Reviews

Reviews!  It's been a minute since I've done any, and I've got a few books to share.

Loon Point by Carrie Classon (Adult Fiction)

Though I was appalled by how much Lizzie was yanked around by her mother, and Wendell's character completely drug me down each time he had a chapter, I still found myself giving this book a higher rating.

Lizzie's mom is an addict. When a loved one is an addict there are good days and bad days. If we are lucky, they fight the addiction and come out in one piece, but usually over a bumpy, extended period of time. Lizzie's experience is sadly on the realistic side of things. Lizzie doesn't just get to go live in a stable environment where she is loved and taken care of. She's back and forth between the two worlds living a life no child should have to live. But she is an incredibly resilient character who has an angel of a dog looking out for her every step of her journey.

Wendell reminded me too much of a loved one. My loved one is forever stuck in a bitter place where they are always better than everyone else and no amount of kindness will ever uproot them from their place of paranoia and unhappiness. Wendell, however, may be a different story. He is a late bloomer. He started to come around with a bit of connection, nurturing, and a unicorn notebook. Hey maybe that's what every deeply unhappy person needs to turn their life around - a unicorn notebook!

So why did I give this book a higher rating? Well, my crusty old heart found comfort in Norry's resort. Each time Lizzie found herself at Norry's, I was deeply relieved and I couldn't leave the book until I knew Lizzie was safe. Norry is quite the character. She took over her father's resort. She takes people in. She's self-reliant but also finds herself realizing she's missing connection with others. I also loved the dog's character too, how he kept Lizzie going in the blizzard and knew when she got off the bus. Details like that kept me completely invested and unable to walk away.

Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe (Adult Fiction)

It is end of July, but there is a clear theme in the books I’ve loved this year. They have been so stinking cute! Cute, cute, cute! It could be dystopians, death, and betrayal the rest of the year, and I would be completely unaffected by it, because of all the adorable, lovely things I’ve read so far.

Stay for a Spell is cozy, hilarious, and has plenty of magic, bookstore details, and interesting characters (a cat with tentacles!). In addition to the main character, a princess cursed to live in a bookstore until she discovers what makes her happy, there’s also a cursed barn pirate who has an ironic water curse and cannot be near large bodies of water.

Sometimes I form strong visuals of characters in my mind and sometimes there’s just nothing. I couldn’t really picture the main character, but whenever I thought of the barn pirate, either Carlos Santana or Mandy Patinkin’s Montoya character from Princess Bride would come to mind. When I realized this was happening, I would have such a huge laughing fit. I am now going to pay more attention to who I’m mentally seeing as a character and whether anyone else is on the same page.

Shockingly, Carlos Santana AKA Inigo Montoya AKA barn pirate was a supremely irritating character. He was lazy, uninvolved, and couldn’t have a serious conversation to save his life. Despite my complete dislike for him, I still thoroughly enjoyed this story and really liked Tandy and Sasha’s characters. I appreciated and understood Tandy’s struggle between familial/kingdom commitments and her happiness, which had nothing to do with these commitments and everything to do with planting herself in a community where she could settle and make connections. Sasha was just a complete ray of sunshine. This book would have been nothing without her character.

In addition to Sasha’s character, the details really made this a stellar read. Librarian bluecaps who knew how to find anything that could be found, a cat that was neither here nor there but was an undeniable comfort, the bookstore, which was almost a character itself.

I also jotted down words I wasn’t familiar with prior to reading this book – imprecation, doddle, deshabille…Each one a complete delight.

Each prince who comes to kiss and break Tandy’s curse is an absolute treat. Eventually they all ran together for me, but the moments with the princes had me laughing about ten times the amount of kisses Tandy received. In the acknowledgements, the author talks about how she wrote this book during the sleepness nights of her mother's cancer diagnosis and treatment, and I immediately thought of the princes. I do hope that on the worst days the author was like, "I've had the shittiest day. I'm creating another prince to help me through it."

