I got these three lovely mushroom prints when I ordered Mycelia, a lovely board game where you get to play a mushroom. Literally. You spread your spores according to a die role that tells you what direction the wind is blowing.

I could have ordered three frames off of Amazon and had them delivered via Prime. Instead, I went to my favorite local thrift store and found these. My money went to support some good causes. And I ended up with these matching but not matching frames that are perfect.

I’ve been trying to be more thoughtful about my purchases. Thrift when I can. Eliminate single use plastic as much as possible. My economic choices affect everyone else.

The crises I see in the news remind me of the River Thames pollution story writ large. In the 1800s, the River Thames because severely polluted by industry and household waste. But cleanup efforts didn’t start until the 1850s, when the stench became impossible to ignore even for those with privilege.

I hope we can get better at recognizing consequences. I hope that water taps running dry in Georgia will be a wakeup call for the cost of AI data centers. I hope the rise in measles cases will remind us how important vaccines are for prevention. But most of all, I hope we can widen our perspectives to see ourselves as global citizens.

I’ve found inspiration in some odd places. Like @kathleenillustrated on Instagram/YouTube. She acknowledges what’s wrong in the world and finds joy in creation.

So that’s what I’ve been trying to do. The art from @gargoyle.pastures was so lovely I redid the book cover. This art captures the moment in the bar when Dan Mackenzie is staring into his drink, just before Dan Mackenzie’s life turns upside down.

As the banner says, coming in September 2025. Once I finish the book edits. And the manuscript formatting. And a few small art projects. I was lucky enough to go on vacation near a beach and I have some lovely pictures of rocks that must be used for art practice.

Monthly updates will be posted here. Day-to-day smaller updates are posted on Bluesky, Instagram, or Mastodon.