I’ve retreated into a world of dollhouses and Blythe dolls and books.

And sleep.

Last week, I was extremely sleep deprived. I caught up on my sleep and felt better. This week, I seem to crave sleep. I’ve been taking long naps in the afternoon. I slept longer than usual last night. With all the horrific news from Fr*mp (that’s my new name for him), each cabinet candidate more unqualified than the last, I think I’m doing the equivalent of burying my head in the sand – but in this case, it’s my pillow.

How are you doing this week?

It’s also hard for me to concentrate on reading. I can only do that first thing in the morning or in the very late afternoon, before dinner. Hopefully, this will get better over time.

I’ve got some chores on today’s agenda – I’m trying to keep busy.

As for the cold weather and the porch plants, the impatiens finally bit the dust, which I expected. But my other plants are still hanging in there. How much longer I can keep them going is the question. It’s going to get a bit warmer by Sunday, so maybe a week? No rain on the horizon until – maybe – my birthday. But I don’t trust the forecast because it seems that every time we get our hopes up, the predicted rain never comes. Rain would be the perfect birthday present.

The burning bush has lost most of its leaves, but lots of red berries remain. The migrating birds that stop off here often fly directly from the birdbath to the bush in order to get a bite to eat.

I’m thinking of all of you and sending you a big hug.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

It’s very cold here this morning. The weather has been all over the place, but the lack of rain has remained constant. We are in a serious drought here, with forest fires throughout our area of New York. We’re trying to conserve water. We have a well and we don’t want it to go dry.

I wrote a little post yesterday. Tuesday is not a day I post, as a rule, but I wanted to address some issues with commenters that have been popping up on the blog. If you’re interested, just scroll down one post.

Yesterday, I finished We Solve Murders  by Richard Osman. It’s fabulous! I wondered whether I would adjust to a new series with a whole new cast of characters, but I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. He’s such a wonderful writer. Not only does he plot a heck of a mystery, but his characters are all so richly drawn. His dry wit is also on display throughout the book. He’s become a favorite author. Read it, my friends. Especially now. We need a wonderful escape – one that makes us smile.

Now, I’m reading another Orphan X novel by Gregg Hurwitz. There’s one more after this one and then I’ll be all caught up. And I’m hoping to read Wintering  by Katherine May, a book I’ve had on hand for three years and have managed to avoid. I don’t know why because it has rave reviews. I’ll read anything and everything that can help me cope during the horrors that might be coming.

I want to start in on the dollhouse but the process can be expensive. I’m suddenly worried about money. Gee, I wonder why? So, I’ll do what I can do with the things I have on hand, but then I’ll have to stop for a while.

Imogen in black & white.

I’m feeling under the weather today, so I will make this brief.

Sending love to all of you.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Good morning. It’s Tuesday and I know this is not a day I usually post, but I need to leave a quick note for all of you.

If I did an analysis of keywords in all of my posts – 5,200 as of today – you would find that the amount of posts I have written mentioning that man and elections is truly miniscule. In fact, over the most recent election season, I’ve written very few – usually one paragraph in a post filled with photographs and funny stories and happy things.

Nonetheless, I have a moral compass and I stick to it. “Both sides” does not apply to fascism, rape, felonies, lying, inciting an insurrection, stealing government documents, and conspiring with Russia. Nor does it apply to making fun of a disabled man, grabbing “pu**y,” sexually assaulting women, deporting innocent Americans, or separating children from their parents at the border. I could go on, but you get my point.

Supporting a man who is guilty of all of that for President? No.

Yes, I’ve made my feelings clear about him and those who support him. But I don’t go on and on about him; in fact, I try to avoid writing about him. But, I’ve had a few comments about my stance in recent days.

I’ll say it again: this is my blog. You can read it for free. I don’t ask you to help me pay for the cost of supporting it, unlike may other bloggers. If my thoughts on the election trouble you, please move on. No problem. Some readers have done that in a very kind way. Thank you. Others have been mean spirited and have made offensive comments about me and my husband and called me names. That isn’t going to fly here.

I’m extending the life of this blog – even though I am very tired after almost 17 years of blogging – because I know my readers find it meaningful and mostly happy and I think that we need a communal safe space for the next year or so. I work hard to keep this space safe. That means sometimes having to delete a comment, as well as block a commenter. I grew up in a time where you could indeed agree to disagree, when differences between Democrats and Republicans were primarily about policy. That is not the case today. Supporting facism is inexcusable. It’s horrifying. We’ve only to look at Hitler and Germany.

I’ve said this before. My dad was a veteran who enlisted in 1941, at the age of 18, in order to fight fascism. Do you honestly think I am going to support anyone who supports fascism? Who wants to be a dictator? If my dad was still living, he would be heartbroken.

There are no half-measures here. Either we save our democracy or we’ll not see it again in our lifetime.

I make no apologies.

Besides, what kind of person would I be if I didn’t stand up for what I believe in? My mom and dad didn’t raise us that way and I want them to be proud of me, wherever they are. And how can I dishonor my dad’s sacrifice? He never got over his time in the war and he had PTSD the rest of his life.

Stay safe,

Happy Tuesday.