{an extremely irregular series inspired by kelly, in which atlas dispenses pearls of wisdom}

“when there is a patch of sunlight in the living room in winter, go and lie in it. it feels so good.”

at the moment, i feel rather like this quote from jack kerouac:

“I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.”

which is why i really like this quote from henry miller:

“Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not understood.”

once upon a time, i had a glass desk. back then, i also had a large print of joan miro’s blue ii over my desk.

i cannot say why, but these photos remind me of him/it.

oh, blue ii, i remember you fondly. i hope your new owner loves you as much as i did.

in case you’re wondering, atlas is splintless. the bone is still knitting itself together but his limp is slowly fading and our walks are getting a little bit longer.

if i had a dollar for every time i’ve tried and failed to get atlas to hold a pose or strike a pose, i would have a lot of dollars. he has the uncanny knack of moving every single time i grab my camera to capture him as he is. sometimes i wonder if he does it on purpose. this picture is no exception. he was sitting on the bed at the time and i noticed that he looked exactly like he did in what is probably one of my best and favorite photos of him from a long time ago. i wanted to capture it again and admire how young he looks (or, i suppose, how old he looked in the original photo). of course, as soon as i pulled out the camera, he laid down. apparently i need to work on the command, “lift your head up!”

atlas must’ve been very noticeable with his splint on. whenever we’re out and about, we get stopped by people i don’t recognize who want to say, “he got his cast off! yay! how is he doing?”

there is no question who is taking who for a walk these days. if i do say so myself, i walk very nicely on leash.

today, and every day, i wish you beauty, joy, and kindness, along with an abundance of magic and possibility and dreams come true.

i see you – and i am so glad you are here, in my world.

here’s to a great year for all of us!

and just in case you need a reminder on this first day of our new year, you are radiance.

are these not the most amazingly decorated sugar cookies?!

i got them from decadent creations and they were almost too pretty to eat. don’t worry, i said almost. first, i photographed them. then, i ate them. de-licious.

i completely forgot to mention here that i am having a 12-12-12 special in my etsy shop. enter twelve as the coupon code at checkout for 24% off your purchase. it will run through the end of the year, since it is the month of twelves.

besides, i figured it’s possible that there are other people like me, who like to send mail post-holiday and need to re-stock their card collection.

may your days be merry and bright.

may love and joy and color and light surround you, this week and always.

or a second couch.

don’t you agree?

i suppose the other option would be a smaller dog, but that’s just silly. i like my giant one immensely.

p.s. there are still a few 2013 atlas calendars left, in case you were interested.

here, it is monday evening.

there is a definite chill to the air and i am crossing my fingers that we will see snow. i am really missing snow lately. i spend a lot of time curled up on the couch with blanket and book and tea and puppy. there is something so peaceful about doing that exact same thing with a white blanket on the ground and snowflakes on the window.

in this moment, i find myself thinking of things like love and peace and compassion and beautifully decorated sugar cookies. i am also harboring a desire for red toenails and an afternoon movie date all by myself, no dogs allowed.

may you feel, down to the center of your bones, that you are loved.