Remembering Ron and a Wintry Week
Don't lean in too close on this post. I'm coming down with a head-cold and body aches and feeling more and more miserable by the hour. I don't want you to catch it.
We had such a good day at Foci Wednesday afternoon. We came in behind Jan who was just finishing up at the bench we'd reserved. She said she'd like to hang out and see how we're doing. We had no idea that she was about to spend the next 3 hours working with us on our technique. She was so helpful! Jan has a background in pottery but left it behind a couple years ago when she changed her focus to glassblowing. She has advanced so quickly under the tutelage of some of the areas more notable glass artists. We're so grateful for her desire to 'send the elevator back down' and help us raise our abilities. We left Foci feeling so excited about how the afternoon went that we returned the next morning to reinforce what Jan had worked with us on.
Rachel called while we were in the studio to say that she'd read a post from Brent on Facebook saying that his father had died. Ron has had heart troubles for years and I've felt for quite a while that he was living on borrowed time. He epitomized the word "gentleman". I remember when I first met him in the mid-'70s, he wore a Pulsar digital watch. I'd never seen anything like it and thought it was so cool. I regret that over the last several years I haven't seen Ron at all and have had no contact with him outside of Facebook since he and my sister divorced less than two years ago.
I'd felt for the longest time that he viewed me with a bit of skepticism for the conservative views I used to espouse. He was right to and because of that, I've felt for a while that I had some unfinished business with him. I believe he occasionally read my blog and came to understand my evolution so I rest in that, not that it matters anymore.
Ron was a good man and will be missed and remembered in a very kind way.
While we were in the studio on Thursday, Curt Goodrich stopped by to say hello. Curt is one of the country's premier bicycle frame builders and he has his shop just down the hall from where we blow glass. I met him early on in our time at Foci and it's been a desire of mine to someday have him fit me for a frame. I don't think a guy can ever have too many bikes and I have room for exactly one more in my stable. What Curt does is every bit as much a work of art as anything produced in the studio at Foci.
I took mom to her eye doctor appointment this morning. The roads were terrible from last night's storm but I didn't want her to have to reschedule. The news wasn't good. She's had 5 procedures on her right eye to reattach her retina but they've all been unsuccessful. I think she knew the prognosis wasn't going to be good as I didn't sense any great sadness when she told me that the only improvement she was likely to see would have to come from a miracle. Still, it's got to be a blow to hear those words from her doctor. She's rescheduled a follow-up for 12 weeks from now. I'm not sure why but if it gives her the slightest bit of hope, a follow-up is worth it.
It's been a wintry week here in Minnesota. We had a snowstorm early in the week that was followed by some above-average temperatures which had us all breathing a sigh of relief only to be chased away by our biggest snowstorm of the season. The 3rd polar vortex (read: seriously cold air) of the season is poised to sweep across the region in the next few days which will push many to the limit. A couple months ago Tammy was talking about a quick trip to Las Vegas in February or March to break up our winter but I'm not sure those plans ever made it beyond the back-burner. Hmmm.
We had such a good day at Foci Wednesday afternoon. We came in behind Jan who was just finishing up at the bench we'd reserved. She said she'd like to hang out and see how we're doing. We had no idea that she was about to spend the next 3 hours working with us on our technique. She was so helpful! Jan has a background in pottery but left it behind a couple years ago when she changed her focus to glassblowing. She has advanced so quickly under the tutelage of some of the areas more notable glass artists. We're so grateful for her desire to 'send the elevator back down' and help us raise our abilities. We left Foci feeling so excited about how the afternoon went that we returned the next morning to reinforce what Jan had worked with us on.
Rachel called while we were in the studio to say that she'd read a post from Brent on Facebook saying that his father had died. Ron has had heart troubles for years and I've felt for quite a while that he was living on borrowed time. He epitomized the word "gentleman". I remember when I first met him in the mid-'70s, he wore a Pulsar digital watch. I'd never seen anything like it and thought it was so cool. I regret that over the last several years I haven't seen Ron at all and have had no contact with him outside of Facebook since he and my sister divorced less than two years ago.I'd felt for the longest time that he viewed me with a bit of skepticism for the conservative views I used to espouse. He was right to and because of that, I've felt for a while that I had some unfinished business with him. I believe he occasionally read my blog and came to understand my evolution so I rest in that, not that it matters anymore.
Ron was a good man and will be missed and remembered in a very kind way.
While we were in the studio on Thursday, Curt Goodrich stopped by to say hello. Curt is one of the country's premier bicycle frame builders and he has his shop just down the hall from where we blow glass. I met him early on in our time at Foci and it's been a desire of mine to someday have him fit me for a frame. I don't think a guy can ever have too many bikes and I have room for exactly one more in my stable. What Curt does is every bit as much a work of art as anything produced in the studio at Foci. I took mom to her eye doctor appointment this morning. The roads were terrible from last night's storm but I didn't want her to have to reschedule. The news wasn't good. She's had 5 procedures on her right eye to reattach her retina but they've all been unsuccessful. I think she knew the prognosis wasn't going to be good as I didn't sense any great sadness when she told me that the only improvement she was likely to see would have to come from a miracle. Still, it's got to be a blow to hear those words from her doctor. She's rescheduled a follow-up for 12 weeks from now. I'm not sure why but if it gives her the slightest bit of hope, a follow-up is worth it.It's been a wintry week here in Minnesota. We had a snowstorm early in the week that was followed by some above-average temperatures which had us all breathing a sigh of relief only to be chased away by our biggest snowstorm of the season. The 3rd polar vortex (read: seriously cold air) of the season is poised to sweep across the region in the next few days which will push many to the limit. A couple months ago Tammy was talking about a quick trip to Las Vegas in February or March to break up our winter but I'm not sure those plans ever made it beyond the back-burner. Hmmm.
Comments
That seemed like a lot of snow to eat just to come inside.