i am i am

i will be away for a while. maybe i'll blog on the way to banff. maybe not.

Chuck and I have been together for over ten years and ten years is a long time to be with someone. It is the nature of commitment - through good times and bad. I hope I make some good work while we're at Banff. I hope the people are kind there, respectful. I'm a bit nervous but I'm sure it will go well. Chuck is nervous too. We will face it together though and I think it will be fun after all. Overall we are looking forward to this time to do work and on the other side we should have a collection of things to show and the drive back with Katherine will be an adventure.

peace be with you.

katherine, carey and charles tucker (and me) New Year 2009

A New Year, a renewal, a re-beginning...

Here's a post for anyone who wants to know how our New Year's (and Christmas) went.

It was a quiet affair. We spent Christmas alone. Carey went down to visit his mother. Chuck gave me beautiful artist-made jewelry - a necklace and a bracelet. The necklace is wonderful because it actually matches some earrings he gave me a few years ago. It (the necklace) has yellow heart-shaped crystals and an iridescent glass center-piece. We had some wine, a little cheese... all in front of our "charlie brown" Christmas tree.

Carey came back in time for New Year's and Katherine flew in with him. I actually had pies baking in the oven for them. (For those of you unfamiliar, Chuck has three really amazing off-spring, Christopher, Carey and Katherine. Being able to share in their lives is the greatest generosity anyone has ever shown me. Thanks to Chuck and also thanks to their mom Karen.) Chris wasn't able to make it in I'm afraid. We re-did Christmas with them and then watched movies together for New Year's Eve. We had one disruption that evening but by mid-night everything had settled down and we toasted one another with asti-spumante... super sweet. The hillbilly in me loves it.

According to tradition (at least where we come from), what you do New Year's Day sets the course for the rest of the year. Eating greens brings money; eating black-eyed peas brings luck (the eyes i think); and a ham hock brings wealth. I made us all of the above plus a chicken. If I say so myself it was a great meal.

Chuck has spent the holiday keeping us in fires and we've worked on the house I bought for us to use as a studio. The cats have lounged and enjoyed everyone being home and the extra attention. All in all ... it was better than last year ... what could be better than being surrounded by those you love.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday and that the New Year brings us peace and some contentment. With LOVE to you all. You're in my thoughts.

The pictures are from New Year's Eve and actually today, except for the one of Chuck and Katherine, which is from Thanksgiving at Chuck's parents.