Friday, November 23, 2007

A Happy Thanksgiving Anyway

We have a dorky shot like this of Doug and a turkey each year for the last 13 years or so.

On Monday and Tuesday, I spoke way too soon about feeling better and having a milder version of this illness than my son had last month. I really should know better then to talk like that!

I did have a few moments where I felt like I might be getting better but mostly I felt even worse over the last few days. The intense cough kept me up each night no matter how many tricks I tried to soften it or even ignore it. Each morning I felt ok, and would get up and take a shower but by noon or so I'd have a fever which would last into the evening. I was getting seriously bummed out about all of this as Thanksgiving got closer and I realized that I wouldn't be able to do much of, if any of the cooking or other preparations. But Doug, my own personal saint, stepped in and took care of everything. He ran to the store twice for last minute supplies, he cleaned and he cooked each and every dish. He made the pies (his first ever), all of the side dishes and the turkey (normally he does the turkey and the potatoes and I do everything else). Ok, I supervised him just a bit from my chair in the kitchen, but still he cooked and eventually washed every single dish, piece of silverware, pot and pan in this house by the end of the day. And he said he enjoyed it. I am feeling a bit teary eyed thinking about it.

The kids helped out too, they did a lot of cleaning and waiting on me hand and foot and no complaining either. Dinner was lovely, eaten by candlelight in our beautiful (and seldom used) dining room. There was something that appealed to everyone, even the pickiest eaters, and despite not having an appetite at all for over a week, I managed a few bites. The evening ending with everyone showing off their own particular tricks, double jointed thumbs, shoulder blades that pop out, etc and we all oohed and aahed.

I am incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful husband who never once complained about all the unexpected work for him and not only that, was concerned about how I felt all day too. I am so lucky to have him and our amazing kids, to finally have a close family, one without issues and undercurrents.

So without messing things up for myself again, I am not going to say how I feel today. However I will say that I am puttering around in the studio AND am not hawking up quite as much crud as yesterday. You can draw your own conclusions from that. Heh.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Tracy,
I feel sorry for you that you could not attend the opening at the BoxHeart Gallery and wish you all the best that you recover soon.
I can imagine the frustration about this - I couldn't attend myself yet for other reasons - being so far away.
But to have a family such as that is more than a compensation.
Best wishes to you,
Petra

Martha Marshall said...

You are truly blessed with such a wonderful family. I know it's a disappointment that you couldn't have been at your opening, but there's a reason for everything. Take care of yourself and feel better soon.

Anonymous said...

Hi Tracy,
I realized that you could not see the artist I tried to show to you. I believe you would like him. His name is Robert Falk. http://www.russianavantgard.com/. He is from “The Jack of Diamonds” (click on left side of web page on “The Jack of Diamonds” and you will see list of artists, his name on the top). Other artists of “The Jack of Diamonds” also worked very interesting with colors (for example Alexey Jawlensky).
Unfortunately most of people here know only Malevich and Kandinskiy from that period.
I enjoy watching your beautiful paintings in your blog. At the same time your writing is always interesting. You are so good artist! And you achieved so much! It almost paralyzed my activity- hopefully not forever.
Get well,
Marina M.

Tracy Helgeson said...

Thanks Petra for the understanding. I like to go to the openings and so it is a disappointment to miss this one. Sorry that you couldn't make it to yours either!

Thanks Martha, I know that I am so lucky and that clearly I needed a break which is why I became so ill. But all is on the mend now and I appreciate everyone's concern.

Marina, thanks for the link, I will check out his work. I suppose it looks as if I accomplish a lot and I guess I do, but I also waste plenty of time! So don't feel intimidated-we all have our ways of working that are best for each of us.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the decreased amount of crud hawking! Here's hoping for continued progress.

belindadelpesco.com said...

Great post, and wonderful photo of the culinary saint. I'm sorry you're still battling the crud. But the scene around the table sounded like a salve for the heart. Warm wishes for a speed(ier) recovery, and productive flurries in the studio soon.