A Big Day in Chaikinville

According to Blipfoto this is my 10th anniversary. It isn't really due to much back blipping, but I'll take it! I have posted 3650 blips and that is huge! I can hardly believe it.

I started blipping on January 10, 2010. At first my aim was to see what kind of photos I could post from my phone. That didn't last long. Soon I moved to my regular cameras and focused on nature and beauty. Even though I'd been taking photos since my teens I saw myself improve over the first few years, a side benefit of sharing my life and the beauty around me with my new community of friends on Blip.

In 2013 things changed and I began living a more difficult and stressful life as caregiver to my husband and another person. I blipped my entire journey with my husband and hinted at the other caring I was doing, saying little for privacy sake. Arvin was okay with my telling his and my tale as he progressed from the early stages to the end stages of Alzheimer's. Tomorrow will be the anniversary of his death. May 14, 2017 was Mother's Day, as is today. 

Last year I had planned to paint at Big Rock Garden as I had been doing annually for five years or more. But that did not happen. Instead I stayed by my husband's bedside and in the afternoon on that day, he passed away. It seemed very fast as he had only been in Silverado, a memory care facility, for four months and a few days. It was sad but also a joyful time for me, knowing that his suffering was over and that he was free of the disease. And so were we, his family who had been caring for him. 

Much has happened in the year since Arvin's death. I've moved and down sized. I've continued to attend the Alzheimer's support group but have been changing my role from receiver of care to giver of care. I'm volunteering now and giving back. I got so much from that group and other resources in my city. It all kept me sane and still connected with my own life.

In December I met Shelly, a new friend. We sat on the symphony bus from here to Seattle and never stopped talking. I felt very at ease and comfortable talking to him and realized I was attracted to him, something I did not plan and thought I didn't want. Now we are more than friends and I feel incredibly lucky to have had two men in my life whom I deeply care for.

Today was Mother's Day and I went to Big Rock Garden and painted as I've done for years. I did two paintings, the ones you see here. They are oil paintings 9 inches by 12 inches. Shelly had other activities this morning and afternoon so he was not with me during the day. But now I'm home and he will be here soon.

During all this time Blip has been my place to tell my story. I am still in the mode of journal first, photograph second, but hope to move back to putting more thought to the photos in themselves, not just as place holders so I can continue to tell my story.

Like so many here, I am very thankful to the galant gang who are keeping Blipfoto afloat. I'm thankful to all the owners from the UK and all of us donators from around the world, who couldn't be owners but could be part of the rescue operation. Blip means a great deal to me and I am so glad to be here. These days I miss a day or two a month, but not many. And I plan to keep it that way.

And I am so delighted that I've got so many friends here, both virtual and live. All are real. Some I've never met but hope some day I will. Shelly and I talk of where we want to travel and I always have visiting blippers in mind when we talk of travel. Our first trip is to visit family on the East Coast this month so it won't be about visiting blip friends. But I hope our next one together will be. Thank you all my friends for staying with me these last couple of years. It's been quite a journey.