The Process vs The Practical.

  The month of March had me out of commission; I spent 3/4 of it in downstate Michigan helping my mother to recover from some back surgery, hence the lag in blog posts. I had considered posting but I was really too tired to put more than a few sentences together so decided to hold off- I'm sure none of you wanted to read that!

  And now it's almost May and, I have to say, this has been one hella disjointed winter! I was in New Orleans for about 6 weeks just into the new year, then to my mother's, then a week with my brother at his new place in South Carolina. I flew home from there, with Jack going back to New Orleans for some work.  Throughout it all, I managed to finish the manuscript of Book 3 in the Faerie Tale Chronicles series and will begin editing on Monday. 

  Regarding the writing; it's a struggle between my head and my heart every day. Every. Day. I had never ever planned on being an author and had never written fiction. That being said, there are these stories that I feel compelled to write down; they are already there, just waiting for me to get the words out. That process is personal, amazing, and almost spiritual; these characters that speak and have lives that they want other people to know about. The physical books make the ethereal material, so says my heart. 

  My head, however, says things like How much is this costing? Can you recoup the money? Where are these books going? Is anyone but you interested in these stories? Perhaps it'd be best to just keep them as digital ebooks which are essentially free and you won't be using family resources for this ego-trip. You must promote these to sell these but don't promote too much or you'll look pathetic. 

  I try to walk the line between head and heart by simply writing and enjoying the process but there are the downtimes when it's a battle between the two and I have to just walk away and wait for the storm to calm down. This is one of those times... it gets better and I doubt that I'm not the only creative human that battles the process vs the practical but sometimes it seems like it.

  Anyway, Book 3 is almost a physical reality and the restaurant will be starting up again in about 3 weeks for the summer season which means I will be running so fast that none of those internal debates will matter for a bit. :-) The hyper-focus of the summer months is almost a respite from the internal monologues of the off-season! 

  And Spring is really almost here- so says the calendar! Ha! The temperature hasn't yet received that memo and it's been COLD, like midwinter cold! Last night was in the low 20s but the sun is out this morning so at least it's bright. I'm going to my daughter's for dinner this evening and out with some friends tomorrow night in a concentrated effort to get out of my cave mentality - obviously too much time in my own head isn't a good thing for me! 
Spring is always a slightly dangerous time; it's a liminal space within the Wheel of the Year. And while the overriding cultural idea is that it's all about new beginnings and rebirth it has also shown itself to be a time of clearing away and removal of what no longer serves... Summer? Summer is full-on abundance and activity and energy and I welcome it every year. 

Never Underestimate the Power of Paint

 We recently moved apartments here in New Orleans. While I was absolutely in love with our little second-floor walk-up with its front and back balconies 'little' was the operative word and it became very apparent that my goal of spending the majority of the winter months down here would be dashed if I didn't find a larger place. 

  So about two weeks into our stay I set my intentions on a larger apartment that would be in our price range, and in our neighborhood. A tall order, indeed, but Spirit listens and not only did I find us everything listed above but located almost directly across the street from where we were!

  So the new place is easily twice the space of the old with a living room,  two bedrooms, a full bathroom, laundry room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, and a small space between us and the neighbor's house (actually, our landlords) that we can use as a dog-run freeing us up from the 'must do' chore of 3 times a day walks with the dogs. 

  The previous tenants had lived here a long time and the apartment was a little rough but it had great bones and checked every box -plus some- so we applied and spent a nervous bunch of days waiting to hear if we would be approved. It was a real nail-biter of a week! Approval finally came and we set to work scrubbing and patching and repairing. 

Here's what we started with- the living room was painted a golden yellow, the first bedroom through the pocket doors a very dark red, the second bedroom a blinding blue. By the time we got to the dining room and kitchen the walls were decked in brilliant lemon yellow. The bathroom finished off the colorful pinwheel with lime green walls!

So above you have the basic idea of the layout of the apartment (beyond the dining room is a kitchen and then a laundry room and finally the bathroom at the far end).  Most people don't care for the traditional 'train car' layout of the Shotgun cottages and, while they do present challenges- we are always up for a challenge LOL.

  Once we had the keys in hand we got to work - the majority of this being done by Jack. Scrubbing, patching, repairing, and painting everything that didn't move out of the way. The gorgeous hardware on the massive pocket doors was freed from decades of paint and we uncovered the blocked-up fireplaces to see what was there. Two still had the pretty iron inserts intact so we left them open.

