It's been a rough few months. So I belong to a group and we send covers (envies) to each other. The gentleman pictured below is John Martin and he was a very dear friend. I knew him for 20-30 years through this club and we wrote to each other many times through ACE - the art cover exchange. I miss him so much. We also lost another gentleman in the club but I can't find my newsletter right now to post his picture. His name is Cal Breaux and he used to send me tweety bird covers.

Art Cover Exchange (Website) 

Art Cover Exchange (Facebook)

                                               Johnnie Martin ACE 343

 Been almost a month since I wrote anything. Still plugging along. Doctor says I might have to have a revision to my hip replacement I had done Feb of 2025 which means going back to day one all over again. 

I have a dog named SoHo. I got him from a rescue. There was him who was named Scout and his brother, Ranger and I chose him because he was the calmer of the two.  That changed quickly lol.  Mom wanted to rename him SoHo because I love art so much and there is a place in New York (SoHo New York) that has artists galleries and such. Its always been on my bucket list. Someday perhaps...

I had a dog named Calin, but she died in Feb 2021, ten days before my birthday that year. She had cancer and was starting to suffer so I had her euthanized...Talk about the guilt. She was a true South Dakota snow dog and would sit right in it. It never affected her.

 My Grama made the best stuffed cabbage, but my sister makes it really well also. I remember when I was younger, mom and I would go to the Hungarian Reform Church in Ohio and she would order a whole bunch of the "cabbage rolls" to take home then mom would make the sauce and cook them. I had always thought that mom made them from scratch.  I think she did when she was young. This recipe has been passed down from generation to generation for years.

Time Alone

 So, I've been a loner most of my life. I enjoy the solitude of making my own decisions; going where I want to go when I want to go.  

I was married from 16 December 1983 - 18 October 1986.  Sarah was born Dec 3, 1984 (mom's 50th Birthday) Matt was born 11 April 1986.

I mean someday I hope to maybe find someone with similar interests now that I'm getting older, but I can always find something to occupy my time.

Some of my recent artwork:

Those were envelopes to a lady in the UK. I belong to a swap called ENVIE ADDICTS UNITE and every month a partner is selected for us and we send envelopes to each other.

More Art:

This was for the colorcube swap we had to use Red white and blue.

Time with Family

 So yesterday I made Chinese chicken which is actually a family recipe that my mom invented. Mom states all the time that she is allergic to chicken, but still manages to gulp it down with no ill effects. At 91 years of age, I'll let her have her quirks. I'm just glad she's still here with us.

Anyways, my sister Debbie was leading a bible study in the common room at mom's apartment, and my granddaughter Abby (age 4.75) was spending the night, so I decided to cook some up and take them over. They didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I had ran out of parchment paper and could only think of Tinfoil as a replacement and it all stuck to it, so the batter was only on one side. Oh well, next time will be better. It still tasted really fantastic.

Until next time, 

Mace

Pain, Pain Go Away

So I've been dealing with pain since 10 July 2024.  I woke up and my groin was hurting. The doctors are still mystified. Almost two years later with not relief. I had a hip replacement done last year because the doctors said 80% chance it would fix the problem because I had a torn labrum in my right hip.  I'm now up for a DRG implant which hopefully will solve the problem, but I'm unsure of the procedure. What if my body rejects this foreign body implanted next to my spine?

 John had his 4th birthday yesterday. Really special day for a little boy that has fought so hard for his life and through it all that amazing smile always on his face.