Madame Lapin on a block

I'm slowly building a collection of little blocks based on a lot of work from my show. Madame Lapin proved to be a favorite, so I'm doing a few of these and start some giveaways. I sold the original to one of my good friends and thrilled that I get to visit the madame if I want!






















I'm thinking of creating some other characters in this series, but trying to decide if I should do a woodland theme (which is hot right now) or maybe a rain forest theme? Just throwing around ideas. I should ask my girls "what kind of animals do you want to see in a dress?" LOL! Maybe I'll go through their stuffed animals, dress them up and see what inspires some sketches. Seriously people, is this some crazy talk? I'm laughing at this post now.

Lillibands for fall

It's that time again! I'm working on the fall catalog for lillibands and it is always so much fun to design. I'm trying to come up with some fall-like imagery to incorporate in the background and borders. I think I'm going to use some watercolor and pencil drawings of acorns, tree branches and red, orange, yellow impressionistic-like leaves.















This season, Jen is introducing LilliWear, and collection of tshirt dresses, pocket skirts with matching tees and, my favorites, the little linen safari dresses pictured here. They are adorable and I especially love the ribbon tie on the back. I hope they are received well and can't wait to hear how Jen does at the next Mart show in July!

The models, Marly (my daughter) and Lilly (Jen's daughter) were so excited to wear these little numbers and show off with some dance steps in the lawn.

Been Caught Stealing

Have you ever been caught stealing? I have, and I can't remember how old I was, maybe 9 or 10, but it was when we used to walk to the hardware store from my friend Julie's house to buy penny candy. We usually did pay, but one time I got talked into a "group theft ring" where each of us would take a piece of candy and walk out the door separately. Well, that was a bit too obvious, because the clerk noticed each of us acting peculiar and called us out.






















Fortunately, these were the days that if you got caught shoplifting they didn't call the police or anything-just a reprimand enough to scare the pants off! This mischievous girl got caught, but she doesn't care and would do it again! Inspired by Jane's Addiction's song Been Caught Stealing. The original was sold at my show, but the print is available on my Etsy site.

Madame Lapin

C'est vrai, je suis belle. I will be very sad to see this little one go, I sold it on my opening night. The show closes this weekend and I take it all down on Tuesday, so if you haven't seen the collection yet, get on down to Steinbeck's and take a look! I will be finally posting all the work to my Etsy site and will also start listing some of my little blocks too.

Utter bliss

Oh yes, it is so wonderful at the beach. We are spending the week in Destin in a beautiful home in a community called Destiny by the Sea. Our friends the Kamean's we're generous enough to offer their beach house to us for our vacation this year! Yes, believe me, we feel extremely lucky and are so overwhelmed by their generosity.

We usually go to St. George Island twice a year. It is our most favorite place to visit. It's quiet and very un-touristy-quite the opposite of Destin! But with the kids, it's been nice here, Karina met a friend on the beach and we ventured out to Fuddpucker's and fed the alligators yesterday. Lots of putt putt golf, water parks, etc. SGI is still #1 in my book, though.






















After my show and all the stress of work, life, and obligations, it's been a welcome opportunity to do absolutely NOTHING. I mean, I haven't even read my book that much, just staring at the ocean, playing with the kids, having cocktails at random hours (oh yeah) taking walks. But it took about 3 days to let go of it all and really feel rested. The kids had to settle in to the new digs (us too) and the routine is becoming a bit more happy-go-lucky. With 3 days to go, I'm going to make the most of it, so bye-bye until I get back!

Steinbeck's art opening rocked!

My art opening was a success-I sold 6 paintings and 5 prints! So exciting for my first show, it was great fun and I think everyone had a really great time. Most of my friends made it out and I got to see some old faces as well. It was so cool to see people I haven't seen in awhile come out to see my work. And, there was definitely a lot of adrenaline and nervousness exuding from me that night! I really didn't know how my work would be received and if I would sell anything at all. But it was such a relief to hear everyone's compliments and especially interesting to see what people liked the most. Little Starling was a hit,(and sold!) many people loved Float, which was interesting because I didn't think that piece was very strong. Been Caught Stealing and Alice and the White Rabbit were favorites as well.















All my work will be on my Etsy site soon, I've just been underwater with graphic design projects and now getting out of town! We're off to the beach tomorrow, I'm so thrilled-a vacay is definitely required right now!

Can you feel it?

