The wind is blowing fiercely outside whipping the trees into a frenzy. The wind chimes are clanging merrily, though, giving quite the serenade. All the little birds at the bird feeder are puffed out. I guess they’re trying to stay warm in the cold wind. It’s grey. Another grey day. Every time we have one of these days in NOLA it reinforces how glad I am that I don’t live where winters are harsh. Day upon day of greyness would do me in for sure. I don’t mind the occasional gloomy day – sometimes it’s nice to cuddle up on the sofa under a blanket and the dogs and watch movies or read – but after about 2 or 3, I get gloomy myself. The trick is to remember that the sun will return and temps will go up and my NOLA will return to her bright, happy self. And so will I.

My little dog, Buddy, had cataract surgery December 2 – I might have mentioned it before. All these weeks he’s had to wear The Cone of Shame and be given around seven different eyedrops around the clock. Six time a day does not mean between 8 am and 10 pm, it means within 24 hours so I was getting up in the night to administer drops. Well, on Tuesday we had a good report from his follow up visit at the eye  vet and he graduated from The Cone. Plus, we are down to only 3 drops twice a day. I feel liberated and I know he does too. And he can see again so we’ve resumed our daily walks, which loves, except we’ll be skipping today. After all the time and money I’ve spent on his eye the last thing he needs is trash blown into it. Oy.

I’ve been reading Elena Ferrante’s “The Story of a New Name” which is book 2 in her Neopolitan Series. I began reading it directly after finishing the first book, “My Brilliant Friend” and I expect I’ll go directly to the third if I can get it from the library without waiting in line. Ferrante is a great storyteller and these books have really captured my interest. No spoilers here, just a big thumbs up from me if you’re thinking about reading them.

I haven’t been writing much lately. Everyone goes through slumps, I know, but this time it feels different. It’s more of a disinterest on my part as opposed to wanting to write but not finding words. When I look back on my life I recognize there’ve been periods of interest in different things – periods of great activity that lasted years but eventually waned and stopped when I’d go on to a new interest. The only thing that hasn’t stopped in my love of reading. So, I’m thinking maybe the writing part of my life has run its course. At least for now, it seems so. I do have one poem coming out in a journal next month but I don’t have any outstanding submissions and I don’t have any interest in submitting right now. I’m just going to let myself ride the wave and see where it takes me. I may end up back on the writing beach, after all. Who knows?

In the mean time, here’s some links to some good stuff I’ve read online recently:

• In Luna Luna Magazine, Who Wouldn’t Want an Anatomically Correct Butler? by my friend J.A. Pak
• In Brainpickings, The Swan and the Blue Sail: Patti Smith on the Creative Impulse and the Childhood Epiphany in Which She Knew She Was an Artist
• In Literary Orphans, T.L. Sherwood interviews Susan Tepper who’s new book, Dear Petrov, comes out on February 2. I love Susan’s Dear Petrov stories so I’m looking forward to the book. She’s a really nice person, too. You can read five of her Dear Petrov flashes here.
• In The Independent, 72% of people get their best ideas in the shower – here’s why
• In The Oxford American, Natasha Trethewey: Language and Ruthlessness

Here’s to a great reading week and sunny skies!