I am traveling. Not to Italy, Spain, France or Greece, all places of my dreams. No, rather I am headed to Oregon to be with my ailing 91 year-old mother. It was an amazing feat organizing flights to get me there. As Kim said (see previous post A Very Mini Artist’s Colony in New Mexico) it was like I was trying to get to China or something, not to Roseburg, Oregon. But I am finally on my way, sitting in the Salt Lake City airport on layover.
Throughout my experience I’ve been made aware of several things: Travel has changed since I was flying regularly and the WORLD has changed around me while I’ve been living my quiet, simplified, life up there on that beautiful mountain in Truchas, New Mexico. I am antiquated. My MacBook is huge and its carrying case even huge-er, as compared to the hundreds of smart phones accessing the internet in the palms of hands, or iPads sleek and slim on countless laps. And everything is fast, so fast. There is no eye contact. I search faces for, what, something… something old and human and visceral. But people are focused on their devices. I feel the regular country bumpkin with everyone swirling and buzzing around me seeming to know what to do while I stumble along in the fluorescent and metal reality that is currently my world to navigate.
I take some solace in the book I brought with me to read: Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. First published in 1968, he is beautifully describing my world, my way of being (But even IT shows how old-fashioned I’ve become. Who lugs a big, old, book made of paper and pages these days when slim, metal and glass readers are available?). But Edward is with me, none-the-less, comforting this tired duck out of water. I KNOW he would approve of my carrying his words in this heavy, out of date form.
Here is my home, MY world left behind…
… the last walk on my land yesterday morning before sunrise:
My Finny:
The land grant road:
Kim and the hummers:
Our picnic area on the edge of my land:
Preparing for guests:
These are the things that give my life meaning.
But this trip is putting a fine point on what I have already known: The people we love are important. Life is transient. We must do for and appreciate them and it every minute of every day, or at least as much as we are able. And I think we, in this rampant, disconnecting culture, must reach for connection, that seemingly ephemeral, gossamer thread that binds us all. Let’s raise our eyes up from our computers and acknowledge the other.
Let’s travel to the ends of the earth, if necessary, to comfort or even say goodbye to the people who matter–those who make up a life–in my case, the one who GAVE me life.
Love to you all,
Jeane
Thank you for sharing this Jeane! May peace be with you during this time.
Thank you, Jennifer. I’m very glad to be with Mom right now.
Blessings to you on your voyage to Mother and your original home. Peace. Amazing the changes in our world since the days in the Fashion and PR fields…I am happy I am only a small bit engaged in the high tech world. Enough to see what you have shared here:) Travel is a “road trip” to me anymore..and I do love those. XOX
Thank you, Grace.
Yes, here I am writing to you all on a DEVICE and criticizing them at the same time. It’s all about balance, right? And travel is SO different from when you and I used to jet over to Hong Kong. I’m with you about road trips. If I could have driven reasonably to Oregon I would have. But it’s a miracle, all in all, that I can be with Mom now. Truly a blessing.
Hey Jeane, I am so happy you get to be with your mom. Welcome back to Oregon. Thank goodness for Kim and all your Truchus family, as I am sure they are helping you with all the critters and your home. And I agree that technology is put us under barrage of disinterest in most things other than what is showing in their hands. You describe it so well. Love to Mom!
I’m very glad I can be here with mom and, yes, several people are pitching in to help with my large fur family. It’s a huge relief.
Jeane, I love this! I didn’t make it to New Mexico this summer but I did make it to Disney world with granddaughter and daughter – driving- also Drove to Wilmington NC to see my niece and spend a beautiful day on Wrightsville Beach – on the sound – where it is quiet and no waves and not many people at all! then I also drove through Tenn and into Kentucky to see my son Mike DiPietro. He is 22 1/2 and does a bit of art and creativeness. I was thinking about you the whole time. Love your thoughts, art , and photographs, and love that you made it home to see your mother! Wish I could have driven you there! 🙂 I drove a total of 2,700 miles!! Still hoping to come your direction as soon as I can manage it. Love and prayers for you and your mother. Your words are exactly true as I know life and love to be! xx00xx00 Alison DiPietro – I will have to send you some emails later…. and show you some beautiful photos around Mike’s place that he stays in . in the country in a log cabin.