Can you feel the surge of relief from there? I am finished!! 15 finished paintings PLUS I decided to knock out 10 transfers of some of my favorites to 3 1/2" x 4" painted wood blocks. These are so cool, and give a yummy rustic quality to the prints when transferred. The work will be hung tomorrow morning and then I can officially enjoy the rest of my day and then get to relax with friends. I can hardly wait! It's actually NOT supposed to rain tomorrow night. It's been raining since Sunday, so it would be a huge drag to make my friends come out if the weather is bad. I'm going to stop into my friend Talia's shop, Squash Blossom and pick out a rockin' outfit to wear (i hope!) And, I'm going to bed at a reasonable time tonight-so tired of turning out the light at midnight and waking up at the crack of dawn with my kids.
















And to top it off, we're going to the beach on May 15 for a week and THAT my friends will be the icing on the cake. I'll post a recap of the show this weekend and hopefully I will reporting it a success! I'll also be posting all my work from the show to my Etsy shop so those who missed out will have an opportunity to purchase prints.

A little bird told me sketch

I've been a drawing, painting, concepting fiend these last few weeks. I'm starting to burn on fumes here, though. Very tired and as my show gets closer, I feel like I just want to squeeze out just a couple more paintings. I've got 14 and just finished sketching my last piece.






















Which is great, because 15 pieces was my goal and they will all be finished by next Thursday. I guess now I'm looking at all the pieces together and a few seem like they might not fit in my theme anymore. They may just have to do, but now I've got it in my head to maybe create a few more and then I can make some choices at the end in case I want to not include something. Boy, my brain is just going non-stop. I look forward to next weekend where I will be doing NOTHING! But what will that really be like? Restful, sure, but not having a deadline anymore for creating MY art? not sure how that will feel. This sketch is one of my last pieces I did featuring characters from fairy tales called, "A little bird told me"

oh little alice

They are getting cranked out now! I've finished the sketch for Alice and the white rabbit and will start this one tomorrow. I'm at 9 finished paintings

It's finally over-now on to better things!

Phew!!!! I am breathing easier right now because I finally finished a huge design project and it's at the printer. I've really been cranking it out the last couple weeks and had almost forgot what it's like to be sitting at the computer endlessly doing revisions and design and more revisions. UGH!! I can see my burnout looming in the future! But that being said, I'm pretty happy with the end product and it will be a pretty nice piece to add to my design portfolio.























But on to more exciting things. Now I get to focus and power through another 8 paintings for my upcoming show at Steinbeck's on Thursday, May 7. I've been doing a lot of sketches and have some random ideas, but getting them on canvas is another thing all together. I have 6 pieces ready and one more just about finished. My goal is to have 15 NEW pieces. Pretty lofty, eh? The one I'm showing is called "Anita: Silent and wary, they wonder where she's gone". I've really had to focus and make sure that each piece I do is show-worthy, so to speak. I mean, they all have to be GREAT!! I really hope I can be satisfied with the end results. The countdown is on, 15 days....oooh, when I think about it that way, I need to finish one every other day! I may have to include some prints....hmmmm.

Getting ready for Imaginary Worlds show

Lots of busy-ness going on these days between a big brochure project I've been working on for the Task Force for Global Health and getting ready for my solo show on May 7 (yes, you heard it first!). Actually, the anniversary book is almost to the printer and then I can really focus on cranking out some pieces for my show.






















The theme is "Imaginary Worlds" where I speak from the memories of a child. Capturing imagery illustrating a fleeting memory or glimpse of the past and where characters are caught in an expression of carefree whimsy and the viewer is given an opportunity to experience an intimate, nostalgic moment. This collection has been so much fun to work on and the ideas emanating are endless! I want to create just the right imagery, simple and powerful. It's been an incredible journey to wake up every morning wondering what ideas will emerge today and whether they will make the cut in the end. Stay tuned, I'm reluctant to post much of my new work because I want it to be sort of "unveiled" at the show. But I'm not that mean, here's a sneak peak, which is also available on my Etsy shop as a print.

Black bird's party

This black bird piece is 3x4 feet on canvas and was hanging in my bedroom for a few years before I took it down and reworked it. It was a monotone piece that I got sort of sick at looking at and felt like some color and fun was needed. Circuses and parties have been on the brain, so this little bird needed a party hat! I've only reworked existing paintings 2 times before, and both were large on canvas. I think it's because I have an "out with the old in with the new" kind of thought process.






















