Back in Arizona for a Spell

My eBay inventory, organized by whether it's been listed yet or not

When I last wrote, it was the beginning of the new year, and I'd just quit my part-time job in order to devote all of my time and energy to self-employment as an eBay seller, artist, and antique dealer.  

At first I worked hard to get a bunch of scarves and Western shirts listed on eBay in anticipation of backing off a little while my son Sly came to visit me from Seattle.  Sly came for about a week and it was the best visit we've had together since I left the Pacific Northwest two years ago.  He is really growing up.  After a scary time when he was homeless and hopeless, he now has a job, a place to live, and over a half-year of being clean and sober.  He's been patiently (well, sometimes patiently) waiting to get into a halfway house that's specifically for transgendered young adults, and it looks like there will be an opening for him very soon.  Spending time with Sly was pleasant.  He took responsibility for himself in so many ways and even bought me a lot of groceries, which I'm still enjoying over a month later.  

 Sly enjoying being away from the Pacific NorthWET

While Sly was here, he helped me hang the "Art from the Heart" show at January's.  This is a really nice mix of work from about a half-dozen artists.  There is fiber art, quilting, sculpture, and collage, in addition to drawing and painting.  I had intended to take a bunch of photos which would look really nice right about here, but that hasn't happened.   

After Sly left, I worked hard at eBay again, plus I had the opportunity to add a little more work to the "Treasures of Truth or Consequences" show which is still on display at Grapes Gallery.  Two of my pieces had sold, so my portion of the wall space was getting kind of bleak.  

I decided to brighten it up with a tribute to chihuahuas, which are very popular dogs down here near the border.  I had never seen so many chihuahuas in my life until I moved here.  I've heard several people who own them say, "I never really liked chihuahuas before, but now that I have one, I love them!" 

One time shortly after I moved to TorC, I mentioned to a friend that I was lonely, and she said, "You need a chihuahua puppy."  Evidently chihuahuas are therapeutic, but I did not bite.  

Did you know that Aztecs and Toltecs believed that chihuahuas were holy little critters who should be sent into the afterworld as guides and to carry the sins of their human owners?   Anyway, here is my "Ai Chihuahua Mandala!," based on the Aztec calendar.

After I got the chihuahua piece done and there were some art-related social events to attend and so on, I decided to go to Arizona to visit Steve for a month or so.  My eBay work is completely portable, and my RV is set up to serve as a mobile eBay office, so off I went, in time to spend Valentine's Day with my sweetheart in Why, Arizona.

We've been having a very nice time.  I usually spend a good part of the day in The Guppy, working on the computer, and then I come back into Steve's 5th wheel for afternoon coffee and a little drawing.  We've shared some really great meals and enjoyed watching some movies in the evenings.  We went into Ajo one night expecting to hear the Tucson Symphony, but the concert was canceled due to a weather-related power outage.  The weather hasn't been great while I've been here, but it's improving.  This morning it was well below freezing when I got up, but it's probably in the 70s this afternoon.  Windy, though, so it's kind of challenging to spend time outside in a quiet activity such as reading or meditation.  

Sunset from The Guppy, Coyote Howls RV Park, Why, Arizona

This place is relaxing.  After I got here, I thought about all of my social and other activities in Truth or Consequences, and I realized that I probably usually spend at least 20 hours a week outside of my home.  No wonder I have trouble finding time to do artwork.  Here it is another story.  I draw something every day.  Besides Steve, I have maybe two friends, and I only see them if I make a point of going into Ajo.  Mostly I stay in Why to work, read, beat Steve's butt at cribbage, stuff like that.  There are no coffee shops here like there are in TorC, and, as much as I enjoy my social life there and miss both Passion Pie and the Black Cat, it's a great break to be here and have a different focus.

Colored pencil drawing of Sonja, asleep in Steve's 5th wheel

I have some excellent new inventory to sell on eBay.  A former eBay seller who was known online as "The Scarf Lady" has moved on to a new career in fashion design.  She was recently selling off some of her inventory in lots of 20 or 30 scarves, and I asked her if I could buy her entire inventory.  Fortunately she lives in Sarasota, where my sister also lives, so my sister went and picked up all 1000 scarves and will ship them to me.  I am currently working on a box of 200 that I purchased as a preview to the remaining 1000, and it is really fun to be working with such great scarves!  

Here is a gorgeous pure silk scarf, vintage but with the London shop tags still attached, never worn--flying dragons on a silvery gray background.  Fabulous!

I'm unclear as to when I'll be heading back to New Mexico.  I qualify for inexpensive health and dental care at a clinic in Ajo, so I'm getting medical and dental check ups within the next week, and I'll see if there is any follow-up care indicated.  Then Steve has to report for jury duty in Tucson (120 miles away--Pima is a big county!) next week, and we'll see if he gets selected for a case and how long that lasts.  I will probably try to get back to TorC in time for an April art show at Grapes that I've been invited to participate in.  So I just keep working on my eBay sales and my daily drawings and see what develops.

