Wednesday, March 21, 2007

First day of spring




I finished embroidering Joe's valentine. I'm not sure if I'll frame it as it is or combine with other things into a collage-like shadow box.

The two felt pears are going up on Etsy for a measly $12 a pop. I am still making the new samples with the acrylic felt (these are wool felt) so that I can go around to stores to see if there will be any takers. I've been slacking off due to indulging in making stuff for myself and my family lately.


I had to show this photo from last night. We made pizza for dinner and I was too tired to wrap up the left overs (usually I do this while Joe does dishes) so Joe offered to do it for me. When I saw how much tin foil he set out I couldn't stop laughing and had to grab my camera. As you can see on the side of the photo he was trying to block the camera.


It was a great release to end the day in laughter. In the morning I found out that my father's best friend and photo assistant was found dead in his apartment. He had been like a member of the family since I was twelve years old and I still don't really believe it is real. I just saw him a few weeks ago. It's a difficult to death to deal with not only because Joseph was only in his mid-forties, vibrant, handsome, and talented, but because we had spent the last year being angry with him. He claimed to have developed manic-depression and he was not taking care of himself. He would not answer his phone for days and then show up at my father's loft and stay for weeks on end, talking incessantly and not doing what needed to be done to keep the business going. He lost long-time clients of my father's by forgetting important tasks, and no matter how many times my father asked him if he was using drugs he denied, denied, and denied. When I last saw him he was so gaunt that I was almost afraid that Harlan would be frightened of him. His eyes were sunken and his teeth looked rotten. I wanted to pull him aside and ask him if I could do anything to help but I didn't want to hurt his feelings by making any assumptions. The friend who found his body told my father that Joseph had been taking crystal meth for a while now but didn't want anyone to know. It's a mystery to me why anyone who had so much going for him would take up something so self-destructive in their forties.
I apologize for writing such a bummer post in what is supposed to be a craft-blog, but I keep this blog for myself primarily, so please forgive me if this is just too much.

7 comments:

Angelina said...

My favorite blogs are ones that are multi faceted. I love to see crafts, creative endeavors, gardens, and also I like to hear about people's lives. I like to know about the ups and downs.

Plus, the great things about blogs is that they are one space you have complete control of. It can be absolutely whatever you want or need it to be.

I'm so sorry you and your family are going through this. It's so sad.

I'd like to know how come I've never thought of that nifty tin foil trick?

You can call me Betty, or Bethany, or Beth ...Just don't call me late for dinner. said...

I guess the comment that comes to mind is "what a waste."

Yeah.. that is a LOT of tinfoil..

But mostly about good people who make bad choices and don't get to stay with the rest of us for the good stuff. Like laughing about using too much tinfoil.

Thanks for sharing.

Allison said...

my condolences babe, so sorry to hear about your loss. don't apologize for putting it out there - it's your blog and you get to write what you want.

on a lighter note, i ADORE the valentine you made for joe. so cool!

Violette Crumble said...

Thanks all, that makes me feel better. I just don't like sounding like a basket case in public. While I'm sure everyone has had a kid in the hospital and knows someone who died etc., I hesitate to come off sounding like a big complainer in a venue that I originally intended to use to talk about light-hearted issues like crafts and Fort Greene and baking. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

Veronica TM said...

i am so sorry about your father's friend, jessica. death is difficult and sometimes not understanding why people do certain things makes it even more difficult.
it is good that your remember the laugh too.

futuregirl said...

That is such a sad story. :( Like Bitter Betty said, it's such a waste.

My husband has saran wrap issues that mirror your husbands tin foil issues. Too funny! :)

Amy said...

Hee hee, that Valentine is too cool! Thanks for stopping by the new flickr embroidery blog :)