I remember when I was in college, my 3-d instructor had a show in the school gallery. He decided to burn all his previous work and create all new pieces for that show. At the time, I thought that was insane, cuckoo clock stuff, but now I can sort of relate. I went through a bunch of old paintings and threw out a bunch of stuff that was totally embarrassing-so bad! I know, I know, you might say that it's a document of progress. But right now, I feel like I only want to look at work I'm proud of and not be reminded of my mistakes.

Special K

Special K is a painting inspired by my little girl Karina. I haven't done a portrait of her EVER. Funny, I guess I just don't do many portraits and even feel like I'm not very good at them. And really, this doesn't look like her, she has soft brown hair and brown eyes, but I liked the idea of painting an impression of her.






















She is feisty, yet quiet, beautiful with a joyous laugh and maybe a little too serious at times. When Karina saw this piece, she knew it was her and didn't even comment on the red hair and how it is not an exact likeness of herself. That is the mind of a child, so accepting and she actually understands that I did it on purpose! Maybe her attitude is wearing off on me, I hope so. She is so special, isn't she?

A trip to the zoo

Spring is officially here and this weekend, since we had no social or work obligations it was so nice to wake up this morning, pack sandwiches and take a trip to the zoo! The animals were a little sleepy this morning, but I got some great pics of the giraffes. They are my daughter's favorite animals and they are becoming one of my favorites too.


















The girls ran around checking out all the exhibits (so nice to not have a stroller this time!) visiting the petting zoo (so stinky) and finally ended up at the most anticipated carousel ride. I decided to not ride this time and get some pics of the girls, and found myself getting some other images of the ride itself. Carousels are so cool! After a picnic lunch, a pit stop at the zoo playground, it was time to take two very exhausted little girls home for a restful afternoon. It was a good day.

Shimmering Roses

This afternoon I went to the Atlanta Bridal Show with my sister to check out all those things needed to plan a wedding. My sister is getting married in August, so she thought it would be fun to go to this show and get some ideas. Since I never had a traditional wedding of my own to plan, it was kind of cool to go through the motions of figuring out how to put a grand event together. It is going to be crazy challenging, but it surely will be fun. At the end of the day, there was a bridal fashion show.



















Totally hilarious models strutting around with goofy little skits and an obnoxious MC to boot. I could definitely do without him, but the models were actually great to watch. Some of the dresses though were gorgeous and it made me think about what I would choose if I had to. Not that I even want some big 'ol billowing white number, but it would be fun to pick that one amazing frock that makes you feel amazing. If I could ever afford one of Vera Wang's (or crazy enough to participate in the running of the brides at Filene's basement) I would wear this one called shimmering roses.

Once in a blue moon

Springtime is almost upon us in the southeastern part of the country, and I am ready and waiting! With the new of season, it's always inspiring to paint and create because of the sense of renewal and change. Woodland themes are all the rage these days. And so I thought I'd jump in and create a little nature scene of my own.






















This was actually inspired by Pierre et le loup (Peter and the Wolf) When we visited Paris 6 years ago (yikes!) we went into a book store and bought some French children's books for our future brood. We were talking about having kids and doing some travel before the big life changing event. This book has a cd and is narrated with beautiful music where each character represented with an instrument. Anyhow, it's not a wolf, but a red fox. Like I said, it was inspired in a way :)

Caught myself in a princess treasury!

I finally caught one of my pieces in a treasury today, my Neverland print! There's this cool little tool to search if you've been featured in an Etsy treasury at craftopolis.com. I was so excited because I've only been featured one other time and forgot to take a screen capture of it. So here's the Princess themed treasury for your viewing pleasure.

Unwavering Spirits

A piece I did a long time ago during my pastel and watercolor phase. But this piece spoke to me after I read Sea of Poppies, a story about the opium trade in India during British rule in the 1830's. One of those epic tales that sweeps you into a culture that is so unfamiliar territory to any of us who live a comfortable existence. The amazing tenacity of people and the struggle to survive in the most deplorable conditions. When visiting India, I saw the poverty and absolute suffering people endure and it is unforgettable. I can only think that those who are so devoted to their faith, it's all they possess. One constant in their lives that allow them to keep going.

This piece illustrates an unwavering spirit bird guiding and protecting even when a person is unaware, but still follows the pull of that spirit within themselves.

