25 Year in Canada - The Year 2014 Part II

Catching the Fall Colours, oil, 10" x 8", CAN $250

 

 Blog 16

watercolour sketch

As in previous years, we started the second half of the year with a relaxing stay at the cottage. As it was not as hot as usual, I went together for a couple of hikes, spent a lot of time at the beach, and enthusiastically followed the Soccer World Cup games. I also still found time to draw and paint.

The following Sunday morning, I was in a great mood and decided to make waffles for breakfast. When I dropped a piece of waffle, I called Alex and Candy. Candy did not come, which was very unusual. I found her in the living room lying on her side, breathing heavily, her expression empty.

We drove her directly to our vet, who told us that she suspected a burst tumour. We decided to have her euthanized as she would not recover. When our son arrived, Candy noticed him and wagged her tail one more time. Alex must have felt that something was terribly wrong when we returned home and ran away. I was frantic while I drove around the neighbourhood until I finally found him. Alex needed me as much as I needed him during the next couple of months. We had always assumed that Alex was the alpha dog, but it turned out that the quiet and relaxed Candy was the braver one. Suddenly, Alex did not want to go out by himself at night. He started shaking during thundershowers. It took him a couple of months until he felt comfortable being the only dog in the house.

The rest of the summer was pretty quiet. I taught my private students and held workshops at the local art store. On July 21, my son helped me hang my paintings for the next Arteast exhibition named Summer’s Pleasures at the Francois Dupuis Recreation Centre. In the last week of July, I was the guest artist at the Bob Mac Quarrie Recreation Complex during the art day camp. From August 21 – October 21, 2014, my painting Hay Fields in Nauheim, Germany, was part of the Arteast Promenade exhibition at the Shenkman Arts Centre.

 

The Burning Bush, oil, 10" x 8", CAN $250

Like every summer, the time seemed to pass too fast until it was time for school again. With the new school year, I faced a new challenge. After Christine had spent so much time at home during her illness, it became evident that she had advanced past her classmates. After many discussions, it was decided that Christine would finish her grade 8 in the mornings and go to high school in the afternoons. I needed to pick her up every day at lunchtime to drive her to high school. I spent 5 hours driving every week, but my daughter was much happier.


Even though I was still the Arteast Digest editor, I also became the Breakfast Coordinator of the Women's Business Connections in Orleans in September. I enjoyed the meeting of this lively group of entrepreneurial women. It was fun to create the newsletters for the events, but getting up to be at the breakfast meetings for about 7 am was very difficult for a night owl like me.

 

Eel Fishing, oil, 8" x 10", CAN $250

The beginning of September also meant an exciting month was ahead of me. Janis and I drove to Kamouraska for our yearly painting trip on September 6. We had a great week with only one rainy day.

As my children grew and became more independent, my homesickness got stronger again. However, while I was sitting on the bank of the St Laurence River, I realized that I would not have time for painting and travel with my friends if I had stayed in Germany. While I was sitting in the field of wildflowers absorbing the magnificent sunshine, I felt so happy that I jumped with joy.

The following weekend, I participated again in the Glebe Fine Art Show. I sold two paintings that I had painted during the Kamouraska trip to people who had connections to the Saint Laurence River and Kamouraska.

 

Moody Green Waters, oil, 5" x 7", SOLD

 

September 23 was my 50th birthday. I celebrated it with my husband and children. For the occasion, I had decided to colour the banks and tips of my hair pink. My children were not impressed. Two days later, I was on a plane to Germany. My father is 30 years older than I am. Even though his birthday was in June, we had decided to celebrate our round birthdays together. We invited our family for a big get-together on the last weekend of September. However, I did not only celebrate with my family. I also had parties with my girlfriends and a separate one for the couples who were my friends.

I am so glad we had this celebration and the time I spent with my family and friends. Nobody had any idea that it was the last time I would see some of my relatives. It is a good reminder to celebrate every occasion. When my loved ones died only weeks later, I had to face the grief alone. My family hardly knew the people who had died. I could not fly to Germany again and therefore shared the destiny of most immigrants: Once you leave your home country, you are on your own.

St. Lucie Swamp, oil, 11" x 14", CAN $ 375

After my return, I did not have much time to relax but celebrated with my Canadian friends and relatives. Another four days later, on October 16, 2014, Janis and I drove together to Saint Adèle in Quebec for the fall Plein Air Ensemble trip. It was my first time as one of the organizers. The trip was not only special for me as we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Plein Air Ensemble.

After my return, I fell into my routine of driving Christine every lunchtime, teaching three evenings and one afternoon a week. I hardly had any time to paint outside of my courses. In December, I held my Open House to present my paintings on the walls of our home. After I finished teaching in the middle of the month, I looked forward to a couple of quieter days. 

 

Blushing Sunset, acrylic, 12" x 16", CAN 400

However, Christine developed all of a sudden an allergic reaction. Luckily, we could control it with over-the-counter medication. Two days later, however, on the morning of December 31, her fingers were swollen, and she had spots all over her body that kept getting bigger. Although we had invited friends for dinner, I spent most of the day at the children’s hospital. In the end, I could take Christine back home. The doctor told us that whatever had caused the allergic reaction was still working in her body.

I was still not changed when our guests arrived. It did not matter. We had a fun night of games and the pleasure of watching an overexcited guide dog explore our dog’s toys with extreme delight. It was a delightful end to a year of celebrations on one side and loss on the other. I saw it as a good omen.

Next week, I will share the many happy moments of the first half of 2015 with you. Thank you for reading my story. Please share it with family and friends who might enjoy my journey.