Still Here

Sometimes I feel like the little girl in the picture (by Janelle Hvidsten on the wiktel.com homepage) pushing a wagon full uphill. Wow, it seems as if there is never time to blog these days!

We are adjusting to having the one dog rather than two, still an ache and a void left by Snuggles' passing, but less so each day. His passing is a mark of an era that has passed. In the 12 years that he lived with us my life changed in so many ways. He was a grand friend on that journey and listened to me pour my heart out with things I couldn't tell all but a couple of people.

Autumn as we know it in the northwoods has arrived. In an e-mail from a dear friend, he described it as autumn arriving in the northern UK wearing stiletto heels. An apt description, that crisp clear tapping of heels across the landscape. The winds of the previous days has died down, it stripped most of the remainder of color from the deciduous trees, but thankfully the Tamarack are starting to shine golden, in stark contrast to the firs and pines.. There were snow flakes in the air the other night according to some, I missed it having gone to bed beneath extra quilts at a fairly early hour..

I have been working a few pages, and prepping pages in the little book I got from The Sketch Book Project 2012. Sometimes the simple act of slapping gesso on a page is satisfying enough to make up for the lack of actual creating time I'm craving. It is zen-like. Anni told me that she found it curious that I would spend so much time making art that would be sent off never to be seen again. I smiled at that. Sometimes as artists we make art for the sake of art, and because we MUST make art. The joy that it is giving me to work in this wee book is priceless. I am waiting to scan the pages until I have the entire book finished. I received my participant t-shirt in the mail the other day. It's kinda cool, and is turquoise, one of my favorite colors. It feels fun to be part of such a huge project and to know that my little book will travel with others around the world and end up one of many in a permanent collection in the Brooklyn Art Library. Perhaps someday I might venture to find it there when it has come home to roost.

So little time for much of anything other than work thus far this week. I've taken a bit of time this morning to start a journal page. Life has been too busy, too full, too greedy of my time to allow much time for art. Today will be a brutally long day. I've started paperwork early this morning and will begin seeing clients at noon and long past the dinner hour this evening. But tomorrow there are no appointments in the planner so perhaps I will finally make some progress on the paperwork that I am falling farther and farther behind. Friday I have only lunch consult with Dr. D and colleagues.

Saturday evening we have a farewell open house to attend for our friend S., the former local pastor who came out as gay in the past couple of years. He is leaving to make a new life in DC with his partner, and will be sorely missed by many. I wish him a life of love, freedom to be himself, and acceptance and opportunity that he was not allowed here in the northwoods.

Sunday we have Harvest Fest at the church so that will eat up a chunk of my time. Saturday I'm making spider and bat cupcakes for the potluck on Sunday. They look like fun! I want to make witch's fingers cookies and eyeball candies, but I think that might not go over so well with the congregation. The bats and spiders will be pushing it with some. LOL Maybe I'll make some of the others for a Halloween treat for some of my families.

I have a simple pot of vegan chili in the crockpot for dinner tonight, canned tomatoes, canned beans and beans from the freezer, Textured Vegetable Protein granules. I know I will not feel like cooking after I get home and Tom too has a busy long day and will be gone to a meeting when I get home tonight. I 'll ask him to make a pan of cornbread to go with it.

I am glad that I am not making a trip of any distance for a while. I miss my little Ashlyn but am happy to be home cocooning.

I used my light box this morning, the old carb craving of the season has hit. This will ease up as I use the box. SAD is not so fun. It's really hit with the cold, dark, damp days we've had this week thus far.

Well, back to work!

Life is good!