Commissions:  Sun and Moon, Earth, Water, 17" x 11", hand sculpted, bas relief wall sculpture, designed and executed by Tammy Vitale.  $400

Figured I just had to get myself to the computer to blog today.  After all we only turn 60 once in our lifetime.  I’m not actually there yet; I turn sometime around noon.  But 60 years ago today I was on my way, so to speak.

Husband has made a reservation at our favorite restaurant, where I have a gift certificate from longest friend, Linda (who is 4 months older than me and I’ll never catch up!), that will get us a very nice bottle of wine.  Sue, of Artful Adventures, whom I knew, until now, only through blogging and emails, called me to wish me a happy birthday – tell me you don’t make friends in the cybersphere! Daughter bought me a card that says:  60 isn’t old, it’s retro, and that’s very cool!.  (Daughter is bar none the very best card finder in the whole world.)   I’m going to hang that right in front of my nose for the rest of the year!  She’s getting me either an acupuncture session or some private coaching at the gym that Husband got me.  Husband is also having two rings fixed for me (a broken shank and worn prongs) and buying me a tank of gas.  Since I drive a diesel and we are well past $4.00/gallon here in beautiful downtown Southern Maryland, that is a very nice gift indeed! Cousin Judy and I share very close birthdays (hers on the 19th and she’s 2 years older) and she bought lunch because I drove to Virginia.  And she also got me a great book of quotes on aging.  We were together a lot as kids, kind of lost touch raising our own, and in the last 5 years have reconnected and it has been very good. 

In case you don’t read comments, my last post’s "thought for the day" taken from Alyson Stanfield’s new book "Id Rather Be in the Studio" provoked a comment by Penny (who makes wonderful altered books and is setting up her website this year, she promises) about art towns (and the lack thereof), a response by Alyson (how’s that for paying attention to your client base?), and another comment by Penny – a real conversation!  (see comments section in that link)  Above-mentioned Sue bought Alyson’s book and says she has some questions for Alyson – remember, I am interviewing Alyson here on May 23, so feel free to join this conversation!  Alyson’s workshop (no, I can’t remember the name of it just now) that I took last year was one of the best art-focused marketing workshops I ever took, and much of the information is in her book.  And much of the reason I loved it was the discussion board that went along with the class.  You can keep up with her workshops and news with her blog.

I will admit that most of my time lately has been making jewelry, I am now hopingg will supplement my income, and cards and framed photos from pictures I took of our ubiquitous Blue Heron (only I took them in Florida) and other very cool birds (also mostly in Florida) (how’s that for an eagle picture?!)  for local shows and pocket change.  And, no, I don’t usually put my name across my photos here on-line; however, this is only a photo, not an original art piece or ceramic, and photos can get swiped fairly easily, so.  Call me paranoid in my newly discovered old age. 

I fired the mermaid for one of my Buyer’s Market orders, need to get her shells in place, and then she and a male torso are ready to be boxed and mailed.  UPS isn’t fighting that they owe me for my other torso.  I got the box back.  Yep – someone took a baseball bat to it.

And so, I begin the adventure that is the rest of my life.  And isn’t every day, every moment really, the rest of our lives?  Let’s hope with less fear and trembling and more "Oh – off the edge into the abyss to see what we can see." 

thought for the day:  Inside every older person is a younger person – wondering what the hell happened.  Cora Harvey Armstrong.

Youth is a gift of nature, but age is a work of art.  Garson Kanin

It’s not how old you are, but how you are old.  Marie Dressler.

Old Age Ain’t no Place for Sissies A gift book from Hallmark