Some of the princes’ dialogue had me hooting out loud, almost in tears:

“I’ve been on the road since receiving your parents’ desperate missive, and must partake of refreshment, and wash the dust from my boots, before we sanctify our tender union.”

Towards the end I was ready to push Barn Pirate down the stairs. If only there was reader magic to do so! Tandy’s parents also had me hardcore rolling my eyes at the end, and I was a little mystified by the boy band booksellers the seven princes had become, but the book left me wanting more. Really, I just want to read the story of Sasha and Amaritha, whatever they do next, as long as the bluecaps are along for the ride.

The Best Dog in the World by various authors (Adult Nonfiction)

Well, another cute book here. A devastating book, as I’m sure you surmised from seeing the handful of authors listed on the cover and the promise of a dog essay from each of them. But also, dogs, so definitely cute.

I didn’t love every essay, but the ones I loved had my heart soaring and me sobbing into my dogs’ fur. My dogs are always mystified by random crying but open to any affection, even the sloppy kind.

The book begins with Emily Henry’s essay about her dog, Dottie. Emily Henry lets her readers know right off the bat that it’s a full-circle essay, but that didn’t stop me from finishing the essay.

Emily Henry writes, “So here it is. The way this fits into my theory of everything, the thing this depressing essay has in common with all my romantic comedies and everything else I’ve ever written: We are so fucking lucky to get to love someone so much that it tears a hole in the world when they’re gone. The dog dies at the end. The dog dies at the end and it breaks your heart, and you wouldn’t change anything. Not one moment.”

Bonnie Garmus has the absolute BEST essay in this book. Bonnie does an extraordinary job bringing her dog’s character to life. When her dog, who started life with the name, Cake Angel, expresses herself, I see so much of her in my dog, Margo, who has given me an encyclopedia of stares communicating language that has me relieved she can’t speak English.

I also liked a moment from Jodi Piccoult’s essay when she writes about her dog, Alvin. “There was no question that Alvin suffered our existence.” I have never found the right words to explain exactly this. I love Margo to death. We get along pretty well, and when we don’t, she lets me know about it. But I’ve always wondered if we weren’t meant to be her people. We are so beneath her!

This is one of those sayings that will make your eyes roll, but it’s true for this book. You will laugh. You will cry. You will see so much of yourself and your dogs in these essays. And you will feel ever so grateful for the short time we have with some of our most valuable teachers. Even the ones who want to murder us in our sleep but don’t, because they know they can probably convince us to take them for a walk to the cookie library the next day.

everything from silkies to blankies

Going to try to do a weekly best moments kind of thing.  Although the next two weeks will be tough so no promises for a bit.  😆💩

Not sure who is a fan of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy, but he wrote a new book.  I didn't love it like the first one, but I still enjoyed a few snippets here and there.  There was one page that was a great reminder of my achilles journey.

On that note, I officially reached level one of my return to jogging plan.  I didn't realize that when I was given the jogging plan my physical therapist wrote a level just for me.  Level 0!  When I was ready to move on to the next level (finally!) I saw the note on the sheet and had a pretty big laugh.  This is going to be quite the journey if level 0 kicked my patootie. 😂

I have not moved from a 16 something minute mile, but man I'm proud of it.  Prior to jogging I was doing 20-22 minutes, sometimes slower.  I am definitely moving faster.

Work has been much more manageable for everyone.  I am officially feeling like I can sink into the work and really enjoy the customers, my coworkers, and the incredible work created in our shop.  One of my recent favorite interactions was a small order but oh so big on charm.  A proud grandmother wanted some custom ribbons for her granddaughter who won some awards with her silkie chicken but did not get any ribbons.  One evening, as I was scrolling through emails and mockups I had the delight of seeing the initial mockup that one of the designers sent the customer.  It was too good not to do a quick screenshot for my gratitude journal.  

