life of a georgia Artist

  I have hit the age where I putter around the house. Yesterday, there were mounds of laundry and cleaning up the house for the next week, but my heart is not feeling it this weekend. I do not sleep through the night anymore. I wake and wonder or putter around the house. I used to wonder why older people did not sleep so well and all I can say is that I have not slept a night in I do not know how long. I fear it has more to do with this cat that we adopted when our neighbors got evicted and left their cat. He is an inside-outside kitty and howels when he wants to be in, which is good so we can let him in. He comes and goes all hours, so when he sends up the howling alarm we let him out. He has a litter box but has never used one, so he goes outside and is very good about no accidents in the house. He is part of the reason I do not sleep.  Another reason, is roof leaks, waiting on my roofing company to install my new roof and so far five new leaks. Rain comes again next week an...

 My mom passed away on Nov 17th, 2024. She taught me that life is short. It is for living. She taught me that if you do not enjoy every minute you can, life will be harder than it needs to be. She was not always light and loved, she went through two failed marriages and struggled with bills, paying the mortgage, and finding a less expensive place to be.  This photo is a bit blurry. She was unsteady on her feet and, therefore, almost always in motion. I took this one when I was 50. I went up to celebrate my birthday with my family. She loved that she got to spend my birthday with me. We had a great dinner, as my sis and her hubby made the most amazing food.  Mom had me and her hubby split. We moved in with my grandparents and my great-granny. Four generations under one roof. I loved sharing a room with my mom till I was nine. She would let me wear her wigs and play dress up with her clothes. We shared a vanity and sometimes she made me up with her makeup.  To say that...

  So I live in the South, I don't know what is happening between Freezmiser and Heatmiser but they are in this together. They told her to combine and freeze all of the USA. Let us put snow down where people do not know how to drive in snow and let them loose. So here we are with interstates closed, people stranded for entire days, and no emergency vehicles that would even get to them. And the snow is blowing and falling off branches and the south is a mess. I have been in urgent care today due to sinus and ear issues and it's bitterly cold. I had on so many layers the doctor had to wait to take my blood pressure. Atlanta has a million cars abandoned. People are flying and then skidding on black ice and lord help us all. I had to pick up more meds so I stocked up on soup again and let me say, soup and a few other items were $$$$$$, I looked at the total in shock. Three little bags of items and over $50. I feel the world has gone insane.  Well, I am off due to being sick, so ate...

                                                   Happiest of the New Year to you all!      Every New Year, I disappear into the woods. I clear my head, and I think about what I want to do and accomplish this coming year. This year was no different. I went hiking some local trails, but no one was out, as they were all sleeping off their New Year's Eve drinking. I love waking up on January 1, having a clear head, getting plenty of sleep, and being ready to go into nature super early.  There are some easy trails about 30 minutes away that I love walking. At some point, they turn into a boardwalk over the water. You hear the water before you see it. I stay to the side in case someone else is walking and I just stand still watching the water go over the rocks and listen to the silence. Something about the solitude exc...

 This is normally my favorite time of year. I drive north till I find color, so about an hour and a half or two. This is the season of light, brightness, and color, yet I feel down. My mom died in November and I feel the season will, going forward, weigh heavy on me. I feel the joy of my favorite season is gone. She would hate that for me. She would want me to enjoy life, but the grief anchors me to the shore. I can see out over the metaphorical harbor and the fear keeps me from moving. I love the colors of fall. Although I live in Georgia now, the colors truly put on a show growing up in New Jersey, and I love traveling there in the fall. The yellows are predominant down here. There are some red and orange, but not a lot. The light though does not disappoint. It is so beautiful and soft falling through the trees. It shines down on me and reminds me of my mother. She shone so bright when she was alive. When the sun shines down, I imagine it is her shining down on me.  The colo...

I used to write after midnight. The hours between midnight and 4 AM were the only times I had to write as my kids grew up. I have been sick and now awake at 2AM again. Why are these hours always calling me to write? The above photo is of my old office. I have since moved into another room of my home as my home office. It's all mine for the first time that I have an entire room to write in. It's now Labor Day and it is an extra day to write. I woke up coughing as I had been dealing with some health issues lately. I realize though that I have missed writing in these wee hours. The wee hours of the morning and the house is entirely quiet. No one stirs in these wee hour morning hours. Not even the cat. It has been a long time since I needed to write, and the need woke me up.  I am dealing with coughing and allergic reactions to things and have been in and out of two med stops for help. Apparently, the cough medicine is not working, as I am typing to you at 2:35AM. I used to write d...