Obligatory cat picture.  What is my blog without one of these?

  

  

        

Two Weeks in T or C

T or C Post Office, built in 1939, along with a lot of other great WPA projects

I'm feeling very good about my move to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. I can honestly say that I already have some good friends here. I had one, Brian, before I moved here. And since then I've met a lot of great people in and out of AA.

Last Saturday morning, I went to the farmers market for the first time, and I bought some local organic produce as well as a fantastic green chili salsa. I thought about stopping at Black Cat Books for a cup of coffee on my way home, but decided against it because it was kind of late in the morning and I didn't think there would be anybody there that I knew. However, just as I passed the doorway, my friend Dhultky popped out and said, "Hey, Sue, come and have some coffee!" So I did, and then moments later, Stacy and Dick showed up, too. A few minutes after that, Barbara and Joe were at the next table.

It's that kind of town. I see people I know everywhere I go. When I go to get my computer fixed, Dave the Computer Guy knows my friends and becomes another one of them. When I go to the swimming pool, I see people I've met at the Black Cat's monthly poetry reading. I see my neighbors whenever I go shopping at Bullocks Grocery or the CHF Thrift Store.

I have a feeling that this would be a difficult town in which to keep secrets. It's a good thing I don't have any these days!

I tell everybody I meet that I'm new here, that I'm recently divorced, that I'm in AA, that I'm building myself a new life, that I sell on eBay, that I'm a mosaic artist, that I have a transgendered kid, that I recently got my feelings hurt again, and that I'm trying to be healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I have never been so transparent before in my life. There is no point in being anything else.

Imagine a picture of the swimming pool here.
I didn't dare take one, because I recently
heard about a guy who almost got arrested
when he took a photo of a municipal swimming pool.

I've been trying some new things lately. Slowly I try things out and see if they are a good fit for me. Lately I've been to the city swimming pool several times for water aerobics. I'm not sure if this is a good fit. I like the pool itself, but I don't care to have somebody yelling instructions at me all the time and the locker room is pretty gross.

Something I like better is the community garden. I met the garden manager, Paula, at the farmers market, and now I have my own 5 x 20 foot plot. It needs a lot of work. It's been well taken care of for four years, so the soil has lots of amendments, but now it's overgrown with grains and grasses. So I'll spend the next few weeks cleaning it up and then put in a fall garden. Gardening in this part of the country is completely new to me. I'll learn a lot, and I'll have to get up really early in order to get the work done before the day gets too hot for me. Last night I set my alarm so I could start getting up at 5 a.m.

Me, modeling a vintage Pendleton stadium blanket/poncho that's currently listed on eBay

My new eBay approach of selling funky Western wear seems to be working. I'm getting into the swing of hitting the thrift stores frequently so I can be the first one to see a new pair of boots or a brightly colored Wrangler shirt when they come in. I'm going to the Post Office just about every day to mail stuff that's sold.

My 56th birthday is coming up in a few days, and I decided to be proactive and figure out some fun things to do. So I've been inviting my friends from AA to meet me for dinner at La Cocina that evening, and so far there are about a half dozen people committed to do this. So that's a party! I'm also going to have coffee with Stacy that morning, because she has to work that evening, and I'm taking my neighbor Phil out for ice cream in the afternoon.

Phil with his wheels

Phil lives in the motorhome next to mine and he has been very helpful to me in many ways. He's an excellent bicycle mechanic and he's on the lookout for a good used bike for me. I also have put entry forms in at Bullocks to win a cool metallic green Schwinn coaster that they're giving away next Tuesday. Wouldn't that be the greatest birthday gift, if I win? It says Bud Light on it, but I can live with that.

There are a few odd things about this town. Well, more than a few, really. For one thing, in the 1970s when so many mentally ill people were released from institutions, some of them were given one-way bus tickets to Truth or Consequences. From what I've heard, only a few of those folks are still alive, but it kind of set the tone for tolerance of individual differences here. And there are a lot of those.

From this week's T or C Herald

Another thing is, I've never seen so many Chihuahuas in my life, and I've actually had people ask me if I need one myself. No! I don't! But thanks for asking, and don't leave one on my doorstep while I'm out, okay? Leave chard or zucchini or whatever else you can't get rid of, but no little dogs.

I've heard that T or C is the home of some sort of transitory energy vortex, but I'm not going there today.

Something I know for sure is that it's close to Spaceport America, where private companies shoot rockets into space. The first rocket successfully launched from there in 2005 contained cremains of some famous people, including James Doohan, who played Chief Engineer "Scotty" Scott in the original Star Trek series. The payload landed on the White Sands Missile Range, but for a few minutes, Scotty actually went into outer space.

So that's what I know about my new town as of today. Stay posted!