At the top of my gratitude list (always) is my sweet little calico rescue Boo. She is the kindest little creature and probably the most social cat I’ve ever witnessed. She runs to the door to greet everyone–FedEx drivers included, hangs out with friends when they visit, sits by my side while I work and just generally makes each day special. Cheers to sweet Boo! my little funny face.
faces of boo
Sometimes I just laugh looking at Boo. She has so many different expressions and I know what each one means—usually waiting for treats/hoping for treats/exhausted by waiting for treats or just spacing out from so much time waiting. lol
Sunday morning
I love to wake up early, watch the sun rise, make coffee and start working in my sketchbook. In between waiting for things to dry, I work on my container gardening and watch boo nap. lol She really has the life! Hope everyone has nice relaxing rest of the weekend. :)
January days...
How do you sum up January? Well, for me it is a welcomed break from the chaos of the holidays. As much as I love seeing everyone and celebrating, I find myself missing solitude and creating. I love to get up super early and watch the sun rise. I’ve been working long hours lately, so I often watch the sun set as well! But I enjoy what I do so much and this is that special time in a book project where i can obsess over details such as color palettes and composition. I’ve been working out visual solutions in my sketchbook, as well as doing some location scouting for some of the scenes in the book. More news on this to come!
Boo continues to be her charming self and typically spends the first two hours of the day staring at me and waiting for treats. She never gives up.
I was sad to see that Sidney Poitier had passed this month. I only recently saw “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” in the past two years or so. His performance was truly incredible and I particularly loved the scene with his father. He played it with such candor and emotion and you truly felt both his love for Joey and his frustration with his father’s racial mindset. It was so tender and filled with love and compassion. I feel like we are losing so many great actors of this caliber.
Well, I guess that is it for now! I hope each of you are having a great start to 2022!
the long winter...
I must say I was prepared for the winter this time. It always feels so long and I am dreaming of swimming again by mid January—but this time, whilst in a pandemic—it feels that much longer. I’ve spent it working very long days in my studio and taking walks as much as the weather allows. These are some crazy times but I find that staying busy is key. Everything has changed! But there are always positives and I love the focus that this time brings. I’ve been writing some new books and working on the dummies. Sometimes I forget how much fun it is to just draw straight out of my head. I remember an editor telling me how she thought that must be so satisfying back when we met in the city to review a story idea. (It is!) But writing is painful. It is just so incredibly hard to get the pacing just so.
I still miss the city more than words could ever express, but we just need to get through this latest strain. My bus line is still shut down, so I may as well use this time to dig in (and out with all that snow!) The winter light is beautiful and the days are starting to get longer now. My watercolor book comes out in just a few weeks. I got an author copy in the mail and was surprised how big it was! I will have to write more about that on another post, but for now I am just wishing everyone peace and good health. I can’t wait to be with my friends again! Spring is coming!