I had some lovely moments this week.  I ordered a cafeteria tray for myself at work.  I chose the one that had the most slots (five!) and have been having the best time choosing my five things each lunch.  I'm a kraut/kimchi/all things fermented person, and it makes for a happy gut.  I no longer worry about my very different pickled things touching each other.

I had a particularly tough PT session on Friday.  I walked out in the pouring rain and slothed my way to my car.  There was a familiar-looking car next to mine.  It was Robert!  He brought me a treasured cereal milk latte, which is a weekend only drink.  Robert said he was sad when he heard it was weekend only, but then the barista said that they count Friday as the weekend.  Heck yea!

I also designed my first keyboard ever!  I happen to know a keyboard geek, Josh who has made a handful of keyboards over the years.  He is not only a childhood friend of Robert's, but he also works with him.  He helped me customize a keyboard, everything from layout to how clackety clacking loud I wanted the keys to sound (Loud of course!).  The best part was picking the key colors.  I wanted to do a somewhat random layout.  It's very nerdy how I got a random layout so I won't go into all the details, but once I had all the colors, I was able to go key by key and make small adjustments.  I don't have the actual keyboard yet, but I took a picture of of one of the random sets of colors.

Lastly (it's been a big week), Robert and I bought a blankie just for Josie and put it on her living room dog bed.  Josie is one of those special dogs that digs around in blankets to make a nest (dogs who do this are THE CUTEST).  I've been on the lookout for something that's easy to clean, as close to golden retriever in color as possible, and also still snuggly.  We found the perfect blankie!  Naturally, Margo, who has an entire boat for her dog bed, took one look at the blankie and didn't understand that it was for Josie.  For a couple days, Margo, who loves her boat bed more than she loves her humans, only laid in Josie's bed.  Robert and I were a little grumpy about this but did not intervene.  Finally, at the end of the week, we walked into the living room and saw that Josie was fast asleep on her bed.  The only downside is that she just thinks it's an additional bed to move around.  We already have rugs everywhere for the dogs.  Now, more than half our living room floor is a patchwork of dog beds. 

Here is our lovely jerk of a dog, Margo claiming Josie's bed. 

And finally, Josie taking what's hers! (And Robert's foot)

We live very exciting lives here. 😆

Verdant Fusion

I enjoyed every minute making this piece, and it was definitely a new level for me.  What kind of level I don't know.  I just know it carried a different kind of weight and feeling.  I came across the words, "Verdant Fusion" on one of the tea bags that went into the piece and that's how the name came to be.

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get this piece sealed in time for the June art fair, but somehow it was ready with about two days to spare.  And it sold just like that.  I didn't even get to hang it up at home for a bit.  But it was also validating that what I felt with this piece and not only what I put into this piece, but what it gave me in return while making it, was felt by someone else.  And the connection with this person was instant.

This piece is made mostly with tea packaging, but a few other bits of packaging as well.  I used both beige and highlighter green acrylics to paint a background first (a weirdly stunning color combination), and then I just cut the pieces however I felt like cutting them and let the piece be what it wanted to be.  I decided to cover the sides as well, which I don't always do.  It's finicky work, is incredibly fragile, and sealing it is a bit of a nightmare.  But this piece required it.

Enjoying every drop of water we can find

As promised, here are a few pictures of the girls living it up.  This picture of Margo in one of our neighborhood fountains is in my top five favorites of her.  We've done a few fountain walks, joyfully raced through every sprinkler available, and made two trips to the pool that allows dogs.  It feels a little weird to have missed about a year of hiking, but I'm still wrestling with uneven surfaces and more than anything, just weirdly uncertain of even small ruts or divots in the grass.  I think we are really close to going back out on some trails.  The girls are definitely missing out on racing around spider-filled forests filled with mud and burs, but I think they're mostly content.

