Bud likes the hall tree

Our cat Bud likes to sleep on our antique hall tree. He weighs more than a bowling ball and eats more than our pound pup Jack. He sleeps all the time. Anywhere. He also opens kitchen cabinets at night, breaks into the pantry for food, and wakes us up way too early wanting to be fed. He doesn’t care if you pet him. He doesn’t care about much at all.

antique hall tree weighs more than a bowing ball

Bad things happened, an entire run of them that shut me down, caused me to withdraw from everything except my inner self.

One afternoon, in a hammock, I took a photo of myself. Just my legs. But there was no one to send it to. No one to understand.

I needed a sidekick so I sketched an armadillo because they’re crusty on the outside but not within. I made him my butler. Crusoe’s manservant Friday.

We began interacting—my hammock photo speaking to that critter, that critter speaking back.There’s a folder of cartoons somewhere. For now there’s just this one. (LINK)

Eventually after that I began writing novels.

I’m still a hermit, marooned you might say, but leaving my shell more and more—my inner self seeking its freedom through writing.