2022 Review

It's been a crazy year. Some highs and some lows, but in the end, there is something always gained. Staying close to friends by keeping those channels of communications open. Lots of Zooming with friends and family helped so much this year. It's really the next best thing to being there. My hat is off to technology, what would we do without it.

**COVID19 is still lifting it's ugly head and ended up catching my husband and I in September. After our trip in 2019 to Oahu, Hawaii, we vowed to make it an annual vacation together, celebrating my birthday. So we waited until 2022 when we thought with our vaccines and booster shots we were fairly safe, after all, we wore masks everywhere when we were indoors and it's worked so far right? Wrong! On the plane we found less than a third wore masks... We kept ours on. We continued in Hawaii wearing our masks in the same way, always when we were indoors those masks were in place. It didn't help because by the third day we were back in California Kevin tested positive after feeling some symptoms. I tested negative but 3 days after taking care of him I also tested positive. I thought it was just my hay fever bothering me, but my son insisted I test myself. I did and there you go, those same symptoms that had been hay fever with sinus congestion, nasal drip, scratchy throat...ended up being COVID19. Ugh! As I'm writing this post, I am in quarantine awaiting my symptoms to be gone and getting 10 days behind me, with 5 days to go...

**Russia has raised it's ugly head too by invading Ukraine mercilessly and without provocation. Horrible horrible Putin. A man with an ego only Trump could match. Trump is under investigation for so many things while he was in the White House with the January insurrection attempt on the capital after losing his second run for the Presidency. He and his staff spread a lie and fired up their followers to try to take over the capital, and they did break in, lives were damaged and a few lives lost, during this traitors act. Many are being investigated and are being charged, but it will take time to get Trump to face his actions as he is fighting with everything he can. Lies upon lies, he just won't stop. The Republican Party behind him helping him evade charges.... The political world is messed up when the right thing is so obvious but greed and fear make people in office do wrong and think they can get away with it, by continuing to lie... I pray that justice gets the upper hand, otherwise what is this world coming too??

**I guess the BEST NEWS this year is the availability of vaccinations and booster shots. It has saved a lot of lives, but again politics take a front seat in keeping the numbers of infections climbing. Many Republicans refuse to comply and mask when asked and continue to go to public places to make their points... I got into a heated exchange in the grocery store when a man refused to leave because he felt he had a right not to mask and still come in to shop when it clearly stated in the front of the store "Masks Required" but he refused. The manager said he could not ask him to leave....what?! Store policy is not to rock the boat... I gave that guy a piece of my mind and acted like a crazy person following him around spouting information he did not agree with, until he finally left. I was angry and there was no stopping me. My friends thought I was crazy because he could have been crazy and hurt me. Sometimes you need to STAND UP for what is right and to hell with the consequences!

**Etsy sales have been pretty good to me this year. My Resin work is selling here and there on that site. My TableTops have been to biggest hit and it's really made me happy. The Ocean/ Beach themes are really what people are attracted to and I love making them. I've shipped all over the US not offering to ship overseas because it's too much of a hassle.

**I've enjoyed lots of Juried Exhibitions and a few new place too. My ArtFul career is keeping me busy and keeping me joyful and I'm always looking out to try something new. I've joined a number of Art Organizations because that's the only way artists seem to be able to do anything anymore.... Gone are opportunities for Artist that would rather work on their own... Memberships drain you bit by bit with their annual fees and exhibition fees and commissions... My goal is to be in a Gallery year round, so I can take it easy and not have to always be on the hunt to the next exhibition. But then again, I enjoy being active in the Art world, so what the heck. An Artist has to do what an Artist has to do, to keep that Creative Juice flowing ~

**The year isn't over with, so whatever comes my way I will deal with it. Let's hope it's something good!