Who Am I When I'm No Longer Me?

I absolutely love Darby Conley's comic strip "Get Fuzzy,"  In this strip, Bucky Katt, the inscrutable, self-absorbed, cynical, know it all, cat,  is explaining to Satchel Pooch, the sweet, gullible, not very bright dog,  the meaning of Rene` Descartes' Wax Argument.

What I see in the "Wax" argument is the question "Who am I when I'm no longer me?  My husband, Ken, had dementia during his last years, but we never doubted he was in there somewhere.  On the other hand, I've known people who were totally robbed of their intelligence and personality.  It's hard to know when we cease being "who we are."  

In other words, "What is self?  Descartes said "Reason is the ultimate of what our senses perceive is true."  When our personality ceases to be but we're still breathing, where are we?  Have we gone on to afterlife, or are we in limbo?

I don't know the answers to all this, but I like to ponder the questions.  However, I'm not as bad as Satchel who can't get past Descartes having a girls' first name .  

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Vintage Clothing

 

Yesterday morning it was a bit chilly so I wore my vintage Scotch plaid scarf.  It's old, but I like wearing vintage things.I'm kind of vintage myself.  

And sometimes vintage items remind us of old stories.  Here's the one that popped in my brain yesterday. 

My husband Ken did not like his stint in the Army.  He'd graduated from college where he'd played football all four years, then spent a short time at Harvard Business School. 

 Shortly afterwards, he was drafted into the Army.  He went in as a private and came out a PFC.  He just wasn't cut out for Army life.  Ken was a creative.  He was sent to Germany for most of his time.  On some weekends, while his friends were whooping it up in town, and when he could hustle up the money, Ken traveled all over Europe, much of it hichhiking.

While he was in Scotland he bought several scarves and throws, which are essentially small blankets. 

So, how old is the scarf I'm wearing and the other items?  He was in the Army from 1956 to 1958 which  makes them about 64 years old. They look like new.

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Mr. Loose and Mr. Tight

My husband, David, and his close artist friend, Herbie, did art together for several decades.  

Occasionally they were invited to participate in gallery showings.  The last one was in 2010, at The Vine Arts Center in Minneapolis.  I was fortunate to be part of this final showing before David moved to Florida where he, found, and bonded with, a whole new group of artist friends.  

The title for the showing at the Vine Arts Center was "Mr Loose and Mr. Tight."  This described their artistic styles.  Their personalities were just the opposite.  

It was fun for me to be a small part and observer of how much work went into these showings.  Fortunately, David always sold a number of pieces but he was never about selling.  

One of the requirements was a short description of the painter's work process.  David's is below.  I just ran across it a couple of days ago.

Artist's Statement:  David Runyan - Architect.

Because I'm an architect, I have always enjoyed drawing, sketching and painting.  It changes the way you look at things and each subject requires its own specific translation from the eye to the finished piece of art.  Since my training as an architect required very precise work my title in this show is "Mr. Tight," which is apropos.

The watercolor, pen & ink, pencil and pastel mediums I've used are essentially the mediums I used as a practicing architect to develop renderings of proposed buildings, do concept sketches and draft working drawings (before computers.)

Herbie and I have enjoyed drawing together for many years. 

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