Holiday: World Tuberculosis Day - On this day in 1882, Dr. Robert Koch discovered TB bacillus, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. Alternately referred to as “The White Death,” “Consumption,” “Phthisis,” and “The Romantic Disease,” TB was responsible for 1.6 million deaths in 2021 alone. Though it is both preventable and curable, tuberculosis continues to be the 13th leading cause of death and the second leading infectious cause of death (after COVID-19) worldwide.

In commemoration of World Tuberculosis Day, you can check out the Partners in Health website (Rated a grade of A by Charity Watch) where you can donate to a great organization that is providing access to healthcare to prevent and cure TB around the world - including in Perú!! For more info and resources for World TB Day, you can also visit the Stop TB Partnership website.

Inspiration:  Find a way… When things go wrong lately, horrible things are reported on the news, people often quote Mr. Rogers:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

As a mother myself, I rather like this quote and would definitely use it to comfort my children if a moment arose where it could serve them. As an adult woman I recognize that this quote is NOT enough for those of us who have reached the age of majority. If we are always looking to others to “be the helpers” then we are putting ourselves in the role of child or victim or helpless.

Maybe we need to comfort ourselves with a call to action: Be the helpers. Situations, societal problems, relationships, are all complex and multifaceted. We need to step up, untangle, analyze, and find small ways to help one another make sense and find better ways

In the studio and on the homestead:

I am continuing to work on the 100 day project - sans a day or two here and there. We have a family member who has needed to temporarily move in with us, and his arrival was a bit unexpected. Add to that my oldest son breaking his wrist playing fútbol during gym class (first period on a Friday) a couple weeks ago necessitating several trips to North Canton, and I am definitely feeling some serious overwhelm. We’re also trying to coordinate the harvest, processing, and sale of rice, down in Perú, and the upcoming planting of the bean crop, all whilst keeping our ears to the ground on the civil unrest. I’ve had a minimum of three cold sores - and as the second and most painful one was healing, the third one appeared - and wrist pain/carpal tunnel reprise, due to the stress of it all. And my insomnia is back. If it weren’t so cold and wet out, I’d take advantage of the insomnia to head out to the studio…but dark, cold, wet, is not conducive to hiking out at 3am to do some work. I just…can’t…right now.

Weirdly, despite feeling all the things, I’m in a pretty good head space. I’m thankful for a few new connections in my online artist friend circles, which have elevated my spirits and encouraged my creative practice. I’m also focusing on how I can be creative daily even if it doesn’t make a photo opportunity to share. Focusing on what I CAN do in the midst of the storm helps me internally balance.

Here is what I’ve managed to do:

I’ve made 20/100 posts for the #100dayproject. Everyone else is on day 30, so I could feel bad, but I’m choosing to be patient with myself instead. It’s supposed to be a fun online challenge. It’s not supposed to be yet another weapon with which to cudgel myself. So I’m not going to. And, guess what, I’m a grown-a$$ woman, so I’m allowed to make my own rules. While doing this project I have made some entries to my sketchbook that I love, found a fun abstract style with acrylics on paper, made some new creative friends online, taught myself how to hem pants by hand, doodled with my kids, and got my heinie end BACK to work on my morel/wild edible series. And, for a challenge that I’m “failing,” that’s pretty good, I think.

I’ve also managed to nearly clear the entire asparagus patch, keep up with feeding the hens and washing eggs, deep clean my house, and deep clean my father’s porch.*

[TMI Warning (reader’s discretion advised): The porch was a nightmare - the cats had shredded a trash bag with empty cans of dog food (long, gross story there involving my dog…eating turkey feet out of the processing shed…he’s fine…thanks, Ben and Bill!!!). And the last batch of dumper kittens had pooed under chairs/in kitten beds in the corners before I managed to take them to the shelter. We’d all just been avoiding the porch, so I’m delighted to get it back to a useable space for Papi in time for Spring.]

I am so far from perfect, so far from “doing it all” or “keeping all the parts moving.” This life is not a well-oiled machine. It’s messy and crusty, and sometimes it literally spells like cat poop. I get up each morning, and I put the blinds up and make the bed. I get the boys fed and on the bus. I get J up and dressed, and we keep working on potty-training. I feed and water the dog and the hens, collect and wash the eggs. I wash and fold clothes. I update the website, write the blog, try to post. I visit and brainstorm with Papi. I cook some meals. I spend some quality time with Jhan and the kids, maybe text with a few friends. And some days, I squeeze in a little less or a little more creative time. I don’t do it all, don’t do it everyday, but I keep getting up and keep going. I fail faster; I get back up. I persist.

How do you keep going? What helps you persist?