Well, I got good and sick today; a head cold complete with sneezing, coughing, and some genuine fatigue.  Maria sat and read alongside me this morning; she is getting over her cold, generously turning it over to me. In between falling asleep, I finished my first Jane Parker mystery, The Exiles, featuring Aaron Falk, an Australian federal police investigator.

I liked it a lot. She has a straightforward, thoughtful, and clever style, full of great Australian dialogue and detail. No serial killers eating helpless women and children, no prolonged drama. I’ve got her first book, The Dry, and will start it this afternoon. The ending is a surprise but makes perfect sense. She plays fear and treats her readers with respect. Most of the mysteries I’m reading these days are overdone – six different endings; they seem never to end.

This is one of the good ones.

(A very beautiful sunrise this morning, warm and full of clouds and shadow.)

I went outside once this morning to take my daily photo of the sunrise, and I was not disappointed. But I had to get back inside and lie down. I decided to do a Photo Journal that captured what being inside of my house all day is like a challenge to my beauty. I had to think about creativity. What is beautiful around me, trapped inside a small farmhouse?

I thought a lot about love. I love Maria in a way I never expected to love anyone, in a way I had never known. And the amazing thing is that she loves me back. I love that she went off to meet with a good friend; she doesn’t feel the need to caretaker me day and night. I wouldn’t want that; she doesn’t need to do it.

It is a goal of mine that she never be caretaking me full-time, and it’s a goal of hers too.

(My Office Window)

I love her independence as well as her creativity. The good thing about being apart from someone you love so much is that you really look forward to their return. It keeps me strong. For me, head colds are a chance to read and rest. They never last long.

A long-time reader messaged me today to tell me I have too many “snits.” Let it go, she demanded. She’s been reading me from the beginning and has long urged me to be sweeter. It’s the truth; I’ve always had snits.

I think this is why I never have writer’s block – the snits release my anger and excessive energy.

 

(At Bedlam Farm, when you lie down to sleep, you are never alone)

I enjoyed taking these photos of the environment around me this afternoon. Beauty is everywhere if you learn how to look for it, and I am learning and learning. Back to bed now to sleep for a few hours and maybe eat some of the chicken soup Maria keeps stored in the freezer for emergencies like this.

 

One of my primary muses sit lives on the corner of my desk and sings to me. Yes, I am superstitious.

 

 

 

Maria drew this sketch on our honeymoon in 2010. I got it framed and keep it near my desk. She has a beautiful book of sketches; she is always making art. Early in March, we’re going back to that inn and the same room for one night.

 

I like this digital clock a lot. When you work at home every day, it’s easy to track the dates. This clock talks to me.

 

We have succulents all over the house; it’s easy to forget how beautiful they can be.

 

Every windowsill is a gallery in the farmhouse; I’m married.

That was neat; now, back to bed for awhile. More later. I’ll be back with a shared flower. The more I write, the better I will feel.