from "Random Rhymes, Personal Proverbs, & Hasty Haiku" by T.J. Buckley

"Wisdom comes to those who think."

"The hopeless are always looking for hope."

"My, my - how time flies when you're living a STAGNANT life."

"Inspiration: a fleeting moment - it does not linger. Look: There it goes!"

"A crow is calling, breaking through morning silence. I have no answer."

"Tall trees, still dripping after a night of rainfall. Damp air smelling clean."

"Where there's a will, there's a way... where there's a will..."

"Listen to the wind  - leaves applauding as they fall - Autumn's destiny."

"From now until the end of time, I am your friend - and you are mine."

Let's just get through 2026, We can do it. Ponder on this. 

Home Is Where The Heart Is

 

Florida pine trees ~ tjbuckley

The last time I went anywhere of note was a little more than a year ago... but it was a milestone trip back home to Florida, where I hadn't been since before the pandemic (way back in 2019). I enjoyed seeing friends from my formative years -- a few from junior high & high school, others from college and some from grad school -- but mostly I hung out with my brother.

I still feel a nostalgic connection to my place of origin: I'm grateful to have grown up there, mostly due to the time frame (early 1950s, 60s, 70s and mid-80s), before the multitude of high-rises and exclusive McMansions were built. I remember running around in the yard barefoot, thinking nothing of riding my bike several miles to my friend's house on a Saturday, swimming in cool pools during the sweltering summer, going horseback riding on the weekends, acting in high school plays (and later productions in college and grad school), working at EPCOT as a scene painter before the park opened to the public, and so on. It's nice to go back and visit, but after living in places like New York City, Los Angeles, Middle Georgia and New England, I no longer consider Florida to be my home. 

Me as Hedda Gabler in college 

Instead, I dream of moving south, but not too far south. I also have a connection to another Southern state: North Carolina. Having spent some time in the Western part of the state, I think I could find some comfort there. The only other place I dream of going is very far away, and that place is Ireland. I am pretty sure I have roots there (or perhaps in England or Scotland) and perhaps North Carolina reminds me of those places: green and verdant, with streams and hills and waterfalls. It's far away, but I still believe that one dream or the other can still come true before my time is up.

To see more images of Ireland, visit Ireland Travel Kit at: https://www.irelandtravelkit.com/exploring-the-hill-of-tara-sacred-well-sheela-na-gig-and-sloping-trenches-tara-co-meath/

The Hill of Tara in County Meath: Sacred Well,
Sheela-na-gig & Sloping Trenches - Ingenious Ireland

2025 Won't Be Missed...

 

I will not be sad to see this year leave...

It had its ups and downs, and showed no mercy

No shortage of mishaps, missteps, crimes against humanity

Lots of peace rallies, protests and outrage

I saw bravery, courage, lines drawn in the sand

We held on to hope in the face of despair

Resilience is in our DNA... but is it enough?

Our species also showed resistance to corruption

And overlords, and war lords, and the oligarchy

We will continue to fight for our rights

And never, ever surrender to the fools who rush in

To bully us, or dazzle us with their tricks and lies

 We the people will stand strong because we stand true

All for one and one for all - forever, to the very end

A Storm Is Coming

 

Stormy Sky - tjbuckley

Chilly and cloudy and windy today... 

a May nor'easter will be passing through...

turbulent weather, indicative of the current political climate...

2025 has become a torrent of terror for some of us...

as for the rest of us - we complain, we protest...

we are in a constant state of flux...

it isn't what we want, and we hardly know what to expect...

except the uncertainty of what the cult of personality offers us...

where is my inspiration? my motivation? my salvation?

i look to the stars, look up at the universe in all its splendor...

have we evolved into a race of inhuman depravity?

where is our empathy? our compassion? our hopes and dreams?

lost among the rocks and stones and mud of civilization...

we struggle on, reaching out for the pinnacle of our doom...

it can't come soon enough, and yet...

i pause, as if there is still a quiver of hope...

...for us to rise up, above it all, to feel a sliver of peace.

Chaos Begets Creativity

 

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

...so let's make some noise!

Create with Compassion - Collaborate with Care

Making Good Trouble with Artistic Intent

A Book Is Born

Joy to the world!

My kid 'zine is at the printer... 

It's also in my Etsy shop... (click on the Etsy Badge in the upper right-hand corner to see it)

What is a 'zine? A zine (zeen - short for magazine or fanzine) is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very small group, and are popularly photocopied into physical prints for circulation. A fanzine (blend of fan and magazine) is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share their interest. The term was coined in an October 1940 science fiction fanzine by Russ Chauvenet and popularized within science fiction fandom, entering the Oxford English Dictionary in 1949. (source: Wikipedia)

I owe a giant debt of gratitude to my good friend and gifted publisher/editor/technology wizard/wordsmith/poet Jen Payne, owner of Words By Jen and Three Chairs Publishing, for helping me through the editing and production process that made this long-awaited day possible.

Getting encouragement and positive feedback from trusted friends has been a positive and rewarding experience for me. We'll see how far that will take little Miss Nancy-Dragon in the self-publishing domain, but regardless of how popular this little 'zine becomes, it is still a dream come true for me and my deceased fur-person.

One of my biggest concerns during this long process was that 12 years of editing and tweaking my story might somehow diminish the original intent of remembering and memorializing my cat in a fun, fanciful and poignant way. 

In the beginning, it was simply a drawing and a sentence in my art journal after Nancy died. Then it evolved into a lengthy rhyming story. I submitted it in a children's book contest but it didn't make the cut. I kept trimming it and making sure the meter was consistent. I knew I wanted to publish it, but hiring a copy editor, finding an illustrator and being accepted by a publishing house was completely daunting. 

Then my friend suggested putting it out as a 'zine, and when I said "Yes!" I felt immediate relief and joy. So now it is done and even if it's just my friends buying and sharing it with the little ones in their lives, I will be forever grateful. Very few of them actually read or know about this blog, but that's okay... I write it for myself anyway.

So - a big shout-out and a sincere thank-you to the Universe for enabling me to do this... for my Nancy, for my Mom (I wish they were both still here!) and for My Self. 

I can't wait to create my next 'zine! 

Zentangle Cats...

 

(in the tradition of T.S. Eliot's "The Song of the Jellicles")

Zentangle Cats are whirly and wavy.

Zentangle Cats like to sit in the sun.

Zentangle Cats love their grits and their gravy.

Zentangle Cats' bellies sway when they run.

(to be continued...)