Sigh.

Wow. The post-holiday slippage back into reality was more like a crash and a bang. Chesney (above) got some sort of crazy-desert-spiderbite which required a prolonged and expensive visit to the vet. Then Bear, who has always been a bit of a drama queen, decided she was terrified of his new collar and was going to hide in the bathroom for the first two days.The good news is, Chesney is now using his collar as a battering ram to remind us all that he is feeling better. He's feeling so good, in fact, that he's a bit randy and humps Bear as they walk around the house together. Imagine a little terrier in a lampshade hanging onto the back of a Rottweiler for dear life while scrambling about on his two back tippy-toes . . . and it's like having a window into our living room.

In addition, I received a pretty big (and pretty immediate) promotion at my "real" job for a national nonprofit. I know I'm very lucky to have any job in this economy, let alone a promotion, yet the huge list of tasks had me waking up in a sweaty fit this morning. I'll be interested to see how this new role will effect my creative life. When I was teaching full time in Boston, I couldn't wait to get home and finish grading so I could dedicate a weekend to designing and printing. Somehow the limited time really helped my ideas flow and made the process that much more precious and enjoyable. Once we moved to Albuquerque and Paper Menagerie was a half-time gig from home, I felt a bit stifled. It really was the "grass is always greener" syndrome. I wanted the time to make Paper Menagerie grow, but in a new town in a bad economy, I felt isolated and uninspired.

Now, I have a challening full-time job, an interesting custom project to show you shortly, and a few upcoming shows and designs for spring. The cycle begins again--- we'll see where it goes!