Drifting

My work days have consisted of copious amounts of caffeine.

My free time has been occupied by constant worry as our little Marlowe fights Parvo.

But there are happy times.

And silly moments.

And beauty in the darkness.

For now, I'm drifting. And I'm okay with that.

Merry-New-Roll-Tide-Mas!

'Tis the season.

The weather was recently quite lovely.

And then the rains came, followed by this bitter, what-would-be-snow weather anywhere a hundred miles north of here.

Alas; that's how Southern winters go.

Tonight the air is crisp and painfully cold, but I can see the stars twinkling brightly overhead like the permanent fireworks that they are.

I'm reminded of a lovely stanza tonight:

"Though my soul may set in darkness,
  it will rise in perfect light.
  I have loved the stars too fondly
  to be fearful of the night."
             - Sarah Williams
    from The Old Astronomer

Never have I felt so defined by a poem, but this is me, a living collaboration of words all strung together in something beautiful and haunting.  

I hope your holidays were lovely.

Merry Christmas.

Happy New Year.

Roll Tide.

Here are a few recent photos sure to put a smile on anyone's face:

Love,

Jess

The Dogs Days of... December?

The weather has been blissfully, unseasonably warm here in west-central Alabama and the dogs and I have been enjoying every moment.  One of the many perks to not working is having this time at home with my furry family.  If only that job paid...

Today was another perfect day and I decided to shoot a ton of photos of the pups.  Naturally I wanted to share them here.

I'm an animal-lover.  Get used to it. :)

Fable wouldn't sit still long enough for any photos today.  Better luck tomorrow!

A Fall Photoshoot

The title of this post explains it all.

The sun was glorious and the air was crisp when Fable and I tumbled outside for our morning poo and playtime (two separate events, of course).  I knew at once it was a photo-taking kind of day.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Hagrid

This painting is amazing and I am obsessed with it.

That is all.

Playing Santa

Christmas can be embarrassingly stressful for those playing Santa year-to-year.  After Halloween, time just seems to fly by at an ungodly speed and then BOOM: Christmas Day.  I try to budget and have things under control by the first week in December, but I always end up with that one person for whom it is impossible to shop; however, this year I am on point!

It's going to be admittedly difficult budgeting when I'll be out of work for so long after my surgery, but I'm doing my damnedest and I am already ahead of schedule.  I should have this whole shopping nonsense covered before December gets here.

Here's hoping, at least.

Today I decided to feature one of my favorite gifts so far.  (I don't have to worry about spoilers because this is for our wee little Fable.)

Blueberry Pet is a company that I stumbled upon entirely by accident, and once I found them, I was hooked.  Their vibrant colors and whimsical patterns create the perfect collars and leashes for dogs and cats.  Here's Fable's:

 

Aren't they perfect?  I am extremely pleased with this set.  The fabric is high-quality, the colors are bright, and both pieces were reasonably priced.  I'm not 100% happy with the quality of the plastic on the collar (I feel like if I stepped on it it would easily snap), but I don't think I will have any problems with it.  I can't WAIT to see her in it!

Here's their website if you want to check their merchandise out for yourself:

http://www.blueberrypet.com/

I just adore Christmas.  Don't you?

Frosty Halloweenies

Happy Halloween and Happy First Frost to you all!

You read that correctly: tis the end of the grow season for Central Alabama!  All of you folks dressed up as Elsa tonight totally nailed it.  Shit's gettin' cold!

This is the first Halloween that I haven't gone out to celebrate and it's kind of been awesome.

I've been enjoying my evening reading books (I started and finished The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare AND finally started Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas!) and watching Halloween-themed flicks and cartoons on the television. What could be better?

Adulthood is weird.

I'm not feeling particularly creative, I just felt like posting was obligatory today.

It is cold and windy and Halloween and perfect.

Trick or treat, motherfuckers.

:)