I've been to Annie's blog before, but I was blog-hopping, as I am wont to do. But now, I'm seriously her biggest new fan.
She takes care of her mother, Josephine, who has Alzheimer's (and who is an artist in her own right – Oh, PLEASE click that link – it's amazing). She was part of the Memory Loss Tapes, the first of four documentaries in The Alzheimer's Project (you should TiVo it!).
The show is lovely, and difficult to watch, and necessary, and it's so good, in the middle of the heartbreak to see Annie carding fiber, her spinning wheel in the background, loving her mom SO HARD. (It's an easy-to-miss line, but she says it was her spinning group that helped her put up the fence around the perimeter of her farm, the fence that protects her mother from the road. Of course it was. Bless the fiber-folk.)
Also, I can't be the only one who noticed Josephine hums everywhere she goes?
Annie also raises alpacas (as well as dogs, chickens, and llamas). Alpacas hum when they're happy.
When I retire, I'm moving in with Annie.
Wow, thank you for that link. A lovely blog. And you’re right, her mom’s art is so, so worth spending time with – love the circus peanut.
Thank you so much for linking to Annie’s blog. I’m so happy to have found it and Annie’s lovely voice.
Thanks for sharing the links. xx
Come on out, there’s plenty of room! Thank you for spreading the word about the Alzheimer’s Project. It is important. The films can also be viewed (free) on-line at hbo.com.
Holy crap. Just watched some of The Memory Loss Tapes on HBO.com…so heart-wrenching and fascinating. Thanks for the rec!
I googled these two women after seeing the documentary…because the daughter is a spinner, I thought I’d surely be able to find her. But my google-fu failed. So thank you for this link, R!
xo
Thank you for leading me to this site…I spent a lonnng time there and enjoyed reading about and seeing her mothers art…I truely found them both delightful and will visit them often.
Thanks for sharing
thank you for the beautiful link, I am now hooked, she’s a saint, a hero and an inspiration…such love…
I watched the Memory Loss Tapes last week and also noticed Annie with her fiber. Although the tapes were hard to watch, it made me smile to see her with her fiber and her alpacas, as well as how loving she is with her mother. I just lost my dad to Alzheimer’s and I have to say that watching a loved one with this disease is just heart wrenching.
God Rachel, thank you. Love the art. Need to go blow my nose…
Thanks for the link. I saw that program and wondered if she had a blog. A dear friend of mine is suffering from Altzheimer’s and it’s so hard to see him going away…