Reading some eBooks from Toronto Public Library on my device. These books disappear after 3 weeks - you can renew for another 3 weeks if the book isn't on hold. All eBooks I've borrowed are on hold. Apparently, publishers grant the library a license that costs say $80. for 4 copies for a year, after that year the library has to renew the licence and pay all over again. Seems like a sweet deal for publishers.

Because of the way publishers charge libraries for eBooks, and the very limited number of copies of each book that there are, you can be waiting up to 6 months on hold for an eBook.

Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez has been on my "a" list forever. It is factual, humane, and the poetry of his writing is magnificent!

Here's a sample of soil writing:

Soil, dirt. Stuff I love! The base of our organic lives and our food. "Soil is a living system, a combination of dirt (particles of sand, clay, and silt) and decaying and processed organic matter. It is created by erosion, fracture, and the secretion of organic acids; by animals and plants like beetles (saprophages) and mushrooms (saprophytes) that break down dead matter; and by the excretions of earthworms. It draws in oxygen like an animal, through myriad tunnels built by ants, rodents, and worms. And it is inhabited throughout by hundreds of creatures---nematodes, mites, springtails, and soil bacteria and fungi." Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams (screen 85/1127 on my device).

 
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez


1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin

I am finding this book long, in the way that poets do. But I am amazed at how many resonances with my own life I am finding in its pages. It is well researched and well written.

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Determined to draw on NYE, crazy idea, I attempted... lol! NOT a night to draw! Full of delicious food, too much wine and the warmth of great company! Sharing anyway 'cause what the heck, it's a NEW year! Bring it on, 2016!!!

WISHING ALL OF YOU LOVELIES the BEST year ahead, full of wonderful surprises, health, prosperity, accomplishment and so much love, warmth & friendship you feel every day is pure blessing.

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Woman Making Her Way. We'll all make our ways into the New Year!

A sketch from maybe 2014.
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Because I was asked for 300dpi images in black and white, I decided to re-shoot what I had. That took awhile, and processing was forever. Then I hunted through old hard drives and actually found some images well over a decade old, all as blessed Photoshop files except for one jpeg. And those old hard drives still run, how great is that?! All in all, I think it's about 30 images, and they have taken a solid 15 hours of work. I had finished coffee by the time I began at 9am, and it is now past midnight! Dinner was some frozen and defrosted leftover turkey that wasn't very good. Lol! The book won't be out until Fall 2016, but there are deadlines... and I want to sweep the old year out with a flourish. Done, just in time for for the New Year!
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Very happy with how these images are turning out, with, of course, quite a bit of work in Photoshop. These are from two different cameras and the images were done circa 2011. From now until next year, I will be Photoshopping! Certain I will make my end-of-year deadline with my publisher. ::Sighs with relief::
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Without sun for a month, I have not been able to take the drawings for my forthcoming book of poetry with Guernica Editions outside for a proper photo shoot in real live full spectrum sunlight. Here is my alternate set-up. Hardly know what I am doing. End of year deadline. Down to the proverbial wire.

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Probably my tenth message to Google's Help desk:

This spam site keeps opening when I open Chrome. It is not in my Preferences and I have never given it permission to invade the browser I use. I've sent a number of help messages to Google. I tried a website blocker, which, as you can see, has made the problem worse. If this keeps up, I will have to make Safari my default browser. If "devunity.org" continues to hijack my Chrome browser, I will be changing to Safari permanently. Chrome is neither private nor secure when a third party takes control of a user's opening pages.
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However you celebrate, together or alone, as a day of feasting or simply a holiday, enjoy!

My day is spent cooking both turkey and tofurky and multiple accompanying dishes for my extended family, and I love it.

For the first Christmas, since getting my adorable cat, Aria, in 2012, I have been able to hang ornaments. I only found one on the floor one morning - she's very good now. It was nice to get out my Balinese hand-made ornaments that I bought at a long-gone store in Toronto, Frida, one Boxing Day. It is only now that I truly appreciate their workmanship, the hands who made and painted them. Lamia is my favourite, followed by what has to be a shaman/trickster figure. They are all quite haunting in their own way.

                                                       

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Sun Stands Still

Solstice, a brief moment, the earth at its outer spin. Nothing stands still in the reversal. The warmth begins its journey back while the coldest months are yet to come. The shifting rotation offers paradox while the seasons glide along, glide along.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful, generous, gift-giving Solstice and brilliant New Year filled with love, health, success, warmth and enjoyment.

In the spirit of the rebirth of the sun:
light your sabre!

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Photo from Split Mask, a videopoem I am again working on.
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Small detail of a piece that I continued to work on after taking this photo. Mixed media, 2015. Really, just a doodle drawing, testing things.
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