to Flacra that I have been able to prove to myself and everyone that I am a competent and caring nurse. I am proud to be working and be off disability. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I understand your hesitation and I hope this explanation helps.

Celebrate Mourning Doves

i love the soft coo of a mourning dove. I also find the soft taupe of their feathers facinating. I did two renderings from the same reference photo.

Mouse

Our Little Cottage

My parents built this shoebox style house in 1968. They probably designed it. it was burned down to make way for a more upscale home in 1980 or so by the new owners.

it was on West bluff drive -Keuka lake.

Mourning Dove and Fox Sparrow

Wren and Female Cardinal

Beware of Marijuana

When I was a little girl in the 70s, my parents smoked marijuana. I knew that they were doing it, but I wasn't allowed in the room with them. I can remember watching them from the stairway. I was very against marijuana till I turned about 16 and then I smoked at 33 times while in high school. When I was done with the 33 times I lay in bed one night and counted up all the times I had smoked. I decided I've had enough of it. All I did was feel sleepy with it so I spoke with my boyfriend and we stopped. I was pro legalization but now I have a different opinion. Smokers do not keep it in the privacy of their homes. They smoke while driving, putting everybody at risk. I wish I never smoked. I might not have gone psycho at age 26. gange be gone!

Scene of the Crime

This was the morning I was headed to the cemetery.

Our Lady of the Rosay Feastday 2016

This is what I was actually up to the day i became a criminal.

Imagined Dangers are Dangerous

This is the story of how I got my criminal record. tap on the photo to read more clearly.

On Trial

In 2013 i went on trial for texting my son some psycho babble about the end of the world where in I was trying to save my daughter in law. Somehow my daughter in law thought i was a danger to her chickens and goats. I love animals- this misunderstanding was beyind my comprehension.

Misunderstood

What's it like to be misunderstood? It is Hell. In 2013 I became manic. My family avoided me and then made some assumptions about me that were wrong. Because of this I was locked away for two months. I have never been homacidal or suicidal. I will admit to bizarre delusions about being an immortal being.

Adventure 2004

Just before my divorce in May of 2004 I went on a pilgrimage in honour of St Francis. I was a little mentally unstable and went off my medications. After my return a few months later In August I returned to Italy while trying to escape a rehospitalization. It was a lonely trip.

I stayed in a mental hospital in Perugia for 6 weeks. Very few people spoke English. The medications were very strong and I lost one week of consciousness. Eventually I came home with a medical escort.

The Fortune Teller

Tim was a family friend. My mother got to know Tim and Ken through the furniture store contemporary trends in Victor New York in the 1970s. Ken and Tim were gay. They were Bohemian. I can recall one day they took me and my sisters out for pancakes on a Sunday morning. They had a great sense of humor, and we had a lot of laughs. One day, though, Tim had his crystal ball out and I asked him "what do you see about me ?"and he told me "it would curdle your blood."

Poppet Makers

My mother was very creative. She wasn't always a really nice person, but she was herself. She was comfortable in her skin. My mother was a very intense person, and she influenced me, like it or not. I'm usually pretty nice, though. I took the poppet making to a new level as I will share with my illustrations.

My First Date with Illustration

The Napkin

I need to draw and paint more. Today, while planning to make oxtail soup I did this painting of a napkin. My sheets are drying on the clothes line in the sunshine and earlier I did some stick removal from my yard.