It’s hard for me to believe the days were sunny and warm and my flowers were blooming only a week ago.

When I was first starting to learn to make art I thought that if only I could discover the perfect art supplies, I’d be able to create the beautiful, perfect art I imagined in my head.

When I’m planning my garden for the year I always like to consider my garden from the year before.

If I were to ask you, “Are you an artist?” What would your answer be?

Would the question make you feel uncomfortable?

Over the last couple of weeks, our snow was slowly melting. Two weeks of predicted snowstorms never materialized. What was left was nearly gone and then this week we were hit with snow, sleet, freezing rain and more snow. Now everything is white again.

Last week I mentioned how books are one of the ways I make it through the winter. And over the years I’ve shared books here on my blog again and again.

Written on my calendar today is “Blog: Garden”.

Here we are, two weeks into the new year. How are you feeling?

Have you chosen a word for your year? Are you setting intentions?

I stand at the window and look out at my garden. Birds come and go from the feeder.

“In the pocket of her jacket, Aunt Edna found a small sable brush, and throughout dinner she repeatedly dipped it in her water glass and drew…. upon her absorbent napkin.”

I vividly remember the first time I tied my shoe.

Last week I asked you to share your intentions for the rest of 2022 and to choose a word to guide you through the holiday season.

We usually think about setting intentions at the beginning of the year. Maybe we come up with goals, choose a word, make a plan. If we’re really organized and on top of things, we revisit this and check in with ourselves quarterly or even monthly.

I’ve been teaching on Skillshare for over 6 years. My first class came out in July of 2016.

Today I have 27 classes on the platform.

Last year I blogged about planning my dream studio. I was hoping to move my work space from one room in our house to another. For various reasons this never happened.

This week I’ve turned my blog over to my readers (again — this summer 12 of you shared your gardens here). Today, though, instead of gardens, I have 6 brave, creative women sharing glimpses into their sketchbooks.

My blogging calendar has a different post scheduled for today, but I came down with a bad head cold this week and that other post didn’t get written.

In October you never know what you’re going to get and the hooks by my back door reflect just how changeable it’s been this month.

I sat in the dining room with my coffee, cereal and journal.

“I’m crabby. Crabby. Crabby. Crabby,” I wrote.

Fall is here for real now. One of the things I like best about fall is the way my attention shifts to my houseplants when the weather gets too cold to be outside. You can see it in my art, too.