It's been busy, but I don't think they even know it.  They are usually right in the thick of things, tucked against someone's feet.  I think the only evidence they might have against us when it's busy is that we don't always pause at the refrigerators at work to give them ice.  It's a crime for sure, but they still want to keep us (I think).

Life Update

Since the last time I posted I've had two amazing art fairs, started tentatively jogging again, hired a full-time person, created a couple pieces of new art, and have been living life to its fullest.

A few weeks ago my physical therapist added jumping and some brief jogging, skipping, and lateral ski jumps into my routine.  I have also been doing some very brief jogging outside of PT.  Currently, I'm doing four to five sets of one minute of jogging and three minutes of walking.  It's been a slow journey.  I'll do one day then have some pain for a few days and then try again.  The goal is to be able to advance to two minutes of jogging after doing three of these jogs in a week with no pain.  I have some deeper pain (normal), and surface pain - bursitis over the scar tissue, cracking, and a wicked, persistent blister.  Though the deeper pain is the one to keep to a dull roar, the mixed bag of angry sensations in my heel has been unpleasant.  On days I'm not doing PT I walk around the house for a bit to see if I should do a jogging session.  No deeper pain and Robert and I drive up to the track at a local school.  I have not been cleared to jog on hard surfaces. If it's deeper pain with no surface pain I go for a walk with the dogs.  If there's any surface pain at all I do my mixed bag of yoga, pilates, strength training and some elliptical, which I can do in crocs (pretty much anything I can do without shoes or with the crocs so I'm not irritating all the boo boos).  I've also been swimming when everything is dry.  Sometimes all it takes is one short walk with the girls to get everything irritated again.

As you can imagine, this takes up quite a bit of time.  I feel like I can actually see tennis in my future again, so I am up for all of this weird, time-consuming exercise.  I am SO thankful it's summer and I can wear backless shoes a majority of the time.  Hopefully by the time it gets cooler I can wear shoes with backs without any misery involved.

When I haven't been focused on all the weird exercise, work has consumed much of my time.  We had a bunch of interviews, hired someone I feel hopeful about, and have been busy, busy, busy.  We are in our final week of getting all the swim and dive trophies, plaques, medals, etc. ready.  Hundreds of these awards!  We are also still moving things around, improving spaces, organizational methods, and processes.  We are keeping our part-time person, so the new full-time person needs my desk.  So where to put my desk?!?  I am going to sit out front in our POS area, which will work out just fine.  I mentioned to Robert about wanting something for my desk, and he made a really good point.  He asked, "when do you actually sit at it?"  We are very fortunate to have a job that keeps us on our feet.  I still want to nest in my new spot, because I am a nester, but I don't have to give it 100% of my devotion.  

I've also been making art!  So much art!  I found a couple new entryways into the mystery so to speak, and have been trying out different techniques and also having an easier time telling the part of me that demands order and organization to shush it.

It's been a lot of very intense, in-depth, all-consuming work, and I think I'm ok with this.  When I sit down it's usually to sleep.  I'll try to post some pictures, reviews, and other this and that soon!

Wings and Knots

I have two new pieces that I have not shared yet.  One is a collage made with painted papers that came together easily and was a joy to make.  I have started three collages since then and all three have been on and off difficult.  One may be destined for timeout.  Another will need lots of 2 AM epiphanies to fully reveal itself.  And one is just a beautiful pain in the tush that's a lot of teeny tiny tweezer work.  So it's always a win when a piece just comes together with no fuss.

I think it's on a 10 x 10 wooden canvas and is titled, "Growing Wings."