  Once the painting was completed we moved in and began to make it a home--

Iron insert with original paint

cleaned up pocket door hardware

living room

living room with opened fireplace

decorated mantle in the second bedroom

decorated mantle in the first bedroom

Dining Room coming along.

We went with a soft Dove Gray with Gloss White trim throughout to freshen it up and make future repairs easier. We used art and furnishings to provide the pops of color rather than wall paint. 

  There are still little things here and there that I want to do but for now, it's completed and comfortable, and ready for extended stays by us and additional family members. And of course, our son lives here all the time so he's thrilled to have a space that he's not run out of when other people are in residence! 

  We head back to Michigan in a few days, I'll be sad to leave here but Spring is fast approaching, and with it my very busy season.  

~Annie

 

Wherever you go, there you are

 Good Morning~

Live Oak in Armstrong Park

 I'm still in New Orleans and it's been lovely so far; Jack has had a TON of work and I've gotten some painting and writing done. Could we do it, there's enough work to take us straight through until April- and he may come back down -but I need to head back north before then to my mother's in southern Michigan to help her after some surgery that she has scheduled.  Next year I plan on being down here for the majority of the winter; there's work enough to stay and we have a place to hang our hats.

  All of that being said, it's still the time of year when I start looking to summer and filling in the calendar with rental info, festival dates, opening times for the restaurant, and posting for applicants. Opening day for the restaurant is May 20th this season and the apartment will be available for summer rentals shortly before that. I still need to reevaluate menu items and prices but it's a little early for that. If I'm short-handed this year in the kitchen (meaning, just me in there) then I will need to cut items from the menu. I hate to do it, but I need to be able to get the food out...  Sometimes being practical supersedes creativity. 

  There's not a ton to update; my days are pretty low-key. I write or paint, walk the dogs, walk to the market, play with my potted plants on the balconies. We've had dinner a few times with friends but we're pretty much 'home bodies' wherever home currently is. Yesterday we walked to the outlet mall and then through the French Quarter because it was nice and warm and today had rain (accurately) forecasted. 

 Today it is raining as promised. I'm going to vacuum and straighten up the apartment and then figure out dinner. 

  Book 3 is coming along slowly; this story needs a bit more in the 'crafting' of the tale and is more complicated than the first two. At first, I was panicking that it wasn't going as quickly but I've settled into its own peculiar pace for now. It's going to be wonderful when it's done and available to readers this fall :-) 

  That's all for now; be good to yourselves~

   

  

The Drive To Create

 

Good Morning out there-

 We've arrived at the New Orleans apartment after an uneventful drive down (the best kind of drive, really) last week. It's taken about that long to get settled in and work into a routine and I think everyone is feeling a bit more relaxed now. Part of the routine is dog-walking. Unlike in rural Northern Michigan, there is no fenced-in back yard here in the Treme where we can open the back door and let the dogs out on demand. Now we get up early in the morning and take them out on a walk first thing. Sometimes they go back again after they've eaten. Then mid-afternoon and again just before bed at night. Having large dogs in the city is not at all convenient and if I were to live here full time would not have gotten two! The dogs seem to be enjoying their new surroundings though, so there's that. 

  I'm beginning day two of painting a mural for the front balcony- I expect to be done today which is good; I'm normally a start and finish in one go kind of painter but this is on a much larger scale than I normally work with, so multiple days it is! 

 My husband has begun one of the jobs scheduled for our time here adding to a more normal routine rather than a 'vacation' vibe that prevailed in the first few days of our arrival. 

  I have not settled in enough to start work again on Book 3 but I will... I need to figure out when to write, morning or evening. Up north I write in the morning but I haven't felt that groove here so I'm going to feel out the evenings and see if that's a time that works for me. I'm a picky writer- I need to 'feel it' and so far I haven't. Probably a couple of things:  first is the move and settle in time along with a time change that always throws me out of wack. Secondly- as much as I hate to admit it- has been the lukewarm reception of Book 2 thus far. I try to remind myself that I create because the process is fulfilling but reception does count and so far it's been fairly blah. Hopefully, that will change once the holidays are past us but if not I need to just buckle down and keep writing...  I'm proud of the first two books and believe that book 3 will be amazing... 

 But for today the creative outlet is paint. As soon as I straighten up the kitchen and put a quiche in the oven then I'll get back to work on that project... 

 I Hope everyone had a lovely and magical Holiday season <3 

Holiday Season Go-time

 Well, no matter how I try to keep the winter holidays simple it's really my own mindset that complicates it, and it struck again yesterday when I had to have a stern talking to with myself.

