Because they make me smile: Sugar Skull ceramic planters from a nearby Trader Joe’s. I’m wondering if I could coax a Datura seedling into growing in one, instead of the succulent shown. Probably shouldn’t, though. Responsibility in gardening, and all that. But honestly: wouldn’t it be gorgeous?
Read More Happy Halloween, 2017!Note: ‘Natural’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘safe’. A surprising number of herbal products can harm or kill you, used improperly. This stuff is no exception. So if you are mad enough to make your own horehound candy, be careful and don’t overdo it, either in the making or the eating. These are horehound candy ‘sanded’ lozenges…
Read More Horehound candy from scratchGuilty as charged: I love Halloween more than I love Christmas. I used to be dazzled equally by both. I adored the lights, the glitter, the rich mythology. Both are consumer frenzies, but I hold that less against Halloween than I do Christmas. Not so much the fault of Christmas. It’s been hijacked by both ultra-conservative…
Read More Orange Orchids & a Halloween shirtI’m shamelessly neglecting my #Inktober duties. With so many disasters both natural and manmade in the news right now, I wanted to pull away briefly, and post two old-but-fun pieces inspired by Autumn. ‘Baltic Blue 1 and 2’ are large acrylic paintings on canvas, approx 22″x36″, done around 2009-2010. While pure fantasy, they were inspired…
Read More Autumn landscapes: Baltic Blue 1, 2Okay, we’ll try another version of this. In other words: writing is work. Often very hard work, that might pay little or nothing for an insane amount of time and labor. There is no set ‘destination’, since your career can skyrocket to best-seller and movie status, or crash into obscurity with equal speed. If you…
Read More Crane’s Guide to Writing and BakingA few years ago I posted this excerpt of a rewritten fantasy short story, ‘Red Amber’, a M/M erotic romance about creativity, grief, pride, and lost love. Here’s the current mood board for it. While I’m waiting on edit letters for THE PURIST, I’m settling back into this story. I have 12K of it written, so…
Read More ‘Red Amber’ update