Cozy cats

And taking the time to be cozy humans

As my longtime subscribers know I draw in my sketchbooks during breakfast. There are many photos of my sketchbook pages, my coffee cup and that morning's food within my archive. In nice weather my sketchbook pages happen on our patio outdoors with views of the table there or sometimes some of the garden along with my sketchbook pages. There are also many of my sketchbook pages that are backgrounded by the cat or dog on my lap.

To this ongoing sketchbook scenery we've now added something new…

… this week we had our drafty old woodburning fireplace replaced with an electric fireplace insert that warms the air and looks like a lit fireplace.

Here's the living room while the work was in progress.

Heres a photo after the fireplace work was completed and we'd put the furniture back.

Then we rearranged the tables…

… and that works better. My chair now has my table on my right side and the table

J. L. Sullens

uses is now more appropriately on her left side. We can both easily see the flames and feel the warmth.

This arrangement is also better for coffee refills and sketchbook drawings. You can see a drawing in progress…

… and here (below) is the finished sketchbook page. Please see also the first photo in today's newsletter. Our cat approved my drawing and let me up from my chair to get more coffee.

It's nice to now have a warmer living room and a fire to stare at while the first cup of coffee takes effect and I'm thinking about what to draw.

As a creative person and as a human being I put daily emphasis on having some calm quiet time each day to think; to stare out windows¹, to see the soup simmering², to look at gardens or, now, to watch flames flickering.

Human brains are able to synthesize, combine different things, and find new meanings as well as imagine and create. Our ability to synthesize requires an ongoing practice of allowing a mind the calmness and quiet in which to roam. Our ability to learn also needs time to ruminate, contemplate and hands-on grapple (talking, writing and drawing) with what we've been told or have read. Our minds are capable of being so much more than merely input/output meat-based computers.³

A cozy relaxing novel that I've read multiple times, titled “A Box Of Matches” by Nicholson Baker, describes well the necessity of taking the time to make oneself comfortable and let one's mind roam. Baker writes (on page 91) “What you do first thing can influence your whole day. If the first thing you do is stump to the computer in your pajamas to check your email, blinking and plucking your proverbs, you're going to be in a hungry electronic funk all morning. So don't do it.” In the novel the main character takes up, and describes, the habit of starting a fire, making coffee, drinking the coffee while staring at the flames a while before going out to feed the duck. (book link)

Speaking of coffee… here's a coffee mug I made with an illustration of a cat looking at a book, loving it and then buying it to take home to curl up with. You know, like cats do. (mug link) And yes, you could say this mug is an example of my synthesis of multiple thoughts.

I hope your weekend is as warm and cozy as you can make it. In moments of calm we fortify ourselves for whatever comes.

💚💚 Thank you for your ongoing patronage and support of my work! I appreciate every one of you! My index list of 22 special ebooks for subscribers is here - please pour a cuppa and enjoy! 💚💚

1. Here's what happened the last time I stared out windows every morning for several months:

2. Here's a recipe for one of our favorite soups. It's from our sketchbook cookbook Favorites So Far.

3. Computers And Defective Children