Medical Forms 2007

There are prints and collages here. The collages are actually in an existing book about trees that was part of Dave's parents' collection at the Cabin. It was one of those coffee table books that didn't really have a good reason to exist after it got a little old, so I decided to give it a new life by using it to collage into with other images from old medical school books that had also lost their reason for existing. The birds were from a miniature book of Audubon illustrations.

It was fun making new images from these old books and letting my mind do something with them other than study them. The prints were done last summer at the Women's Studio Workshop. I made a lot of stencils from the bones and vessels in the old medical texts. The shapes reminded me of branching patterns from trees and streams. I don't intend for them to mean anything in particular. I simply responded to the strange juxtapositions they made. I like tilting into this visual world and exploring this non-linear, irrational way of thinking and feeling.

The Skunk Cabbage

So, Chris and I have run this race for the last three years. The first year we both ran the half marathon. Last year I ran the 10K and he ran the half. This year we both ran the 10K and he looked kinda pooped out at the end. I think next year I'll run the half and let him run the 10K. We had fun anyway.

Winter to Spring Update

Not much snow this winter, but Dave made the most of what came late in the season, with a few small forts that the neighborhood kids made good use of. School for me has fallen into a manageable routine for the most part. In just 8 weeks I will take my step one exam. Dave continues to add onto his walking trail at work. Calvin has a lot of fun with his friend Tarek. They love to run around and get covered in mud, or just hang upside down like monkeys.



We went to Florida and visited Dave's aunts and cousins and my brother to get a break from the cold. The kids loved the beach: the sand, the shells, the sun, the waves. They also enjoyed the rides and the shows at Busch Gardens in Tampa. We try to stay away from these things, but sometimes you just have to cave in and take in a little "culture."

I'm still working on my photography and writing project of the south side of the city. Syracuse University and LeMoyne are going to use my essay and photos on their website as part of their community education/multicultural awareness initiative. I've gotten to see some interesting things on my walks.



Just when you think you are settling in, life always seems to throw a curve ball. My mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor in late February that announced itself with a seizure. She has been given less than a year to live. She is doing her chemo and radiation in Buffalo and spending weekends here with the grandkids. Her energy is up and down depending on how her body responds to the stress of the treatment. Last weekend was a good one. We went to a puppet show and then she made cookies with the kids, which were mighty good. I ran the Skunk Cabbage 10K with my friend Chris Schaeffer for the third time. Running still keeps me sane.