Ever heard of PFD PT?

 

I hadn’t either. I’ve hesitated writing about it because it deals with a part of the body most of us don’t talk about. And the symptoms can be tricky to figure out. But it’s very common in women and some men. Ok. Here you go: PFD stands for Pelvic Floor Disfunction. 

According to Wikipedia:  “Pelvic floor dysfunction is a term used for a variety of disorders that occur when pelvic floor muscles and ligaments are impaired. The condition affects up to 50 percent of women who have given birth. Although this condition predominantly affects women, up to 16 percent of men are affected as well. Pelvic floor muscles can be too tight or too loose.” 

I never knew about it until after my surgery in December. After struggling with pain for many months, afraid something was really, really wrong with me, I was sent to get physical therapy. 

How weird is that?

I couldn’t even understand the situation much less the process. It was intense. There were many things I had to keep track of: fluid intake, fluid output, sitting and standing positions. I had exercises to do during the day. 

Luckily, I’ve been doing yoga for decades so many of the exercises were close to yoga poses I’ve done before. And just like any exercise program, consistency is key. I happen to like doing yoga, so it was easier for me to adapt to the routine. Instead of just of doing yoga moves before I walk in the morning, I’ve added yoga moves to do three times a day. 

There’s a FB group for that.

Yup. In case, like me,  you’ve never heard of it, google it. There’s a huge FB group called Pelvic Sanity sponsored by a Physical Therapy group in California. It helped me to understand the pain I was going through and most of all, that I was not alone. But warning: TMI, some of it is a little too much info. 

It took time to get into a physical therapist, but it really helped me. I learned so much and made a lot of progress. I have days without pain now. And I’m very aware of the signals that my body needs a break. I learned that listening and doing my yoga moves make all the difference in the world. 

I was a little uncomfortable about sharing this publicly in a blog, but I spent months and months in the dark, in pain. And if this helps someone else find help sooner, I’m glad.  

Beach Anniversary

 

I realize I haven’t written a blog in September at all! Wow. What have I been doing with my time? Working to finish new work. Doing inventory and packing it up to take it to a gallery. 

I’m so grateful to have a body of work completed. Sometimes it feels like I’m never going to get there and then, I do. 

The gift of a trip.

My wonderful husband asked me what I wanted for our anniversary. I didn’t hesitate. I said, I’d love to go to the beach. Rent a place with a great view of the ocean where I can  sit on a comfy couch and read a book. 

Not very exciting, I know. But after COVID and the flooded house and my surprising emergency hospital visit, I needed quiet and cozy. And I needed to sit and watch the waves come in and go out. I needed the softness of the sand and the tranquil ebb and flow of the ocean. And, of course a beautiful sunset or two. 

Sunsets. 

I love to watch the sun set. The changing colors and clouds moving is my kind of Zen. What I didn’t expect is to be a bit overwhelmed by it all. We’ve been to the beach many, many times in our lives but this one hit me hard. 

We haven’t been anywhere since before COVID. I forgot how much packing and planning and organizing it takes to get us to the beach and back. Dog beds and food. Our food. Our clothes. First aid and medicines. Comfy books, iPads, phones, and of course, crochet. That part was definitely stressful for me. 

But once we got there and saw the view, I knew it was going to be great. It was a spendy anniversary gift for sure. But it was really worth it. 

Sometimes you need to get away

To see new colors 

Hear new sounds

Smell the sea

Feel the comfort of coming home. 

Waiting

 

Today, I’m waiting. I know we all spend a lot of our time waiting. Waiting in lines. Waiting in traffic. Waiting for appointments. Waiting even longer on the phone to make appointments. 

I’m also always waiting on Mother Nature. Clay needs to take its time to dry, to be bisque fired and color added. Then another layer of color is added and another firing. 

Now, I have new ceramic pieces that need to be glaze fired to be finished. But outside the temperature today will be in the 90’s and I don’t need to create any more heat. So I’m waiting. I’ve really had enough heat for the summer, I’m ready for fall. 

Falling leaves and changing colors. 

My hydrangeas are already changing color. The beautiful blues and purples are slowly fading and this year, I’m not sure if they’ll turn that lovely shade of burgundy or fade to white. But right now, I’m enjoying them in their blue/purple loveliness along with the last of my roses. 

I used to hate fall. It meant back to school with lessons and homework. But now, I look forward to the cooler weather and falling leaves. Every year, I wait for a few trees in the park to drop their gorgeous big leaves. I pick them up carefully and take them back to my studio. 

Art from Mother Nature. 

I take these big beautiful leaves and carefully clean them, smooth them out and layer them underneath damp paper towels. I roll out slabs of white clay, carefully lay out a leaf and roll over it to press the leaf into the clay. As I roll, I press veins, edges and even holes into the clay to get all of the wonderful details that I love so much about these tree leaves. 