Wow! What a lot of driving, but it sounds wonderful. Lovely to hear from you and I’m sure we’ll meet one of these days.
thank you!! I keep you on my mind! and I will try to read more of your writings tomorrow. 🙂 as usual I can not keep up with all of it! – life – kids- art – housework- laundry- etc etc!! Now I am reminded that I wanted to send you some photos. the country in Kentucky was so beautiful It made me want to photograph and also paint everything! but soooo little time. 🙂
I received the photos. Must view them on something other than a MacBook because they’re getting kind of compressed. But what a BEAUTIFUL place! Your son is very, very lucky and, clearly, living artfully. A truly lovely place.
thank you so much! Your comment eases my pain of not having my son nearby!! I am sooo happy for him from your perspective of “living artfully” . thank you for helping me see this through your eyes. ( mine are kind of biased!) the thought will also help me accomplish some artwork perhaps today! I haven’t managed a thing yet. I need to organize my space around me and make it more beautiful and make a “spot” where I can freely paint ! also want to mention that I truly LOVE the photos above of your 2 tables and set ups! Inspiration!! My dining room table collects too much junk! and Kim is a handsome caring man that looks like a great person to share your life with! I love the morning glories- what is inside of the fenced area? and I also love books. real books. I haven’t been reading lately though I started a great book – I have to find it. Maybe I will try to also read the Desert life- maybe this winter./ as always I love love love your skies and your dark blue mountains are fantastic!! By the way, did I mention that my daughter is expecting again in February so I will be busy being a grandmom again! My daughter lives with me and is not ready to marry the father and I don’t want to push anyone into marriage. They are both good people and great parents but marriage is not always the right thing!
The fenced area (and beyond what you can see) is a cat enclosure so my kitties can have an outdoor experience without becoming a coyote snack. The doggies use it too.
oh I remember that now ! that is fantastic! the little dog where Mike lives is 8 yrs old and has been attacked by coyotes twice and lived through it!!I will have to show my husband and see if he can come up with something like that. ( but we don’t have coyotes. ) My son Mike Creates many wooden things.. out of old wood from barns and such – so he could do this !!
Hello Jeane,
I was led to your blog today by the Divine. I have been searching for the “push” to get me writing. Reading about your journey has given me a renewed sense of the possible. I came to a small, northern NM town, from Long Island, 19 years ago. I lived there for 14 years. I know the high road well. There is magic in those mountains! My soul will always dwell in NM. I wish you and your mom much peace and love. My mom, who spent most of her life in NY, too afraid to leave, now rests in NM. She was more at home there than anywhere else and I will always be grateful she moved west with me.
Your blog is fascinating , as well as inspirational, and I look forward to reading about more of your experiences on the high road.
Hi Susan–I’m so glad you found the blog and that you’re finding something useful in it for you. If I can inspire you to write, the blog has accomplished what I set out to do. We artists must support each other. It’s not easy getting to our art. Many blessings and may you find your way to your art.
ps: I apologize for making a long post below. I love talking to you! want to say – I hope you and your mother are doing well , having “enjoyable and beautiful memories- kind- of- time ” together. I do not know if she very sick …. or doing well for her age… but LOve that you are together.
also love Hummingbirds! how wonderful for Kim to have them all around him! and they KNOW not to be afraid of Kim at all!!
We are having beautiful weather in Pa. in the 70’s with sunshine. HOpe you are having a gorgeous day too! ( not the horrible rains of Colorado I hope!!)
oh! is the photo of your dog standing next to a person covered in sheets??? 🙂
Well, Mom is very sick–cancer–and is having to have surgery on Tuesday, at 91. Nothing is certain. We’re going to the hospital, still, for procedures to make her as ready as she can be so, no, it really isn’t a memories making kind of visit. But it’s very good that I’m here. My sister is out of the country and Mom simply can’t handle all of this alone. And since the outcome is dicey, I need to be here just to be with her. It’s been HOT here–hotter than Reno, Nevada–101! But at home Kim is getting the rain that Colorado is but the land is handling it better. There are still flood warnings all around.
That humming bird feeder, during the season, was like a beehive, there were so many–lots of babies hatching. And they all just LOVE Kim. They would land right on his hand.
No, Finny is on his overstuffed chair which I keep a sheet on because he is the only one who uses it (his chair) and he DROOLS, not to mention sheds, and I can easily wash the sheet.
OH!! I was afraid of that. – that your Mom was that sick! When my mom suddenly developed Acute Myeloid Leukemia at almost 87 – I went in to visit her close to lunch time… the other visiters went to the cafeteria and I stayed to help her get washed up … she looked up at me and gently said,” I am sooo happy you are here,” … then added” I wish you came earlier” .. I wanted to laugh and cry. I will never forget that. She was the sweetest woman in the world , but she could make you feel guilty better than anyone!
It means the world to her to have you there. it is a very hard time for you and for her. such a scary time to be alone so I am sooo glad you are there.
Hummingbirds: I thought they were loving him! how special !! That is sooo wonderful!! and babies? I have never seen baby hummingbirds!! They have always been one of my favorite birds_ I am a big fan of birds since childhood! I also adore Great Blue Herons which my mother and I watched for together in Maryland.
Oh Finny is beautiful. and I definitely have the same problem with my sons 2 pit bulls- and my husband lets them sleep in my bed! Such a mess. I do the same with the bed- cover it with a sheet and try to keep them on it – Nobody tries to follow the rules!!
Prayers for your mother. My best advice is tell her all the stories about her life that you would tell us! She will so enjoy hearing it and take her mind off the cancer and the fears.