It’s All About Art

First, thank you for the gifts of good food, your kind words and notes, and your good thoughts and prayers on Tom’s behalf.  Thank you  to Tom’s colleagues who are keeping in touch via the blog, thus giving me a good reason to post more often.

We have spent a pleasant week taking morning walks in Liberty Park, followed by our ritual visit to the nearby 7-11 for a restorative Snickers bar (Tom) and Diet Coke (Susan).  Tom is much more up and about and getting back to his old self that the rest of us have trouble keeping up with.

Homage to Ed Ruscha

We have enjoyed some good visits from friends this week:  Branson and Kathy Call, who took Tom on the humanitarian mission to deliver eyeglasses to Cambodia a few years ago, and Raymond Tymas-Jones, dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Utah.  Tom was on the Fine Arts Advisory Board for seven years and he and Raymond became dear friends while helping students achieve their goals in their education.  Their shared interest in the arts is the foundation for an enduring friendship.

Tom and Raymond

A highlight of our week was a visit by our friend, David Galligan, administrative director of the Walker Art Center in Minnesota (featured image).  Our friendship goes back 25 years when he and Tom used to run together on Tom’s business trips to Minnesota.  During Tom’s treatments at Cedars-Sinai in LA, David (who was then working in LA) would stop by the hospital regularly and cheer us up.  He has been there for us a long long time.  He and Tom share so many interests, including outsider art such as our local Gilgal Gardens.

Homage to Robert Smithson

On Friday, Tom and David drove to the Kimball Art Center in Park City to view the exhibit, Painters of the Wasatch.  The exhibit is based on a book that Tom co-wrote when he was director of the Museum of Utah Art and History.  They visited with the exhibit curator, Anne Brahic, and admired the exhibit before eating a delicious lunch at Terigo.

Our grandchildren in far away Florida also keep our spirits up with their art creations. They love Pop Pop Tom.  Max and Charlie deserve a lot of credit for the fun things they say and do that we enjoy on Instagram or via email photos sent by Jeff’s wife, Jaime.  Max has taken to kindergarten work with great diligence, and 8-year old Charlie is working on her series of dog paintings that astound us.  Their creativity is energizing, and we hope to be able to visit them soon.

Charlie working on one of her favorite subjects–dogs.

Max at art class.

We capped off the week by going to a performance of Diana Krall at Kingsbury Hall.  From twenties love songs to rockin’ songs like Temptation, we were entertained by Diana and her band of musicians.  It was our first date in a long time and we had such a good time we just might do it again sooner rather than later!

A Change of Seasons

Here in Utah the weather has changed.  We have enjoyed some gentle rainstorms and the nights are cool.  We notice the children walking to school in our neighborhood, and the rabid football fans in their game-day getups.  It’s fall.

It is a new season for us, too. Tom was hospitalized on Aug. 26 for an infection at the site of the stents and it took about 10 days at the Huntsman Cancer Center hospital for him to recover. He received expert care from the kindest people. They did remove the stents without any ill effects. While Tom was in the hospital, Jeff flew in from Florida for a planned visit over Labor Day weekend.  Jake drove up daily from Provo (45 miles away), and Pete was our constant companion. Jeff made one of his exquisite apple pies and delivered it to the hospital, along with his curative chicken soup. We watched and prayed together, and also had some rollicking good laughs. What strength these sons give us!

Jeff made an apple pie for Tom, adorned with his initials TFR.

Tom came home last Sunday to the great acclaim of his grandchildren.  They joined us for a feast of our favorite crowd food, chalupa.  Afterward Lizzie told grandpa all about second grade, while Jade built structures from Legos.  Davey closed all the window shutters so we could eat by candlelight.  Ben is learning to walk and he took a few steps to our delight.  A little bit later, Royal and Archer arrived.  Archer waved and said “Poppa,” and Royal spoke for all when he said, “Grandpa, I missed you!”

Popsicles on the back porch with Archer, Jade, Royal, Lizzie, and Davey.

I am so happy to have Tom home again. We are enjoying slow days beginning with big breakfasts and ending with evenings watching baseball on tv. He likes to take a walk around the  neighborhood every day. When the weather is right he lays on the chaise in our back yard garden listening to the fountain. Now that he needs all of his energies to fight the cancer, he will go on disability. It was a tough decision to step away from his desk at TIAA-CREF, a company that has been so good to us all these years.  Luckily, they also have a strong disability plan that will see us through.

Enjoying the view from our front porch.

Our friends, Phil and Carlisle, are hosting us at their home in Laguna Beach later in the month to relax and recuperate. We are looking forward to seeing Tom’s two sisters in California, and listening to the waves wash the beach. While there we will consult with Dr. Wolin about the wisdom of proceeding with the trial. It is uncertain if the risks outweigh the benefits so we remain undecided for now.

Vigilant Pete in Tom’s hospital room.

Credits go to Ray and ShruDeli who did errands and laundry and gave me sack lunches, Carlisle who made us enchiladas, and who with Phil visited often, and kind neighbors who brought us cookies and took our trash cans to the curb for pickup. We are grateful to my 87-year old dad who came and cleaned all our windows shiny bright, while mom visited with us about politics. Thanks go to Bishop Shrum (our minister) who visited Tom and brought good cheer. Thank you to our sweet daughters-in-law who did without their husbands for a while, and to Charlie and Max in Florida who sent pictures for grandpa. Last of all, a big shout out to my sister, Elizabeth, who was there for me every night for a good phone chat about the events of the day.  We feel blessed.  And we fight on!

To pass the time in the hospital, I knit booties for the baby girl Bethea is expecting in January.