Got Book 3 in the Miss Vulpe series back from the editors today. Their comments are thought-provoking and I will take my time processing and addressing them once this Full Moon energy fades. But something that came up got me to thinking about all the content I’ve been consuming recently on TikTok related to Sex & the City. It’s the issue of likeability when it comes to female characters. There are so many young women on TikTok these days criticizing Carrie and her many bad choices, her selfishness, her temper, her toxic dating behavior. On and on and and on. And I was almost tempted to ag ..read more

New painting of Galveston waters, still drying on the easel The weather is still cool, and I felt sluggish today. I spent a leisurely morning digesting yesterday’s Island adventure and posting content on social media. Someone commented on one of my wildflowers videos: “Is that the cemetery in Galvy?” Galvy?!? Yikes! I’d heard that term before but I’d been hoping it would not catch on. I cringe every time I hear it and so do the Island people I know. But it turns out the TikTok commenter knows a very different set of locals from my people, and they all embrace the name ‘Galvy.’ But, why? I don ..read more

Today the weather turned unexpectedly cold. It was fun driving to the Island wearing an actual sweater to give a walking tour under grey skies on a windy and chilly Sunday morning. I had a hot tea from Mod to keep my hands warm, and afterwards, my friend and I had gumbo and some other treats at Fisherman’s Wharf overlooking the beautiful tall ship Elissa. Also, I found a new horsie I just had to have. I named her Isabella ..read more

Ok, so the astrologically auspicious day was a little bit like my birthday and other days when one has great expectations. It felt a little off. And yet, it held a special kind of magic. There was a visit to the art museum and a guided experience on a fascinating collage exhibition by an artist I admire, Lanecia Rouse, there was a quick glimpse of my friend who stopped by to bring me truffle potato chips, there was also a fun evening with another friend. I got a nap in too, a nap with my little dog. I actually slept. I had vivid dreams. Dreams of animals. What does it mean to see a tiger in o ..read more

One of my most exciting dreams is for Reese Witherspoon to fall in love with one of my books and recommend it to her book club. And since the stars are doing auspicious things and tomorrow is a very lucky day for Taurus, I decided to manifest this by painting Reese reading Lola Is Never Drinking Again. I placed the painting by my display of books in the gallery. It’s a good reminder that people such as Reese Witherspoon exist, that book clubs exist, that many women who love books are out there ..read more

Most days I paint and write. But some days I cook up a feast for book club while listening to our chosen book for the second time around. The book was Circe, and I loved it so much that I decided I had to make Greek food for our get-together. The evening ended up being really fun. Stimulating conversation about books, witchy things, and so much more ..read more

This painting is inspired by a visit to the swimming pool this morning. I never tire of painting water. It’s one of my favorite things. Also, check out this new review of Magic Lessons for Margo ..read more

Today I started working on a new magnolia painting. These beautiful fragrant white blossoms are blooming everywhere. There’s a short spell in spring when these overlap with the sweet nostalgic scent of the jasmine, before the jasmine fades. I went to look at birds today in the part of Rice Village that is shaded by lush canopies of live oaks. I saw a lot of black herons and egrets. The egrets made strange noises, almost human-like. Some sort of babbling, some sort of chant. It occurred to me that seeking out the majestic trees and the chanting birds on a Sunday morning was my way of going to ..read more

I’m so impressed with my little girl and how much she walked yesterday on her tiny paws. I hope she had fun on the Island. Back home, I painted this little watercolor of her. I did something I usually shy away from: I painted without sketching in pencil first. I used to not be able to do that at all, but it seems accessible to me nowadays. It feels good to be home. We stayed in the cutest place on the Island, the brand new Hotel Lucine. Their decor is lovely – the pool especially, with pelicans flying above. There’s good food to be had too, and very good espresso. And the location on the Seaw ..read more

Holly and I walked 20,000 steps today. We hung out with two of our favorite people. We breathed in salt air, got a little sunburned, and one of us swam in the pool while pelicans were flying above. It was, all in all, an excellent day ..read more