|
 |
 |
||
The Tomie dePaola eNewsletter By Bob Hechtel, with Tomie dePaola One of my favorite jokes is… This story begins Sunday night, June 11, at the Holiday Inn in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Tomie was awakened that night by an intensely painful leg muscle “spasm.” During the next week, Tomie walked slowly, and frequently with pain. When he returned home, Sunday afternoon, June 18, after the Opening Night Weekend at the Weston Playhouse in Weston, Vermont, he told me he was going to call his doctor the next day since he was having trouble walking and sleeping because of the pain. Monday, June 18, two guys from Spoken Arts were scheduled to arrive at noon to videotape an introduction by Tomie for a Special Appearance Video of LITTLE GRUNT AND THE BIG EGG and to record Tomie reading NOW ONE FOOT, NOW THE OTHER. He called his doctor’s office Monday morning and learned that his doctor was away for the week, but that arrangements would be made for Tomie to see someone else. Tomie explained that the appointment couldn’t be scheduled for Monday. After hearing his story of the muscle spasm, and hearing of the pain, the leg swelling and the black-and-blue marks on his leg, the nurse wanted Tomie to come to the office that morning. She wanted him to go to the lab at the hospital to get blood drawn immediately. We thought, Very interesting. We tried to reach the guys to explain the situation and to suggest that they not continue on their four hour drive to Tomie’s studio. But, they had their cell phones turned off. The guys arrived earlier than expected. Tomie left them at the studio and went to the doctor’s office. He called after his appointment with the nurse practitioner to tell me he couldn’t work on the Spoken Arts projects that day. Tomie was on his way to the hospital to have more blood drawn and to have an ultrasound. Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) and cellulitis (infection) were the concerns. Those two possible diagnoses dominated the next ten days. Worry, antibiotics, stomach upset, leg pain, leg swelling and black-and-blue marks, ultrasound, visits to the nurse practitioner and more visits to the lab. (You know you’re having blood drawn frequently when you’re discussing food and sharing recipes with the lab technicians.) Yesterday, he was able to see his own doctor. Mystery solved! When Tomie was in Minnesota, and he awoke with excruciating leg pain, he experienced a leg muscle pop. Time and physical therapy should heal the muscle. In the meantime, no Extreme Sports competitions for him. This past Tuesday, Barbara Elleman (TOMIE dePAOLA, HIS ART & HIS STORIES) and her husband, Don, and Nick Clark (Director, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art) visited Tomie’s home and studio to begin discussing an exhibition in 2009 of Tomie’s artwork. Late that afternoon, we drove to Walpole, New Hampshire to eat at the Restaurant at L.A. Burdick Chocolate. http://www.burdickchocolate.com Walpole, a lovely New England small town, is also the home to filmmaker Ken Burns (“The Civil War”). Because Tomie had met Ken Burns a couple of times, Tomie got up from our table to greet Ken Burns when he walked through the restaurant into the chocolate shop (FYI, Chocolate Mice in a Wooden Box makes a great gift). The food was wonderful and exhibition talk continued during dinner. Although the Restaurant is about 75 minutes from Tomie’s home, more menu items need to be experienced. Future trips to the Restaurant are necessary. The July calendar and July “Tomie Says” will be posted within the next few days. Read “Tomie Says” to learn a little about Tomie’s first trip to Europe. LITTLE GRUNT AND THE BIG EGG was back in print on June 8 after being out of print for a few years. Tomie dedicated this new edition “For Barbara, who has dinosaurs on her car dashboard.” Barbara Chadwick has helped in the yard for many summers… and has toy dinosaurs on her car dashboard. After Tomie presented her with the book and surprise dedication, Barbara told me that she had recently been angry with one of the dinosaurs. I thought it wise not to ask questions. Extinction, and now this, Barbara’s anger. Those dinosaurs can’t get a break. Until next time, best wishes, http://www.tomie.com UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST Wednesday, June 14 – Sunday, July 2, 2006 Saturday, July 8, 2006 Friday, July 28, 2006 Saturday, July 29, 2006 Friday, August 4 – Monday, August 7, 2006 Thursday, September 14, 2006 Saturday, December 2, 2006 Saturday, April 19, 2008 Sometime in 2009
|
||
| back |