"Beautiful Hands"

"Aunt MaryAnn, beading and weaving

Busy doing art, interacting with me

Project by project a true fantasy

Painting and drawing, sketching out plans

Making stained glass with her beautiful HANDS!"

Clarke Shupe-Diggs

Today was not quite the day I imagined.  

It snowed overnight....and our morning walk was just beautiful.  But as I was taking my gloves on and to take photos....I realized I had an injury.

For a year or more I've been having trouble on and off with my left thumb....and a little bit of trouble with the right one. I overuse it...then I do something stupid that strains it and I have an injury on my hands.  I ice, immobilize and it usually gets better in a few days.  But between last night and today I injured it again...this time even more so than before...with even more pain than before. 

So I saw my doctor today....had an x-ray (which didn't show anything)....and most likely have "de Quervain Tendinopathy."  

I'm not going to whine or complain....I'm just going to do what I need to do.  I need my hands....especially my thumbs.  So I'll take it easy for a while and let it heal. Then I'll take better care of them and not take my hands...and my thumbs for granted.

I thought it was the perfect day to revisit this art piece from Clarke....my niece.  She wrote this poem for me years and years ago....and it has hung in my studios ever since.

What cracks me up is that the image of the woman in the piece....doesn't have arms...or hands...or thumbs.  I smile every time I see it.

Clarke's piece hangs in my studio next to my cutting table....which by the way since I took this photo this morning have tidied up again.  I may not be able to stitch or do fussy art projects for a little while...but I can tidy and sort...with my injured "beautiful hands."

I took a few more photos of the snow....well a lot more photos....but this is my favorite.  

Paul kept walking while I took photos and then went home to ice my thumb.  

I left him a note....with my feet.