I also finished a new zen piece that went from a tiny blob to fully done after one weekend where I found myself unable to walk away from it.  This piece has already sold.  I used multiple needles and broke a few in the process.  After some trial and error, I can say I officially love doubling up on French knots.  It took an upholstery needle to make the piles of French knots happen, but it was worth it.  This was also my first time using an oval hoop.  I usually use circular hoops and am also not a huge fan of plastic hoops, but I found this oval hoop at an art recycling place.  I enjoyed it so much I am now on the prowl for other unusual shapes.  I think the reason I didn't like plastic hoops was due to constantly adjusting the fabric because it slips more.  I was definitely adjusting the fabric the whole way, but it didn't bother me this go around.  Growth!  The family who bought this piece are planning to keep it in the hoop.  When the person bought this piece he sked me to take a picture with his family!  Naturally, I did not think to take a picture as well, and there were kids in the picture so it wouldn't have been a good idea.  But now I'm thinking that I will ask artists to take pictures with me when I buy their pieces.

I titled this one, "Fingerprint."

I am preparing for the first art fair of the season - Artsfest in Springfield, MO, which will be May 2nd & 3rd.  And by preparing, what I mean is that I am still moving at my normal snail's pace but spending as much time as I can working on my current pieces.  Hopefully at least one is spared the fate of the dumpster! 😆

I am determined to keep up on book reviews of the best books I read this year.  I have had pretty good luck with books so far in 2026.  How is everyone else fairing?

Here are my recent favorites:

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (Adult Fiction)

Libby Page also wrote The Lido, which I loved.

This was an incredibly sweet and cozy read despite the premise centering on a woman grieving the loss of her husband. The idea of a loved one buying a year of books to help their spouse process and survive their grief and even flourish, is brilliant. Libby Page takes this idea a step further with the found family and friendships that Tilly finds through the bookstore. How her relationship develops with the bookstore owner, Alfie (what a name!) is tastefully done and oh so sweet and genuine. Tilly's life changes multiple times throughout this book, and I was rooting for her every step of her multiple journeys.

The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong (Adult Fiction)

2026 is turning out to have some very adorable, warm, fuzzy reads. Even if the cuteness stops right now, I would have enough to carry me through to 2027. In addition to being adorable, this book is also incredibly imaginative. I felt like I was right there in Shpelling with Aurelia and Certainty, sorting through the magical items, getting to know the people who lived in the village, and watching the unwanted magical items transform the village in a big way. I was initially a little horrified by the use of magic to help the villagers. I know it sounds terrible, but I'm a bit of a rule follower, and I wanted Aurelia and Certainty to succeed, so I thought for sure they were going to be in trouble! And they kind of were, but how it all played out, especially Certainty's job (HOLY MOLY WHAT A JOB!), made me realize this was one of those times rules were meant to be broken.

I loved being taken on a wild slingshot ride of both both foul and poetic language, cursing that was always hilarious, things like "typical guild cowshit," and "no matter what-what fuckery they forced me to sign," completely new words like, "Thaumaturgy," and many, many metaphors like this one:

"Shpelling looked as though the gods had picked up a handful of cottages and shops and trees, shaken them in their fists, and rolled them like dice over a game board of hill fields."

Oh and there's a catdragon named Hope! I love my dogs, but I'm ready to level up if anyone knows of any catdragons who need homes.

Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa by Marilyn Chase (Adult Biography)

I started out reading the physical copy, which was a little heavy and just large enough that dragging it to bed was too much of a workout. I bought the Kindle version, which was the right move, because this book is meant to be savored, pored over, and liberally highlighted. Ruth Asawa was an amazing woman. I read a children's biography of her, and I knew an obsession was forming. Not just for Ruth Asawa but also for Josef Albers, who was one of her teachers and was very focused on how colors change based on what other colors they are with and also how important it is to transform something in art but keep its roots intact.

Naturally, I checked out all the books I could find on both artists from the library and dived in. This particular biography is a treat for the soul. My only complaint is that Marilyn Chase would talk about something (like Ruth Asawa's wedding dress) and not include the picture. This happened a frustrating number of times.