Designing a museum school logo

I have been working in a team effort on a logo design for a potential charter school in our neighborhood. Our community voted on the Museum Concept which is a curriculum that promotes project-oriented learning, partnerships with local museums and serving an intercultural community. It's very exciting to be in on the ground concepts and giving a unique look and feel to the school that will literally be the "face" of the establishment for years to come. I've had the opportunity to work with some super creative folks and love getting the community involved with choosing an identity. The logo above is my concept which is one of 3 that will be presented. The other two are designed by another artist. The vote is taking place tonight and I will be so excited to find out which idea is chosen!

Serenbe

So this weekend JT and I went on our anniversary trip to Serenbe, some 1000 acres of farmland with a guest house and private cottages set against a backdrop of horses, chickens and goats, walking trails, a small lake, rolling countryside and just downright peace and quiet. It's only 40 minutes south of Atlanta, so you feel out of town, but can zip right back to reality in minutes (that part is a little sad) But after the required decompression time, it was just a lovely place to relax and do nothing. We felt far away, and that was certainly the goal. February is not necessarily the best time to be here, but it was tranquil and very laid back. I do want to come back and see the wildflower fields and walk to the waterfalls. It was pretty cold, so more time by the fire and less time hiking around! Dinner at The Hil in the community nearby was outstanding. Organic food and delicious wine hit the spot. A place to remember.

Forever listen from your heart

Paula is listening to a little Poulenc, and losing herself in that musical trance. Have you ever had that moment when you're listening to the most profound music and it entrances you until the very last note is played and then after wards it echos in your head for a moment, and then it's gone. It actually feels like listening from your heart.






















Listening to a concert pianist play live is the most unbelievable experience. I'll never forget seeing this Belgian guy play Rachmoninav effortlessly, it was simply enthralling. I think the piece lasted 20 minutes or so and when it was over I realized that I hadn't moved or barely breathed the entire time. I was simply mesmerized, and it's not often we get to feel like that.

Sightseer-a trip to Paris

Hello love bug! This little turquoise Volkswagen beetle makes you smile, eh? Another piece in my "er" series. A collection of works using the theme of words ending in "er" The travel pieces will become more frequent only because I have oodles of reference of all the places we visited in the first decade of our marriage (yikes, scary when it's put that way!)






















Being a sightseer in Paris makes for some easy visual play since there are SO many incredible sights to translate on canvas. The Eiffel Tower is not one of the more beautiful sites, because it's always mobbed with people. And to tell you the truth, when we were there we didn't even go up o the top! It was evening, we enjoyed the view, and then went to drink wine and eat some amazing French food, tres bon! I really miss being the jet setter, but don't miss the actual "jetting" part. Planes are freaking me out these days, so I'm a land lubber for awhile. And would not mind cruising around in a a little blue bug either.

A little love bird mobile

A little metal love bird. I did similar version of this for an ornament exchange party in December and it was such a hit I decided to make some more. I'm going to try to sell these on Etsy, but in the meantime, I'll just make these and give them away as gifts!



















I've been using metal sheets purchased from Michael's, but checked out the hardware store and found metal flashing for MUCH cheaper. I just need to find the right gauge in order to cut it easily and make holes. So stay tuned and I hope to make a whole slew of these!

Listener: mixed media painting

So I needed to jump start a new series of work using a ink transfer technique I've been doing quite a bit. I decided to do a play on words and illustrate a series of paintings based on words or phrases ending in "er"























The lone image of a white deer on a textural background of joss paper and French music gives an interesting impression. Animals are great listeners, they have good hearing, and that helps! But they also are very aware and alert to everything around them. It's interesting to reflect how hard it is for most of us to listen, really listen, and be mindful and aware of all the beautiful things around us everyday. Appreciate, have grace, be present.

Dragonfly original spinning mobile

After many hours of thinking, fiddling around with my dragonfly drawing color schemes and finally, when I actually assembled this (it didn't take too long) and THEN figuring out how to photograph it with my SLR in Aperture Priority mode (seriously people).
























I finally assembled this original dragonfly spinning mobile that spins and delights in a window or corner of a room. For more information go here. I'm working on some origami pieces next, stay tuned.

Her Dress, original charcoal drawing

I've had this piece for a LONG time. Her Dress, an original drawing in charcoal on Rives BFK paper, was dug out of the archives, put in an Ikea frame and is now hanging in my house! The original is posted on Etsy.






















This one might be hard to let go, but I'll be interested to see if anyone likes this one as much as I do.

My dear-love card

I agonized over this one too much today. A simple concept should result in a simple implementation. Not so much with this one, got too picky, changed a bunch of stuff, and then went back to the original. Sigh, sometimes it's good to trust your gut on the first try!

Heart all a flutter

A little gem for Valentine's day-I just posted this one in my shop for $10. I think I will do a few small pieces to give a variety of images at that price point as well as an opportunity for customers to buy in 2s or 3s or create a group. We'll see. In the meantime, I won't be letting go of the original anytime soon, It's just gorgeous to look at, I must say :) I'm just drawn to shiny Joss paper, that's all.

New drawing in Etsy shop!

This is a gesture drawing from my collection of life drawings on paper. The image was drawn from life in one minute using charcoal on newsprint. The image is available as a print in varying sizes. Contact me for a quote! Click here for purchase information online.

Queen Bee

I had this drawing in my sketchbook for awhile and never got around to actually working on it. I'm playing around with ink transfers on paper, which is a bit challenging because the watercolor underneath tends to lift up pretty easily. If I let go of the imperfection of this technique, then some nice "happy accidents" occur with interesting texture and overlays of color.

New Shop on Etsy!

I finally got it together and put up a shop on Etsy. It showcases prints and original artwork (coming soon) for sale. Artwork is available to purchase of mixed-media works on paper and canvas. This is good for me, because I do a lot of personal work that goes into a drawer and doesn't get seen by many people. And it will help me to work on my fine art side, maybe work on getting a show...who knows? But it's just time for me to get my work out there and break out of the solitary studio where I crank out illustrations and design for clients all by my lonesome, sniff :)

The Good Things List

I was inspired by a "good things" list by Penelope Dullaghan awhile back and thought since I haven't posted anything regarding the new year, this would be as good a good excuse to write down what I'm thankful for and be a cup of overflowing optimism. I'm not very good at new year resolutions, so instead, maybe I can look back on this list next week, month or year, when I'm grumpy or impatient with my kids, yelling at the insane drivers on 285 or eyeball rolling any of my husband's air-brained antics:) and be inspired by these good things:

The Good Things

-the beach and all the wonderful and amazing things that go with it
-that it can be 70 degrees in January like yesterday
-my cat gives me unconditional love and is a great security blanket
-Marly, 2 1/2 saying "no, I want a piece of you!"
-finally knowing a mechanic who will not rip us off-and even fix our car at cost this time!
-Karina is attending the amazing Friends School
-discovering another level of creativity through my 5-year-old
-having an almost completely purged basement with a space carved out for my studio!
-my neighborhood, my dear friends
-book club, and all the wonderful memories made so far
-martinis with olives
-being healthy, finally
-yoga, and more yoga everyday
-the farmer's market, so glad it's down the street from me
-Twilight vampire teen horror series, yes, they are so good
-lentil soup, black bean soup, crab bisque, shrimp and grits-yum
-chai tea
-starbucks coffee, and proud of it
-peonies
-juice plus vitamins
-going to lunch with a girlfriend ( I really need to actually do that soon!)
-connecting with friends and family through facebook

Assemblage

I met another fellow artist, Jeni Stallings this morning at yoga class (hi Jeni!) and was totally intrigued by her yummy encaustic, oil and collage paintings. Since my website is still under construction, I wanted to start posting some of my wire assemblage pieces that I was telling her about. Here's one of my faves. Cheers.

The shopping is finished and the big holiday of the year is almost here. The kids are excited about Santa coming and are watching holiday movies to pass the time. As I shout to them to the other room that they cannot have any more cmas cookies until the party tonight, I give in again. So I leave this post by saying Merry Christmas and officially sign off to spend more time with my kids, and counting down to a big martini at the Cmas eve festivities tonight!

The Time Traveler's Wife

The artist, Clare, in this book had an intriguing edge as it related to the time traveling character, Henry. Her paper assemblages of birds and a direct comparison to Anselm Keifer, one of my favorite abstract artists, was a great connection. Clare was driven to creating beauty in her work much of the time with her final dark bird creation at the end of this tragic story. An amazing piece of fiction with visually rich metaphors and symbolism-lots of good stuff for making art!

Wondertime

Outside it is frosty and crisp. Some of my favorite things I see out a window or walking up the sidewalk are simple things added over the years to the landscape. Everything is so beautiful anyways in black and white, no? And with the high-contrast of winter, it is almost a must to see all of it this way.

O Christmas Tree

Last night was the annual lighting of the giant holly tree in downtown Avondale Estates. We have gone every year since we moved here (5 years!) And it is magical every time. The kids are definitely in to it, but I have an adult love affair with it as well. I love singing Christmas carols, sipping hot cider and munching on Krispy Kreme donuts (yes, so decadent!) It has been really cold every year so far, and this year was no different-37 degrees! But the sky was clear, no wind and it felt so, so Christmassy! Seriously, in Atlanta, it is hard to come by sometimes. I really do miss the holidays in MI, the snow falling, the beautiful snow-covered landscapes, drinking coffee by the fireplace. Just the coziness and hunkering down when the wind is whistling hard outside and the crackle of a roaring fire inside. Welcome winter!

Happy Red

How alluring is this number? So cozy and very retro inspired.

On paper

Experimenting with my favorite element of collage-old dress patterns. I picked up a few packs of these from the antique market and love how this stuff layers in so many interesting ways. Portraits are becoming a bit frequent and the simplicity of line and color.

A Lucky bag

Working on some fun fashion pieces highlighting a very cute Lucky bag in this one.

Twilight

October Pick
A vampy, teen novel with lots of gushing adolescent lovey-dovey angst. With Halloween just last weekend, it was fun to have one last spooky gathering with this theme. Comfort food to the max, white bean soup, tenderloin sammies, lasagna, homemade brownies, brie and rasberry filled filo cups, chocolate truffles and apple crisp. Bloody marys and red wine, of course. Our group is especially pumped to see the Twilight movie on Novemeber 21.
One theme that resonated with me in this book was the ubiquitous prom scene. The magical lights and dreamy eye-googling is every teen girl's dream. Even Bella, who didn't want to go to her prom, can't knock this moment.

Ghost

Halloween is always a blast in our neighborhood, and it's very easy to get in the spirit of being ghostly. I did this piece a couple weeks ago, and now that Halloween is over, it's kind of sad, sort of like the let-down feeling after Christmas or something, Wierd, I know, but taking down decorations yesterday was done with a lot of sighing and wistfulness.

A bag to have from Squash Blossom

This lusciously beautiful bag is from Squash Blossom boutique in Decatur, GA. I love velvet and the red accent on this piece is just exquisite! The wildly colorful patchwork is so unique and would be an awesome accessory for going out this fall.

A Fluevog is portrait-worthy

Chaos

It's 6:35 pm and all hell breaks loose around this time, it's interesting to know that when kids are being loud and there are feet pounding all over the place, questions, frustrations. Wait, just had to help my 5-year-old with the mechanics of the printer tray. And so, I sit and type with all this loudness and the only thing allowing any tolerance is a glass of wine. But this isn't all supposed to be complaints and any morose, it's just a commentary on my daily ritual. I can't even recollect what it "used to feel like" before kids, this is what it feels like now.

Lotta drawing going on here

Another drawing by Karina. It is a lovely thing to see the little sketches and paintings all over the house. She likes to tape them up on the wall underneath a acrylic on canvas piece I did. Does she want to be just like mommy? I hope so, but better! A funny action is watching how she jumps from activity to activity in a matter of minutes. She'll see a marker or piece of paper lying around and just immediately sit down and start creating something. "Where are my scissors mommy?" she asks. She will start cutting shapes into her folded up artwork to make a design, or start gluing collage pieces all over a background. She likes to draw in crayon and then paint over with watercolor noting the change in color it makes. Can you say mixed-media? Phenomenal!
Here's a cute little pen and ink on notebook paper.

The Mysterious Secret of the Valuable Treasure

The Golden Pineapples
This month's book pick by Jack Pendarvis, was a collection of short stories. This was some modern writing that took a bit of getting used to, but after book club, decided that it was worth giving it a chance and have a greater appreciation for the writing. I still don't know what the title means, but i liked this short story, coincidentally, because I see about a thousand squirrels a day in my neighborhood this time of year. It was almost silly to NOT do a piece on squirrels! Squirrels that watch you, that is.

"I think these squirrels are exhibiting some pretty strange behavior. I just want to know if they sit in that hollow and on that knot when I'm not around. Because it's pretty clear they're interested in me. I'm not saying that in a paranoid way. I'm sure it's just a phenomenon of nature gone awry, you know, like when baby ducks start following around a cat or something."

Incidentally, when I'm in the bathroom overlooking our backyard, there is always a squirrel perched on our deck looking in at me. A little disconcerting to say the least. Little m&%^)* voyeurs.