It Was a Very Good Autumn!

One of my pumpkin people and a jack-o'-lantern in their new home.

This year has seen some significant strides forward for me. As my healing process has continued, aided by some hard-core therapy, I've felt lighter and more steady. I'm developing new coping skills, I'm becoming more mindful. I feel as though a part of me now has room for other things; plans for the future, space to rest and relax, awareness of each small moment of happiness and the return to the habit of searching for those moments.

I discovered the unexpected rewards of doing the work have been the resurgence of my creativity and the desire to get my hands back in clay and do what I do best. I find I look forward to sketching out my ideas and I'm feeling free enough to accept the mistakes which come with experimentation. They feel more like an, "a-ha!" than an, "uh-oh!"

The open house went well, as I mentioned before. Afterwards, I received a few pictures of my creations in their new homes, or waiting to go on to their new homes as gifts.

Several people sent messages telling me how happy they were with their new purchases; how they use them daily, how they put them on display for all year, rather than just Halloween, and how much happiness their purchases give them.

You can see the jack in the upper left corner!

There's a warm glow of satisfaction comes with pictures like these! And it makes me look forward to making even more wares for my clients.

BTW, I'm having a sale in my Etsy store until tomorrow night, so if you've been wanting to grab something for yourself, now's the time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 To my supporters, I wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Untitled (Man With a Bat on His Head)

 Via The Art Institute of Chicago. Edward Gorey, artist.

My Murder in November!

Those of you who have been following my blog from the beginning know that aside from my love of Hallowe'en, I'm also a creative and eclectic person. I describe myself as spiritual, not religious. I'm a firm believer in "use what works for you," in terms of your spiritual path, if you're on one.

Hence my Murder.

You're probably wondering what I mean by that.

Well, I started out life with a witchy/pagan leaning. I naturally gravitated towards animals and plants. At one time, I thought about becoming a licensed falconer (gave it up because the ones I knew were dirt poor and always late with their rent). I've owned a horse, multiple dogs and a few cats over the years. More often than not, animals seem to like me from the get-go.

Those we think of as witches were always noted for their connection to nature, its cycles and its creatures. When they're pictured in old texts, they're usually surrounded by wild things, especially crows. 

Los Angeles is pretty much overrun by crows. You hear them calling all day long. It's part of the background noise of the city, along with the flock of wild parrots which traverses the San Fernando Valley, screeching their presence to anyone who'll listen.

I decided that since I'm now a Woman of a Certain Age, living my own life by my own terms, what I really needed to do is something that would have gotten me burned as a witch or diagnosed with "hysteria" a hundred years ago. Hence, my seduction of the crows which hang around my office parking lot.

It's gotten to the stage where, when they see my car drive up, they start calling to each other and they start flying in to wait for their goodies. What started out as two or three has grown to nine or ten. They give me good eye contact, and I'm sure they have my face in their memories, now, with or without my mask. The other day, I took Grace for a quick walk around the block and had several of them accompany me down the block, flying ahead to land on the tree in front of me, then on to the next and the next. It was a good feeling, even though I know they were still just trying to mooch more food.

I don't feed them all day, every day, because I don't want there to be complaints about bird poop or to attract rats. (I'm pals with the squirrel, Smalls, still.) I'm nothing if not a considerate weirdo!