hypotheticals

It is possible that just days after solemnly vowing to her beloved that they would add no more animals in their home, that someone might encounter a bird dying in the middle of a frozen road. Imagine a bitterly cold day and a tiny sisken, after being hit by a car, lying helplessly atop the frozen pavement. Imagine him in immediate danger of being smushed beneath the next set of tires to come by and seeming to be very close to succumbing to hypothermia. You couldn't expect our hypothetical friend to look the other way just because of a lover's pact; or because there are a million and one such creatures in the forest, or because it is illegal to do so, now could you? I'm sure that if this were to happen she probably figured she would take the bird home to die in warmth before returning him to nature. And if by surprise the little guy recovered his health, it wouldn't be right to put him out into the wicked cold until he could fly again, am I right? So, it is my opinion that federal law and the promises of lifelong partners should be subject to exceptions when faced with tiny frozen bodies... hypothetically.

Hey Big Brother!

My 15 year old woke me out of a sound sleep at 2 am last night because she'd found a website that keeps a public records style database on each and every one of us. By just plugging in my name you could have found my spouse's name, possibly my child's name, my address, phone number, our income, and either a google map to my house or an actual photograph of my house (not anymore, I've removed both myself and Larry). It is nothing short of a stalker's dream site...well, a lazy stalker's dream site. It's not like most of this information couldn't be had through lengthy and diligent research elsewhere but Spokeo has taken it upon themselves to do the legwork for you. I can't even imagine the plethora of nefariousness just ready and waiting for the right psycho to come along. And, if said psycho has $3 a month they can find unlimited goodies about you and everyone else they're interested in. I guess what I'm saying is go to Spokeo.com and plug in your name (and your partner's name) and see what's there. Then you can decide for yourself if you'd like to be removed.

On the bright side they valuated my home at a good $100,000 more than I thought it was worth. Happy stalking everyone! :)

www.spokeo.com

an arctic front on top of us

We're trapped underneath an arctic front today so (rather than using my time productively by finishing an illustration I started a few days ago) I've been dorking around on the computer digitally collaging an old sketch I found while rummaging through my art discs.

And while I'm not really thrilled with the sketch on it's own, there are elements that I like.

Meanwhile there's a yearling buck who's standing under my studio window begging me to come feed him. He's already had half a loaf of wheat bread but the high's around zero today so he's hard to ignore. I'm going to finish posting this, turn off the computer, and see what I've got leftover in the fridge that he might like.

for tara, as promised

An excerpt from party of one, THE LONER'S MANIFESTO by anneli rufus:

APART.

Such a simple concept. So concrete. So easy to represent on charts or diagrams with dots and pushpins either in or out. Yet real life is not dots. Some of us appear to be in, but we are out. And that is where we want to be. Not just want but need, the way the tuna needs the sea.

Simple: an orientation,not just a choice.

A fact.....We are loners. Which means we are at our best,

as Orsino says in the Twelth Night, when least in company.

We do not require company. The opposite in varying degrees,

it bores us, drains us, makes our eyes glaze over. Overcomes us like a steamroller....

Someone says to you, "Let's have lunch". You clench. Your sinews leap within you, angling for an escape. What others thrive on, what they take for granted, the contact and confraternity and sharing that gives them strength leaves us empty...

This is not about hate...It is not personal. I am not angry. Nor is this about being afraid. I am not shy. I do not have terrible manners. ..

Being a loner is not about hate, but need. We need what others dread.

We dread what others need.

stalking birds

(a bald eagle in flight being watched by a raven and some magpies)

Today was our area's annual Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count so I thought I'd post some of the pictures I took while we were out and about.

(not far from our house, looking toward the foothills)

(another adult bald eagle in flight near Tunnel Hill)

(looking away from the mountains)

(an immature bald eagle too hungry to care about us.)

(just a horse)

~Our tally~

4 mallards

4 Bald Eagles

2 Rough Legged Hawks

3 Golden Eagles (fighting over a carcass)

4 Ring Necked Pheasants

59 wild turkey

1 Hairy Woodpecker

23 Magpies

7 Crows

1 Raven

12 Black Capped Chickadees

2 Mountain Chickadees

3 Red-Breasted Nuthatches

2 White-Breasted Nuthatches

29 Juncos

&

1 Pine Siskin

The year of "just being"...

Happy New Years everyone,

I hope the year is starting in a good place for you.

I was trying to imagine what 2011 was going to be for me.

*2006 was the year of Girl Scouts :(

*2007 was the year of ebay

*2008, the year of blogging

*2009 was the year of educating myself (learning some really basic photography, refreshing my knowledge of perspective, and developing some passable photoshop skills among other things).

In 2010 I decided that what I really needed to do (having walked away from making “real art” in 1997) was to redefine myself as an illustrator and to increase my studio time while improving my work ethic. Unfortunately 2010 was also the year that I decided that drawing stupid cartoons for clients (aka illustration) is NOT my strength, and is not something I wanted to spend my days doing. I have an Annie Dillard quote on the wall above my computer which says that

“How we spend out days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

and I refuse to spend my life struggling to produce mediocre cartoons.

So, in 2011 I want to just be. No “shoulds”, no forcing new skills, no trying to make myself into something relevant; just allowing whatever is, to be. I'll probably do some stock since I enjoy that and I might even revisit “art” (sans the morbidly narcissistic seriousness of the "art world"). If I don't end up creating anything at all, that's okay too, because 2011 is the year of "just being" and that's enough. Sat Nam.