Native Butterflies and Emergency Room Visits

Note to self: When life has fun surprises in store, the garden will keep you afloat...

Sep 10, 2025

After kicking off summer break with a trip to the emergency room with one of my kids, I decided to set my work mostly aside and just enjoy the Summer with them. I did a little bit, namely photographing in the garden and testing prints but that was about it. I had planned to attend an art retreat in Wyoming the first week of September and jump back into my work once school started back up but that’s not what’s happened… instead of jumping back in its been a bit more like very cautious baby steps.

Prints from over the Summer, really excited by how they work together

On August 21st I broke my arm. Didn’t see that one coming did ya?

Me either, I’ve never even broken anything before and it was a weird experience staring at my arm clearly out of place while my mind argued with itself… see after my car accident almost six months prior my leg swelled like a balloon thanks to my lower air bag going off. I remember trembling along the sidewalk of a four lane road, looking down while listening to my son tell a firefighter what had happened. I was shocked to see the size of my lower leg and the gnarly bruise forming. I wasn’t in pain thanks to the adrenaline but even after that wore off it honesty looked a hell of a lot worse than it ever felt. It was fine. I even hiked on it for the next week without issue.

So while I sat there staring at my arm, part of mind was saying it was okay, look at it, it’s not even swelling. You’re okay.

But other half was matter of fact.

You have to be joking, look at it, seriously, it damn near forms the letter S. That’s not normal, it’s broken.

The next day I had surgery and they screwed a metal plate into my arm.

That’s the bit that gets people when they ask… the part that maybe makes them wish they hadn’t inquired at all.

There’s surprise when I say I had surgery for it but there’s shock with a touch of horror when they find out about the metal plate.

Yesterday I went in and they removed my splint and did some x-rays. They gave me a brace so my wrist can’t move. Instead of creating much art, I’m practicing making a fist and giving a thumbs up with physical therapy in my future. The reality setting in and occasional pain has left me tears over and over again the last two days… I’d like to say I’m handling it better but that’s the reality… not being able to create freely and bring to life what’s in my mind is beyond frustrating. Not being able to scoop my kids or hug them how I want to… I can’t even give a thumbs up right now with my right hand. I have a ways to go before things are functioning in some form of familiar and that’s a hard thing to swallow.

With that said, an interesting thing has happened over the last few weeks. The times I’ve felt the lowest I’ve stepped out into our garden and there’s been a new type of butterfly almost always without fail. My kids and I have kept watch over growing caterpillars, we’ve discovered chrysalises hidden behind leaves and my son and I sat with Monarchs freshly emerged from their chrysalises.

I also discovered I can manage my camera with only my left hand so I’ve been capturing everything I can… I’ll leave you with some of what I’ve captured recently: