Winter Fog

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 Fog on the Tracks

The sky brightens slowly, reluctant to let go of the dark clouds that blew rain all night from west to east. Nearly white with subtle shades of ghostly grey, it relinquishes its hold, allowing some sun, but strictly as backlighting. The ground warms, soft steam rises from the earth and a gentle, low-lying mist seeps through the yards and streets. A white cloud fills the Delaware like so much chilly winter breath. And at the end of the tracks, the fog waits, measuring the time to pull in to town.

What the WGA Strike Did For Me

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In 6 words? It gave me my evenings back!

WGA strikeI don’t suppose I’m terribly different from anyone else when I say after working an average 10+ hour day, having something to eat and feeding the small fry, all I really want to do is relax for a little while. It’s not unusual for me to catch a couple hours TV before hitting the sack if I’m not elsewhere for the evening. I’m not a TV addict at all, but I do enjoy some well done shows a few nights a week. Not too much to ask, right?

And then came the writers’ strike. OK, for awhile some of the shows still had some episodes in the can to play out, and then it just flat out came to Repeats. I’d check online to see if anything good might be on on a given night … more Repeats. Hey, this was getting boring.

Next thing I know, I was picking up that novel I was usually reading at 10:30 or 11 pm at 8 pm. I was doing the artwork I thought I was too tired to do curled up on the couch away from my work desk. I threw in some laundry; cooked something a little more involved. Hey! I remember this! It used to be my life! What’s most amazing is that I really didn’t think I had this energy in the evening until someone took away my quiet, drool time in front of the TV.

I hear that the strike is in the process of being resolved. Figures. Just when I was starting to enjoy it.

Requiem for A Featherweight

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StripesShe was a tiny little thing, and I’d really grown so very fond of her. Sadly, Stripes is no more and I sure do miss her.

People always find me when they have a problem with an animal, and so it was a few nights ago that my neighbor across the street had knocked on my door. She said she’d just come home and saw a cat in the road hit by a car … it looked like my next door neighbor’s. I grabbed my coat and ran out to find Stripes lying there, bleeding, still warm, the life knocked out of her limp body.

Stripes did indeed belong to the folks next door, and had two young girls that loved her.  Stripes and Pumpkin, half siblings, are/were primarily outdoor cats with shelter in their garage at night, all up to date with shots, neutered, etc. Her life with me was somewhat tangential, I guess you could say, but I loved her nonetheless. I saw her daily, fed her a “snack/meal” almost every day, and sat outside with her whenever I could.

With big green eyes and so very sweet and affectionate, Stripes was a little heartbreaker, and I say little – she couldn’t have been more than 5 pounds. I’d sit out on my porch to journal with my feet up on another chair so she could fall asleep on my legs. After eating, Pumpkin was off to whatever he had next on his schedule, but Stripes would have cuddled as long as the cuddles were coming. She patiently allowed me to remove the burrs from her fur acquired from her gallivanting all over the neighborhood, where she was a disturbingly good huntress. It’s no coincidence, I think, that there was a dead mouse about 2 feet from where her body lay in the road.

I miss those hopeful green eyes looking up at me through my back door screen … for a bite to eat or perhaps some snuggling … she loved any and all attention. Mine are my indoor cats; Stripes and Pumpkin had become my part-time, outdoor cats. It doesn’t matter that she wasn’t “mine.” She found a comfortable spot in my heart, and that’s where Stripes sleeps tonight.

Sweet dreams, little one.

CRASH!

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That’s not the beginning of a children’s book – it was the final sound of my G4 giving up the ghost. I work on a Mac – the G4 was a beautiful, silvery machine with a mirrored CD drawer. The artist in me loved just the look; the professional artist in me loves the whole way a Macintosh works and all the ways it makes my work possible.

It had been locking up way too much; freezing while I jumped between programs … I should have called my Mac guy earlier, but it may have been too late, anyway. I’m told this version of the Mac tended to run hot, and I, for most of its life, had no A/C. Sadly, I may have inadvertently brought about it’s demise.

The new iMac

Now that a phenomenally stressful week sans-Mac of my life has passed, and I’m almost caught up with all I couldn’t do without it, I sit in front of a yet more beautiful machine – an iMac.

With great speed, an OS so quiet I can’t even hear it and a big, black glass monitor which shows me perfect detail, my heart is beginning to rest. I’ll somehow manage the unexpected expense, and am happily exploring what this new version brings me. Is it sick to love your computer? Or is it about the life it makes possible for me … it probably doesn’t matter. I’m writing again, scanning, designing and creating … with a big freakin’ smile on my face. And THAT’s what matters.

Want to see what I do with my Mac? Check out the Creative Services I offer on my web site.

How`Bout That? – I’ve Been Tagged

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Animal ArtworkHmmmm … blogger tag, eh? I’ve done this kind of thing via e-mail, but never via blog. Truth is, I don’t know a whole lot of people out there with blogs to tag! I have all I can do to keep up with my e-mail, my own web site and then add to my blog as much as possible. Being a part of the larger blog community – well, it has just eluded me. But I have a plan …

5 random things about me …

– Almost all the art in my home is animals – in my office alone I’m surrounded by wolves, horses, a carved duck, mice, a cat, brass duck book-ends, a bunny tea light holder, a cat, a pig, 2 small stuffed dogs and a few gargoyles for good measure. I’m in the best of company!

– I have been in love with animals since I was a small child, fearless and always excited about meeting new animals (or old friends). They were then, and continue to be, the subject matter of my writing, artwork and photography.

– I’m extremely grateful for the many wonderful and enlightened people who have guided me on my path.

– I miss cooking, baking and even just plain decorating the house and sewing. My Domestic Dolly has had to take a back seat to earning my own income and developing my creativity. But there was a time when hours in the kitchen was a peaceful commune with myself .. its own meditation with a yummy ending.

– I love snow. Everything looks so gorgeous when dusted or coated with new fallen snow – the almost eerie quiet after a snowfall when there’s not a footprint in sight. Or a deer drifts through with such stunning grace. Just don’t ask me to drive in it!

Now here’s where I get crafty – I’m linking back to Sheri, (I think I can do that), and Leeza – both are fellow writers – Sheri the organizer of our writing group and Leeza also an illustrator AND … someone who I suspect knows a whole lot of bloggers to keep this going – Brooke, who’s my friend’s daughter and another very talented writer. and that’s it!

How to play – tag 5 people after you’ve written 5 random things about yourself on your own blog by providing links at the bottom of the post Let your blogger friends know you’ve tagged them so they can keep the game going. Then it’s their turn. Go back to each person’s blog and see what they’ve written!

See? If I don’t write, someone will give me an excuse!