No matter. What I hoped to glean from this book was Ruth Asawa's artistic practice, more information about her family's internment at the concentration camps and how it shaped Ruth, how much living she managed to cram into every day, her efforts to make art accessible for children, and anything relating to the different techniques she used. This book has all of this and in so much detail with so many artifacts such as letters (even the letters her family wrote to the government to free their innocent father, who was imprisoned in a different camp), it's staggering. I am now ready to purchase the hard copy of this book, so I can spend the rest of my life rereading it.

Here are my favorite moments:

"Albers's views on the relativity and interaction of colors were fresh and daring - he argued that colors changed when placed side by side, like people who change in relation to each other."

An excerpt from an interview with Ruth about Josef Albers: "One of the problems that he gave in school, was never to see anything in isolation; that you can define space and you can define an object by defining the space around it."

From a letter written from Ruth's husband, Albert to Ruth prior to being married: "I will take no more love from you until you have given your own work the love it deserves." How romantic is that?

Ruth even put Josef Albers's color theory to practice when making a red and green tomato sign for their roadside stand. "Putting contrasting colors of the same intensity side-by-side creates a vibration - making viewers blink."

A quote from Ruth: "Insomnia is nothing more than a fear of losing time."

Someone who received one of Ruth's sculptures wrote Ruth that "her new sculpture was mounted in her apartment, and breathing elegantly."

Ruth talking about bronze casting: "Ruth still adored the slow-motion ballet of found-rymen in silver fireproof suits, tilting the crucible to pour molten bronze heated to 4000°F into ceramic molds. After the shimmering heat cooled, and the bronze relief was cleaned of impurities, a rich coppery brown patina was applied and waxed for luster."

Ruth and Albert's ashes were incorporated into clay that was used for ceramic pieces for family members. "True to her teacher Albers, Ruth made sure her earthly matter was not destroyed but rather transformed until, in the end, Ruth Osawa herself became a work of art."

The Good Kind of Busy

It has been a busy, busy past few weeks.  We unfortunately had to let one of my employees go, and we continue to have an abundance of orders.  There was one week in February where we slowed down, but that has been our only break since October.  The good news is I have one employee who is a go-getter and just an all-around amazing person.  We also both enjoy the work and have a good sense of humor about the moments when the shit hits the fan.  We also have someone who is interested in part-time work who is starting soon.  This has enormously lowered my stress levels.  It gives us time to spread the word about the open full-time position, eases the workload, and this person is someone I think N and I are going to work really well with.  

On that note, if you know of someone who lives in the Kansas City area and loves learning new things, problem solving, building and creating awards, gifts, and pieces of art, and most importantly is someone who is accountable and really going to care deeply about our customers and projects, I am hiring!  It's also a really fun place to work.  Both N and I bring our dogs to work, we usually have music going, and are really collaborative in spirit.  Plus the customers and their stories are everything. 

I also had an art show that I just wrapped up literally today!  I don't know if this is the typical artist experience, but I just keep having these incredibly amazing experiences with showing my work.  I have been so fortunate to meet such beautiful, artistic, and caring souls with each opportunity.

Having an art show at Beggars Table was an experience I'm never going to forget.  The whole setup and how they do it is a dream.  It is both a church and gallery, which is quickly becoming my favorite combination.  This is the third church I've seen recently that also supports the art community.  I was so nervous for the First Friday reception!  But Beggars Table has "hosts" for artists, who seem more like buddies than hosts. My two hosts, Andrew and John, were there for every question I had and super supportive.  During First Friday, Andrew (who has the unicorn job of bookmobile librarian) and I chatted off and on the entire evening.  It was so nice to talk about books with him inbetween all the times I worked up the courage to thank people for coming.  

In addition to First Friday, Beggars Table invites their artists to a Sunday service during the time their artwork is up and gives them time at the end of the service for an artist talk.  It was a beautiful place to have service, and the music was particularly lovely in the space.  I had lots of opportunities to talk to people about anything and everything relating to art.  Robert and I then took down the artwork today.  I will be encouraging all the artists I know to apply for a show at this gallery.  In addition to prints, I sold five originals, which I'm over the moon about.  I even got to meet just about everyone who bought an original, with the exception of one piece.  