 I woke exhausted having had nightmares for most of the previous night and started right off spinning into a 'all of the things must be done right now!' frame of mind which makes me and everyone around me crazy. Lists help me with this by framing the day, prioritizing because, really- not everything ever has to be done in one day- or at all! So a reasonable list, an unreasonable amount of coffee and I was feeling better which made for a better day for me and the people around me. 

 So, what is the craziness that has me spinning? In my defense, it really is * a lot * but it's not as bad as I can make it: We've moved the Christmas celebrations up a day due to family work schedules, my husband is working 12 hour days to finish a big job (today is the deadline), the sump pumps went out and need to be repaired before we leave for New Orleans early on the 26th. The house needs to be de-holidayed before we leave as well because we'll be gone for the month. But one step at a time and one foot in front of the other and the must-dos get done and I still have a nice holiday too. 

  The highlight of the holiday, so far, was the craft day that we had with the Grandkids a couple of days ago. We made glittered snowflake ornaments, beaded necklaces for the other Grandmas, decorated cookies, and watched Christmas shows. It was such a great afternoon! Days like THAT are the must-dos. 

  The next post will probably be from New Orleans where, once I'm in and settled, work will resume on Book 3 of The Faerie Tale Chronicles and paintings will be created.  A month in the warmth and vibrancy and seeing our son will be lovely. 

 Until then- have a wonderful Holiday Season in whatever way you celebrate and be good to yourself. 

~Annie

"What Greater Gift Than the Love of a Cat"

 

Charles Dickens wrote that and again: This author seemed to touch deeper truths with all of his works and words. 

  I said goodbye to my Tilly-cat at 11:10 am on December 17th. I've mourned the loss of many pets over the years but this time it has cut so deep that I'm sure I will bleed loneliness and heartache for many years to come. I physically hurt and keep walking into my studio to say hello to her but, of course, there's no answer. I feel her presence though, so I still talk to her like I did before she physically left. 

 I miss my Shadow, my Confidant, my Friend so very much and I wish I could have been more selfish and kept her with me a little while longer. She was ready to shed her illness-wracked body though,
and I owed it to her to do what she wanted and what was best for her. A dear friend says, "There is no good end to a good pet." I think she and Mr. Dickens would have gotten along well. 

 So, be joyous and pain-free now, my Tilly-cat; Queen of my studio, catcher (and sharer) of mice, and fierce holder of my heart. Go if you must, stay if you will - Hail and Fare Well. 

Of Cats, and Ornaments, and Bougainvillea Vines.

   

  12 days until Christmas and 11 days until our family celebrates (we're doing it all on the 24th this year due to health care workers' schedules.)

   Yesterday my daughter and granddaughter stopped by for a visit and while my daughter was communing with our cat who is ill, my granddaughter and I discussed each and every ornament on the Christmas Tree. Over the years I had become pretty ho-hum about them; I mean, I knew and appreciated the histories and significances of them but the wonder and joy had certainly diminished over the past thirty some odd years! (It seems very strange to write that- I can't possibly be that old!). Leave it to a five-year-old to remind me that the rag-tag bunch of baubles and bits are magical - I am grateful to her. :-)

   After they left I tackled a very large canvas that Jack had sketched a New Orleans building on for me. He's wonderful at drawing and perspective and I am - challenged -  LOL! My wonky way of looking at things comes in handy for landscapes but not so much for windows and balconies and I'm blessed with someone who will take my pictures and transfer them to canvas for me to paint. 

 I completely ignored the housework, the laundry, dinner, and the floors in favor of painting as this will be the last time I get to do this before Christmas. And it was a lovely afternoon and evening. I spent about 8 hours with the canvas and paints and visited with my cat, Tilly. She and I talked about when she first came to me- a pregnant and scared foster who claimed me as her own and stayed even as her kittens found other homes. As I painted the building's trim and blocked in windows Tilly watched it all from her perch on the tall wooden stool. She chirped back at me as I added depth and highlights, doors and flagstones. By the time I had gotten to bougainvillea vines and hanging ferns she was fast asleep. I will cherish that day and the next few that I have with her. She will be with me in spirit this Christmas and all year round in my studio. 

 Dickens knew a deeper truth when he penned A Christmas Carol. Aside from the social commentary, there is a spiritual depth to this time of year; ghosts do wander and spirits do visit. The ghosts of friends Past, the spirits of animals companions Present, and the wonder of the holidays To Come ushered in by the youngest of us.