There isn't much talk about writer's cramp any more. Writer's block is still around but the crampiness is becoming a thing of the past.

I wonder what writers, of the feather pen era, thought about when those newfangled typewriters came along? What changed for them, if they took up the new technology? What special skills were lost as the typewriter grew in popularity? Likely, there was some skill to dipping your pen into the inkwell just right, to avoid drips. There would have been skill involved in knowing when the ink on your page was dry enough to be handled.

I sometimes miss writing long hand. It's nice to feel the flow of my words smoothing over the page. Creating stylish swirls and tall towers from the alphabet is almost as much fun as making the letters into words. Pens are fun too. I've been writing with a couple of gel pens in unique colours. In the past I've experimented with various pens, Bics were my high school pen of choice. As I evolved my pen selection became whatever was on sale at the time. Still, I always preferred black ink.

My penmanship has taken a turn for the worst due to all my time on the keyboard. After a few minutes writing long hand my words become chicken scratchings, something even a doctor would struggle to decipher.

Will penmanship become a lost art? Will calligraphy just be something you do on the computer with fancy fonts? Then of course, I wonder what the next advance will bring. Will computers have their own turn at being obsolete?

Not much to see in our gardens now. Things are turning from green to brown and muddy. Or are they?

What is so bad about brown anyway? Take a look at some of the great shapes, textures, colours and movements going on right under your nose. In our garden I was watching snowballs being tossed around in the wind. I forget what the plant was called when it was in bloom, now they are huge brassy coloured snowballs on sticks. Kind of pretty in their way. That got me started looking at the rest of our so called dormant garden.

If you really look you can see that it's not dormant, not yet at least. There are tons of birds around still. We won't even talk about those other garden raiders: squirrels, raccoons, skunks, rabbits, the odd deer and pets. I like watching the birds in the garden. How do those little things survive all winter long? On days when we are complaining of cold there are those fragile looking birds out there, 24 hours, 7 days a week right outside in the cold. It's a bit humbling to think that those tiny birds are tougher, more rugged than we are.

Of course we know kids like to be outside, in the muck and snow (if you are lucky enough to have snow). Kids enjoy nature. Even the most game addicted kid I know likes to get out there once his parents push him out the door. The mud may seem just mucky to us but if you look at it, there is life in that mud. It's holding the essentials of everything your garden needs. Also, if there is still mud it's not all that cold yet. You still have time to wrap up and tidy up your garden for the winter.

Not a lot to do over the winter in a garden. Before it starts you can cut back the things that have finished off. I am perfectly happy to leave most of them as they are. It gives you something to look at besides a garden full of stumps. Also, its natural that way. Later, the snow will come and push them down to become their own natural fertilizer.

Some plants will not over winter and those need to be brought in and packaged up for the winter. If you can, leave them in pots and let them go dormant in your basement, laundry room, or whatever available space you have. A coat closet is okay if they won't be in your way there. All they really need is to exist without being disturbed much. Don't water them too much, some don't need any water at all. It's hard to know which are which until you have experimented a few seasons. This is one of the times it's great to have a garden journal. You can keep track of all your plant experiments and remember which plant did what.

Another thing I'm watching in our garden this season are the evergreens. All summer they sort of seem bland and boring. They don't DO anything. It's only now that we can appreciate them. Now, they are in their element. Around them the garden is shades of brown, gold and white, the perfect foil for their splash of green.

So, enjoy your winter garden. It's not the end, just a new beginning.

I really need to put more into my personal site. Sometimes I stumble across an exceptional personal site and it just makes you see what really can be done. Here is the site I'm thinking of today. French Toast Girl

Make sure to read the Adventures of Chalking. I linked to that in my Bewitching Vagabond column at BackWash. I just love oddball art stuff. :)

Originally posted to Adult BackWash: Saturday November 23, 2002

Imagine if you will.... a hunky man (muscles, handsome, tall) naked and awaiting your orders. What's your whim? Would you have him clean your windows first or after the bedsport?

Bedsport is a delicious word. It's full of flirting, romping and adventure. Bedsport is daring. Why would you sleep with a man when you could be sporting him.

Back to the naked man. First of all, there is no option of forced feminization. I want a manly man not something in a dress pretending. Besides, a manly man is so much more fun to tease than someone begging for it.

That's why I like humiliation as part of the whole bedsport experience. Ever seen a real manly man blush? It's so sexy, makes me want to reach out and lick him. Just a little taste, maybe a nibble. A caress in that really sensitive area. Just enough so he makes that little sound. A tiny whimper, a gasp, all delicious.

I'd like to tie that manly man up in the door frame. The bed is traditional but it's limited access. Wouldn't you rather see ALL that skin, be able to trail your fingers over it and watch him squirm? Caress any part of him you wanted to. Rake your fingernails over his belly, lightly or a little sharp if you get into marking your territory. Explore and experiment all over his body. After all, it's yours for the taking.

Can you see him? His muscular curves jumping at your lightest touch, barest whisper? Watch his face change as you tease him. Decide what you want to do with him next. Should it be a slap on the butt or a kiss on the lips? Does he like it, or is he just a teensy bit worried that he might not really have any control at all?

An hour later, would he still think bedsport was an amusing word?

Talking about ourselves seems so boring at times. I think it's that inferiority complex thing. Everything some one else is doing seems so much more interesting and worthwhile that whatever we are doing ourselves.

My sister is having her second baby on Thursday. That's my biggest news and it's not even about me, directly.

I have a hundred things I need to be doing but this cold is sucking the life out of me. I coughed so much at work I was feeling light headed. Then, in the car I coughed so much there was actual leakage in another area. I had to go home instead of taking a trip to Chapters for an hour after work. Being sick really messes things up.

New ASCII Collection

I'm working on HerCorner tonight. I got the OK to put up an ASCII art gallery there. I had it already started on my personal site. But, I'm moving it to HerCorner for the traffic boost. The ASCII art part of my site has always done well, about 200 hits a week. I really need to get back to doing more ASCII. It must be boring seeing the same stuff every time they come.