As with a lot of moments where I'm trying to be fully present, I failed to take pictures.  But I do have a couple from our setup day.

Aside from work and the art show, I have been spending some time getting ready for my first art fair this year - the Artsfest in Springfield, Missouri.  I so enjoyed going last year with Robert, I told him there's no way I'm not applying again.  It's such an artsy town that's very dear to me.  When I was growing up, it was the place my family went to once a year to visit their mall (a mall that is still standing surprisingly), and it was the first place I lived when starting my college journey.

This year for Artsfest I will have new prints, a few new originals, stickers (which I've had many requests for and finally caved, and now hell I get it), and hopefully notebooks, but we are struggling to get the details finalized on these, so I may bring them out at my next art fair.  We shall see.

It's been very busy but the good kind of busy.  I should be able to devote some time to blogging and time to reflect and relish all the good that's come our way.

Come see my work at Beggars Table!

For those in the Kansas City area, please join me April 3rd at Beggar's Table.

My work will be up for a few weeks, and the gallery is also a church that has service on Sundays.

I'm super excited for this opportunity and cannot wait to be a part of the magic of this gallery and the excitement of First Fridays!

Soaking up their sunshine

It has been a whirlwind here.  I flew to Tucson at the end of February and spent a few days with my brother, Scott and his family, and before I got back Robert left for a week to do a couple jobs in Colorado.  We are both back home and getting caught up on life.

Getting to see my brother and his crew was much-needed balm for my soul.  I adore them all, and it's tough to be an aunt and sister form afar.

I finally got to meet my nephew, Grant, who is just over a year old.  It was a wild time, and we lived it up like we always do when we get together.  

Here are a few moments from our time together:

My first day there we went to Tohono Chul, which is one of my favorite places on earth.  It's this magical botanical garden filled with incredible art, more desert beauty than you can possibly see in one go, and passionate docents who are eager to share their knowledge.  Tohono Chul also has an art gallery, a crested saguaro who is one of my soul mates, and a lovely children's area.

Savannah, who is four, has that same sideways look and smile Scott wore in so many of his childhood pictures.  Grant, who is just over a year old, is ready to drive!

Here is Gumby, the crested saguaro.  I met him in 2021 on a visit out there, and he's become a presence in my dreams.  I've had some great conversations with docents about this saguaro and have been working on a poem about him for a few years.

We also visited the Children's Museum, which is another Tucson treasure.  We had a lot of fun pretending to shop, playing with blocks, making bats zip across the room, and pretending to drive things like a real fire truck!

We went swimming, moseyed around aimlessly, and spent a lot of time just enjoying each other.  Autumn, who is twelve, and I worked on her journal, which is a Wreck This Journal.  We painted pages and then destroyed them.  We sewed some things into her journal using the most haphazard stitches so it would be perfectly ugly.  The journal is barely in one piece at this point and would never be something I would enjoy but I love that Autumn is so into it, and I was happy to wreck it with her after watching her wreck it over FaceTime the last few months.  I also got to see the last few minutes of one her rehearsals at the musical company she's a part of.  Savannah and I spent plenty of time playing outside on her slide and swing, and we even drew chalk creatures together.  I held Grant every chance I got, because I'm sure he'll be walking next time I see him!

Autumn is as tall as me!

It's tough to be so far away from my family - I have an Arizona brother, Texas brother, and Florida brother.  Leaving any one of them and their families completely wipes me out.  Scott is the brother closest in age to me, and I've pretty much spent my entire life looking up to him.  I wish we could live closer to each other, but life has taken us to different places.  I cherish every moment I get to spend with him.  Watching him be a dad is a whole new side of him that I treasure, and I'm so stinking proud of him.  I'm so thrilled I have a handful of pictures and videos to tide me over until I see him and his crew again.