Welcome to the new day, my brave new world..
Here’s what it is, the parts that make up a scattered
whole, a new shoot, a tender tendril pushing up
into the cold air and light dappled and strange.
A conglomeration of blessings, of benedictions,
what I can only see as rewards for
coming strong through slaughter.
Piecing together the days,
the lost and moldy bits of my past,
my wonderful new home where I
am finally so much at peace,
no longer waking gasping in fear
or stalking from room to room
clutching a butcher’s knife.

My deepest thanks to everyone who
has responded to this crisis with so
much love and sweetness and help.
I’ve received many incredible parcels
from beloved strangers and friends,
delivered by an increasingly
bewildered and amused postman.
They have warmed and comforted
and cheered me immeasurably
and made my little witch-shack
feel truly like a home.
Your kindnesses and generosity
has made an enormous difference-
Thank you.
I will soonly get to send each
and every one of you a more personal
note, but for now- know that
I adore you all.

The fact of Fall, in all her autumnal glory-
my favorite and most productive time of year
has made the wearying process of re-settling
a little easier. I still have boxes piled up on
the porch full of things waiting to be discovered
and swabbed down with anti-fungal concoctions.
I was horribly ill for a few weeks after my
return from the mouth of madness that was
my prior manse- luckily, I’m a bit better now
and don’t think I will go in
for scary x-rays of my chest cavity
at the doctor’s emphatic behest.

So, here’s a little bit of all the new
good things in my world,
so much I have to be thankful for:
♥ mysterious and lovely packages!
♥ tea-time! genmaicha, fancy jasmine,
♥ kousmichoff with ginger sugar and almond honey!
♥ halloweenie time!


♥ princess pumpkin and her gourd pals
(I still haven’t figured out who left them on my doorstep..)
♥ Peerless Screw Worm Killer! It survived too!


♥ my first trick-or-treaters, Molly and Eliza,
my wee sweet cousins- adorable tinies!
You will die from cuteness now, yes?


♥ my Ginger Gretel costume miraculously coming together
(despite all odds!) My dirndl survived the hurricane,
but you can’t see it so well there.
♥ I made gingerbread shoes!
♥ Mer and Patience sent the perfect icing jacket!


♥ salvaged treasures sunning on the stoop!


♥ big spooky-ass spiders coming for a visit!



♥ Bix Beiderbecke and the Wedding Cake
Who Fought Back! Sweet lovelies B + K, oh!


♥ Geishas ride the Gratitude Train!


♥ Bosch + Bug + Plague Doctor + Unicorn
+ Monkeybird + Blacksmith = ♥


♥ I can bite and gnaw!


♥ gingerbread owls!


♥ This squash suspended from vines tangled
in my chinese tallow tree- now there are more..
Harvest!


♥ Annathema, Swinelet, Weepig, and Granny Wolf
(thank you mystery benefactress who sent her!)


♥ the long-coveted kitchen table made by my Grampy,
with Gypsy Curiosa roses, pomegranate, amaretti biscuits,
fox-mask (from ), one sock-garter, lolly, treatses..


♥ I’ve discovered that buying myself roses makes me
feel less destitute. These are my favorites, Blue Curiosa-
but we call them Dead Baby Girls, because that’s
what they look like. At $10 for 2 dozen how could I resist?


♥ this incredible book that was my mother’s-
my Aunt Ruth brought it to me, along with many other
precious treasures, soon to be shown! I swoon.


♥ my amazing ride, gifted to me upon my arrival
by Aubrey and Kaia. Please to note stars in sprocket.


♥ and most of all, this little gingerbread man.
His name is Rusty Jacknife, and I ♥ him a lot.
He’s sprawled on my great-grandmother’s quilt.
Behold the miracle.


♥ He’s another treasure my Aunt brought me, a rescue
from the animal shelter. I thought I would wait a long time
before getting another feline friend, but living alone in
a new and scary situation called for company of
the furry persuasion. He’s fiesty and gorgeous,
with stripes and polka-dots and lizard-amber eyes.
Pumpkin-muffinhead-gattamelata-sweetness.

♥ and musing on Dia de Los Muertos.

♥ gratuitous over-use of the ♥, hah!