The Wonderful…and the Wicked

It would be lovely if the only thing being ‘wicked’ today was my over-wrought imagination.  Sadly, no.  Climate change has decided to mess with our weather and so, at the beginning of January, here we are on the coast of South Carolina staring winter in its hoary eyes.

In short, it is cold.

Cover the plants kind of cold.

New Zealand is looking better by the minute.

~~~

On a warmer and much more wonderful note, today I celebrate two amazing birthdays.

My sister was born on this day and she has been a joy and a grounding in my world since she made her appearance.  I became her ‘little’ …and certainly more obsessive…mama.  Determined to love and protect this little person with her big dark eyes and sweet smile from the moment she came into my life.  I have other siblings, but this one was/is ‘mine’.  Unlike the middles, she was more like me…not a ‘favorite’, not over-protected, not pampered.  She was tough.  We had to be.  She shared my passion for animals and nature, she was and is a beautiful, compassionate, and deeply caring human being.

I bought her her first horse…a POA aptly named Little Satan…he was her best friend and companion and he adored her as much as she loved and needed him.  Now she has a tough miniature horse out there in Arizona and a gorgeous mustang mare…and they bring her joy each and every day.

I am so thankful for this day and the love it brought into our world.  Happy Birthday, Tamara.

Birthday number two?  The irreplaceable J.R.R. Tolkien!  How can a birthdate not be more magical for being shared with the master of fantasy?  If any of you don’t know…I totally adore Tolkien.  I devoured his books. He gave a girl with a wild imagination another world to live in, another place to dream of, a new place in mt heart to call ‘home’.

Now, so many books and years later, I write fantasy…because I have dreams and worlds of my own to share…and he led the way.  Happy Birthday, Professor Tolkien, and thank you.

May we all find new warmth, and new wonders on this beautiful winter day.

 

 

Playing with dragons

NaNo being NaNo and all, I am swept up in a jubilant spiral of research and reality, myth and magic, creativity and imagination. Today the subject once more is dragons. Not the stuff of legend…The Hobbit or King Arthur…but more a mixture of paleontology, zoology, and ancient myths. Plus a good healthy dose of ‘what if…’ and a splash of creativity.

Take this WYVERN by Michael Komark     A much more realistic and plausible take on a dragon.  After all, the other version requires it to have evolved from a six legged reptile…and I haven’t seen a lot of those.

Or how about this gorgeous, and different, take on a dragon’s head?    (photo  Damir Martin)

This one is a fun variation, somehow it seems as much insect as reptile, a combination I really like.

Anyway, the project has moved my story forward in the creation of my own drachen.

I love it when an idea…or a creature….comes together.