I'm still here...

***Warning: The following post is not all bubbles & cawfee, so if you're one of the two people that read these & are feeling depressed or just not in the mood for less than bouncy kitty happiness proceed with caution.***

So I guess it's been quite some time since I've written an actual blog post. Sorry about that. All I can say is, life....

Much has happened in just this year, so I'll try to bring you up to speed as briefly as possible (for me that is).  As I have not made a bulleted list lately & because I can pretty much do whatever I want, I'm gonna do that. 

• The Stork hurt his hip last August & despite his repeated attempts to explain what he was feeling, the VA treated him for back problems. They sent him to physical therapy & a chiropractor, but when none of that really helped, they told him he'd have to live with it. Until January, when something more happened (he said it felt like it did when he tore his rotator cuff in his right shoulder, only in his hip). Again to pt, but they decided to send him to someone else & after more than six months of constant pain someone listened & made moves to diagnose the hip.  It's been a year now & after using my knowledge of certain VA programs, he was able to get an opinion from a civilian doctor & we are now waiting for the VA to make the next move. He hasn't been able to work at all & as you can imagine, life has been all kinds of crazy just because of that.
• The Squab left me. For a girl. Well, it was actually two girls if you count my grandkitty(henceforth to be referred to as 'The Feline Interloper'), which I do. Yes, my first baby, who turns twenty this year, has moved out of my house & into a place of his own with his girlfriend & their sweet baby girl kitty. It has been a rough adjustment for me personally, but I believe they are doing well. Both human kids have paying jobs & the Feline Interloper has mastered hooman quite well. *It should be noted that the main reason I've been able to survive this transition is that my Squab lives approximately ten minutes from me & I get to see him just as much now as I did before he moved out.
• The Chicken is driving! Legally even!  Sixteen has brought such a maturity & even more independence to him; I hardly recognize him anymore & not just because he's letting his whiskers to the man thing on his face.  He's really still the same kid, just more manly. He's still taller than me, but hasn't let it go to his head.  And he's a rock. Not just helping me deal with his brother's abandonment of his mother, but to his friends as well.  Seriously, anyone who doesn't love this kid is out of their mind! Thankfully he's not leaving home for a few more years, so I get to keep that awesomeness close, for now.
• The Flamingo has (temporarily) moved in. This is the Chicken's best friend & now one of my kids.  He's an incredible artist, sweet, caring, funny & sarcastic enough to fit right in with this group.  He's temporarily living with us & we couldn't be happier. This kid has a bright future ahead of him & I feel so blessed to even have a tiny part in helping him realize it.  
• Me, I'm still here.  Doing my best to not fail or let my kids down. Taking care of my dad, the Stork & everyone else. Struggling to create most days, but forcing myself to at least try even if I end up tossing what I made (which I do regularly).  Just basically trying to get through each day so I can do it all over again tomorrow.  Not the best state of mind/emotion to be in, but at least I'm still trying.

I've also been contemplating not renewing my site subscription & domain name when it expires this year.  Let's face it, I'm not one of those artists whose work anyone really likes enough to want to buy. This business of selling my creations was never what I wanted to begin with & I lack the knowledge, skill or motivation to do the businessy stuff anyway.  But like I said, just contemplating it for now. No decisions need to be made until November so...

Well that's it for now. Writing this has inexplicably drained me of energy & emotional stability (which is generally wobbly at best anyway). I'm going to go force myself to eat something, because it's what needs to be done. 

​Sending you my love & hugs,
​-Clare