After I cut them out, they dry slowly under layers of plastic sheeting so they don’t crack. Once they’re dry enough, I bisque fire them. Then, they are washed with a blue/black underglaze I mix up and fired again. Once that’s done, I can glaze fire them. 

It’s a long process. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned working with clay, it’s worth the wait. 

Waiting is not easy. 

Taking the time to let clay or glaze dry

Mother Nature is more patient 

Each season comes in it’s own time

Something I am still learning

Making and Baking

 

Today, I got to do two things I really love to do. Make a blueberry peach crisp and bake some clay. With the weather cloudy and cool with a slight breeze, it’s a perfect day to do both. Just the smell of the peaches and blueberries in the oven makes me smile. 

And it gives me something to create while I kiln sit. 

Firing clay. 

I realized today it’s been almost 6 months since I’ve fired up the kiln. It seems like a long time but when you’re working with clay, patience is a key element. Pushing or rushing clay means cracks and broken pieces. I’ll admit I’m not the most patient person in the world but waiting has its rewards with clay. 

Loading the kiln is always a puzzle to solve. Since I make such different pieces, fitting them into the kiln takes a while to figure out. But again, it’s worth it in the end. 

Peachy goodness. 

I love the delicious bounty of peaches and blueberries in the summer. Last weekend, my husband and I made the trek to the local Farmer’s market to buy peaches from our favorite local farm. And while they were not ripe yet, I knew in a few days they would be perfect for baking. 

I’m one of those bakers who never makes a recipe exactly the same each time. This time I used old fashioned rolled oats, not instant and added a little orange juice. I like to experiment with texture and flavors like I experiment with clay. But not at the same time, of course. 

Making and baking

New clay creations firing 

Fresh peaches and blueberries cooking

Adding color to new creatures

All creating delicious fun

Work and Play

I can’t believe this is the last day of July. Where did it go? I look back and see a blur of hot days where working in the studio, especially with clay is hard. With no air conditioning and dry weather, clay can be cranky. 

Ok, so can I if it’s too hot. In spite of it all, I’m surprised at what I did get done. And how much fun it is to share my studio with emerging artists. 

Meet my young visiting artists. 

Meyer is 8 years old and a very busy girl with gymnastics classes, horseback riding and many family vacations. Her summer is booked. But I was so happy to have her visit my studio 2 weeks in a row. Here she is doing watercolor painting which she loves. 

The newest visiting artist was Madden, age 18 months. This is his first visit to my studio. We see him every week, and we go to the park, play with toys and books. But he’s not been ready to make his mark in the studio until now. Here he is concentrating on his art. 

Playing with a new idea. 

I don’t know why I started making these new pieces. Just one day, I took out the clay and a tower appeared. I didn’t even know what to call them. Or what they would be used for. I showed them to my daughter and she immediately said, “It’s a fairy house.” 

So there you go. I’ve now made four fairy houses which are slowly getting a paint job. Will I make more? I have no idea. Just like I had no idea I would have a cast of weird animal characters appear in my studio. But, I think, maybe that’s what creating is all about. 

Rolling out clay. 

Not thinking or planning or designing.

Just putting my hands in it,

Letting it take shape

And letting it shape me. 

Hot Fun in the Summertime

 

It’s hot here in Oregon right now. This is not just uncomfortable for me, but it’s definitely not the right weather for working in clay. So, what do I do while waiting for the rain or cooler weather?

That’s a good question and I have my own answers. 

Paint. 

I have a shelf of newly made pieces waiting to be bisque fired. Before I do that, I paint on colorful underglazes to add detail and texture. Here are a few I got done this week. 

Because I don’t have air conditioning, I just do a few pieces at a time until it gets too hot. Then I stop. 

Watercolor fun. 

I’m very lucky to have such adorable and amazing grandkiddos who like to come over and play. Sometimes, we go to the park or play outside. But with the weather this week, we found ways to play inside. 

I learned to paint in watercolor when I was 16 and now I’m passing this on to my granddaughter, Meyer. We had a great time doing the wet into wet. Adding salt was a surprise to her and a delight for me. 

Baking. 

Yes, you read that right. Hot weather and baking don’t usually go together, but I love to bake. So when my daughter-in-law asked me to make my delicious shortbread into hearts for Meyer’s sleep ‘under’ party, I was happy to help. 

I’ll admit it took a little time to figure out how to cut out my buttery shortbread into enough big hearts for all the girls but it all worked out great. 

Reading and crochet. 

My other hot weather past times go back to my childhood in hot, humid Ohio. As a girl, I spent many a summer on my neighbors covered back patio reading Nancy Drew and learning to embroider. Now I crochet. A lot. 

So, while I sit in the ‘cool cave’, I read silly mysteries and crochet for my grandkids. Right now, I’m working on a polar bear security blanket for the baby. Do I have a pattern? Nope. I’m just  figuring it out as I go which for me is the fun of it. Right now, it just looks like a small blanket but that will change. 

Too hot to work with clay

What do I do?

Play like I did 

Back in the day

Kid fun in a new grown up way