I live on a farm ... — Holidays

  Well folks, our little project is working out pretty well. Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa and join me in my favorite spot for a quick chat, won't you? This is the first Gracious Parcels blanket, completed. The blanket is beautiful and warm, just as we all wanted it to be. The tags on the individual squares bring life to this special blanket that will make it particularly dear (I believe) to the recipient, a local Habitat for Humanity homeowner who has been through a very rough time in the past several months. In addition to...

We have no snow (yet) in New York, my parents have plenty in Denver. So, yesterday we agreed I could borrow some of theirs. This shot is in their backyard, their little cafe table is buried elegantly beneath all the snow that gathered there while they were here visiting with us. We are expecting snow today ... I look forward to it eagerly. Meanwhile, I will enjoy my parent's snow and pretend it is out in our yard and covering our pretty barn. I still can't get over the fact that I have barn. I also have a new favorite...

[Good News! The photos that have been missing from my earlier blog posts are now back. So sorry for the delay.] Please say hello to my new teddy bears ... they arrived on Christmas morning. Thank you Mom and Dad, and Carol. These are two-too sweet. Another thank you to Dale ... the cypress ball ornament was a dear surprise in the Gracious Parcels box you sent. Viewpoint is an interesting thing. So often what you experience and feel and see around you is a matter of your own perspective and attitude. Today it is just over 50 degrees, rainy...

Hello again, and Happy New Year. One year ago I was still living in the foothills, north of Los Angeles. I was taking four-mile walks several times a week, and one path I followed took me under a freeway underpass, past a few sleeping homeless men, and across the Los Angeles "River". January in Los Angeles last year was unseasonably warm -- unreasonably warm.  The weather was so "nice" I was able to work on my paintings outdoors at a nearby park or in my sister's backyard. There were days when the temperature was in excess of 90 degrees ......

"Christmas in My Pocket" The story of Christmas Joe and a particular important experience. by J. L. Fleckenstein Christmas 2004 And so it was Christmas. And, there I sat ... all alone, on a stoop, outside of the remains of what used to be the inn where most of my life I ate, drank, and made merry with my good friends. Friends. That was something I still had and was glad for it. But, the inn, much of the town, my home, the fields ... all were gone. There had been a bad flood and about half of us lost...