Yahoo!

Thank you, Jenny, thankyouthankyouthankyou. I love you. I love Herman. I love writing again. Finally. OMG, last night was awesome. I was so glad to see you all again and even more glad to actually be so inspired by a prompt that I raced home and immediately sat down to keep writing. Yay!

And I'm getting a cold. I'm sure it's not yours, Jennifer, because it was coming on before I saw you last night but my head is stuffy and I'm starting a dry cough that's waking me up but--more time to write about Herman. There's 3 weeks until the deadline, I can do it.

Bob, you keep on with Herman too. I loved what you wrote, and thanks for rereading the Infanta story; it's a real keeper.

January 8--Odilon Redon The Buddha. Like a piece of the fog the man emerged into the weak light of the lantern at the corner. His clothing was colorful and clung to him in the damp air. His gnarled right hand lightly held a walking stick and his left was raised in greeting. I looked at his face and thought for a moment that I knew him, that he knew me, but I was a stranger here. How could we know each other? His slow steps barely made a sound as he moved toward me. The fog muffled the sounds of cars on nearby streets. The only sound I heard, aside from my ragged breathing, was the steady drip of condensed fog from twigs of the trees along the edge of the path. Careful not to show my fear I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin. He smiled at me as if he knew my thoughts. The place where we passed each other was narrow. I had to turn sideways to avoid bumping him but still I felt the pressure of his fingers on my wrist. "All will be well, my child," he said so low it might have been the wind. Warmth spread over me from the place he touched me. I felt as if a weight had lifted and that good would come at the end of my journey. I resisted the temptation to look back.

Oh, I like this almost as much as I like the painting. And I'm glad you all liked your calendars too. I couldn't resist them; it was almost like they were giving them away, and everybody needs art in their lives.

--Barbara