Oct 18

Power Struggle

Eight days after Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida on October 10, over 120,000  customers  in the Panhandle are without electricity. Here was my way of coping with Hurricane Irma in 2017 when I was without power. I wrote a  poem.

Power Struggle

My tunic hangs like a limp dish rag
My skin feels like tacky glue
Day four following Hurricane Irma’s visit
I stick my head in freezer every hour
Thankful for neighbor sharing generator
Insufferable 85 degrees at 9 p.m.

Last night the houses across the street
lit up like a Dickens Christmas village
I remain in the dark
I’ve been through this before
Hurricane Wilma left me powerless for two weeks
while I stared at the neighbors’ lights for seven days

I survived but maybe now I am climate challenged
Like moving from north to south
Your blood thins and you freeze in 50 degrees
Still I must tolerate this minor inconvenience
My mother slept outside during heat wave of 1936
Laura Ingalls lived in one room for six months of blizzards

Day five the teasing continues
All houses on my side of street have blazing light
I remain in the dark
My status is now designated “special case”
But I don’t want to be special
I just want simple pleasures

Hot showers, cold drinks
78 degrees during day and 72 degrees at night
Clean clothes, sparkling dishes, cool bed linens
I pray for relief, patience and expert line workers
On the seventh day you shall have power
And thank you, I do!

–By Linda A. Mohr

Honorable Mention in Electricity Challenge, Non-Resident
First published by Highland Park Poetry
2018 Poetry Challenge
Permission granted to republish

Oct 16

Managing Parkinson’s with White Space

There must be more to life than increasing its speed. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

 I vowed not to over schedule my days when I semi-retired in June of 2013. I wanted more white space on my calendar. A year later I discovered this was not only a sensible way for me to live, but the only way to live with Parkinson’s.

Over Scheduled

I left a demanding academic dean’s job where days were scheduled with back-to-back meetings and more back-to-back meetings. Many days I never made it to the To Do list. However, the list continued to grow longer as I left meetings with new responsibilities. I was skillful at multi-tasking and well-organized. Calm by nature, I credited my serenity fountain as my secret prescription for maintaining and even flourishing under such a schedule. But it was not how I wanted to live in semi-retirement.

Trying Out White Space

I was selective on what invitations to accept, what club meetings to attend, and how to schedule appointments. Therefore, I did not say yes to everything that came my way. I was in an experimental mode as I considered how  to spend my retirement time. I quickly discovered I did not like having a meeting or appointment more than two days a week. My preference was a large gap between major events.

My favorite day was when there was lots of white space on the calendar. I had the freedom to create any kind of day—from baking to reading to napping to writing. Or maybe I would watch Little House on the Prairie. Or lounge on the patio or take photos of my cats. Letting the day unfold without having a destination in mind suited me now. If I did any multi-tasking, I became stressed.  Therefore, I stopped. One thing at a time—it worked for me! My calm nature followed me in my new chapter.

The New Normal

When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in May of 2014, my previous year of embracing a slower pace and following a less demanding schedule was ingrained. I quickly learned that Parkinson’s and physical stress were a deadly combination.  A sinus infection or hairline foot fracture exacerbated my Parkinson’s symptoms. Consequently, I needed to minimize psychological stress as well. The way I did that was adapting to the new normal, quickly and calmly.

Plan White Space to Adapt to My Day

I simply need more time to do most anything, like getting dressed, preparing a meal, and caring for the cats. I have learned to determine realistic time requirements. A simple 2-hour lunch with a friend plus getting ready and driving can turn into a 5-hour activity. This is not the day to tack on grocery shopping. I need planned white space to recuperate or to move on to a less demanding activity. I am no longer good at multi-tasking. Carrying a bowl of cereal to the dining room while thinking about how to answer an email is not easy (or smart) for me. My calendar requires abundant white space to allow for adaptations and to craft that email later in the day! That is okay. It is my way of managing Parkinson’s.

Question: How do you use white space?

Blessings!

Linda

 

Oct 10

Zentangle Calms Artist with Parkinson’s

Peace by Frances Bertles

 

Frances Bertles

Frances Bertles showed her creative side during childhood when she made mud cakes with her brother. She was quick to make the distinction between mud cakes and pies. “You can decorate mud cakes, but you can’t cut mud pies.”  Later she was destined to decorate Zintangles and boxes. Frances grew up in Conway, a tiny town located on Fir Island in Washington. She married her sailor boy, Dennis, and raised three children military style by moving every few years. Frances and her husband live in their forever home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. They recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary which she credits in part “by respecting and enjoying their differences.”

