Turn Left at the Orange Deer Skull

The orange deer skull marks the trail to Pineapple Hill’s pistol range—a ravine near a natural spring where, legend has it, Native Americans stopped while passing through to hunt in the Midlands or trade on the Coast. It also reminds cows where to turn toward home when they’ve escaped their pasture and come over to make another run at my banana trees.

Yes, orange deer antlers look like lobster claws.

orange deer skull rorange deer antlers

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.