Parkinson’s and Drawing

Frances studied art history at Mohave Community College. Her interest in art has involved a myriad of objects including fiber, hammer, nails, paint, glue, rocks, computer parts, and other found items. But it was Parkinson’s disease that brought her to ink and paper two years ago. She has lots of experience with this progressive neurological disorder since her grandmother and mother had the disease. Her daughter also has Parkinson’s. Frances was diagnosed with PD when she was 75. She knew nothing about ink and paper drawings or Zentangles. What she did know was the interference Parkinson’s can have with balance and handwriting. “I don’t think in a straight line, so to be smart and careful, I had to pick a safer way to create. Paper and ink just happened because it could possibly keep my handwriting from leaving me. I thought of it as an exercise.”

Zentangle Reference

A book by Becka Krahula  inspired her to get started. One Zentangle A Day: A 6-Week Course in Creative Drawing for Relaxation, Inspiration, and Fun gave her a step-by-step process for creating the artwork. “The steps have shown me a safe place. A place to just be. No questions, no answers, just peace,” Frances says. Over 500 drawings later, here is how she does it.

 

Zentangle Process

A Beginning Point

Frances works with Micron pens and graphite stick for shading. She keeps an eraser on standby if the shading is too dark. She uses any kind of paper as long as it does not bleed. The first time the pen touches the paper, a journey has begun. For her, it is the journey and not the destination that is important. “I enjoy the space on the page. I make random and sometimes connected lines on the page. Those lines create spaces and those spaces are now the journey.”

Taking Shape

Although she works in one space at a time, the approach varies from space to space. One space may be decorated with triangles or with a net. Or she lets the Parkinson’s stroke fill the space.  “When I start to shake, I have to decide whether to push the pen or to pull it. Some days pushing is better than pulling. It is a simple remedy. I just turn the paper. I keep breathing on the journey and take a step back and look. Some spaces create an image when they are combined and the destination is in view. Sometimes, I don’t know if I have arrived at the destination or just run out of room on the paper!”

Adding Decorations

Zentangle Benefit

Frances enjoys creating the portable drawings in airports, living rooms, dining tables, doctors’ offices, and camp sites. She draws at least five times a week and prefers to work with 9” by 12” and smaller sheets of paper. Sometimes the Zentangle is completed in one sitting. It is not unusual for her to work three hours at a time. “I get lost in some of them and don’t know time. The pen and paper is calming. I do not feel fear or uncertainty about Parkinson’s. The peace comes in doing the intricate parts and the repetition,” she says.

According to Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, by refraining from planning and allowing the lines and shapes to unintentionally emerge, you stay in the here and now. You do not need to know the end result. You will figure it out as you go along. An anxious mind is calmed, and you are relaxed.

Great Granddaughter’s Art Lesson

I have studied art for 75 years!

Color or Black & White?

Frances enjoys doing art together with her five-year-old great granddaughter and smiles as she recalls a conversation. She looked at my work and said, “It would be pretty if you colored them.”

I like the drama of the black and white. Don’t you?”

She replied, “Yes, and they won’t be pretty unless you color them.” Then she stood with her hands on her hips and said, “I have studied art for 75 years and I know they won’t be pretty unless you color them.”

“Later we traded our work. She took five of them to her room. I bet she colored them!”

Either way the drawings are dramatic and beautiful!!

What else is Frances creating?

Although she does not work in a studio, her husband built her a 10 by 12 shed for her crafts prior to her ink and paper interest.  This place for her hammer and nails has recently become a spot for another creative endeavor. Her definition of art is “making something from what was into what is with excellence.” Frances admits, “I have a box thingy going on out there. I think everyone needs a box to put stuff in. So I decorate boxes. I picture them on a bedside table to capture dreams or ideas.”

Keeping in Touch

If you would  like to connect with Frances regarding her decorated ink and paper drawings or boxes, you can find her on Arts & Such PWPs  

Question: Do you have a hobby or activity where you lose all sense of time when engaged in it? You are calm and peaceful and for a time you forget all about Parkinson’s. Please elaborate.

Blessings!

Linda

Sep 13

June Thaw

June Thaw

Photography takes an instant out of time altering life by holding it still. ~ Dorothea Lange

Snow on a mountain in June? This scene in Yellowstone National Park captivated me when I visited there this past summer. As the snow melted, a black and white landscape unfolded. It looked like a ink drawing. The storm clouds added to the allure of this shot. The wind was fiercely cold. I stood at a lookout point for a few minutes before this Florida gal was blown back in the car!

Photo Credit: Linda A. Mohr