Hi, friends! I’m popping in with a request. Does anyone know of some quick tutorials on making simple pop-up books? One of my kids is taking a book arts class at her university, and has a really interesting idea for one of her projects. (Feel free to tag people or share. Thanks!)

Just peeking in quickly to wish my friends a happy Valentine’s Day, with a quick doodle I did last night. (I’ve been mostly avoiding social media lately, and will probably continue to do that for a while.)

Good evening, friends! I’ve been busy lately, but I wanted to stop in and say hi.

Three wise personages Heilige 3 Koenig*innen #Epiphany 🦊🐾✨

Good afternoon, friends! I am continuing to start the year with useful tasks—in this case, backing up files. Boring, but wise.

I’m tired, so I’m off early tonight. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Fox walking along a stony beach full of fossils a forest of cuetlaxochitl in the background 🦊🐾🖤

Good afternoon, friends! It’s another busy day for me, full of ordinary tasks and some preparation for a few bigger dreams for the future. I am trying very hard to direct my time and energy toward what I really want, rather than wasting it on people and things that continue to disappoint me.

Well, this day did not go according to plan. However, the important things got done, and I still found a little time to do something fun this evening, so I can’t really complain. And now I’m off. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Stella Maris Our Lady Star of the Sea ✨🌀🌒 #SketchoftheDay

Good morning, friends! It’s another busy day for me, but I’ve planned a few small nice things to look forward to this evening. 📚🫖😌

'Fox Guardian 2' #FoxFriday 🦊🐾🌒

I’m 1, probably with a little of 2 as a bonus

Good morning, friends! From last night, firelight captured in a crystal ball

I went to see the lights display at the local botanical garden tonight, and I think this witchy tree was the best part. And now I’m signing off early. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Fox jumping over a fossil over a sea of cuetlaxochitl 🦊🐾🖤

Good afternoon, friends! It’s another busy day for me, but the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds now and then, and I have something fun to look forward to.

Just a little doodle at the end of this tiring day, and now I’m off to read and sleep. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Your horoscope for today: Be like a butterfly - break out of your shell, spread your wings, and flap about weirdly into the world.

"We know that there is no help for us but from one another, that no hand will save us if we do not reach out our hand. And the hand that you reach out is empty, as mine is. You have nothing. You possess nothing. You own nothing. You are free. All you have is what you are, and what you give.”

Last repost: I probably should not complain about loneliness when my four favorite people are right here with me. (And yet…)

a sense of loneliness like an autumn evening on New Year's Day Basho

I’m not counting on anything, but this is a nice thought.

Happy New Year and good morning, friends! I spent yesterday evening playing games with my kids and enjoying a box of Japanese treats that included this gachapon. A little kitsune mask might be an interesting sort of omen for a new year.

Good evening, friends! Another busy day for me, and nothing particularly interesting to share. I’d like to get back to wandering outdoors and sharing photos, if things would maybe calm down a little.

Good evening, friends! It’s been another busy day for me, and somehow I feel like I still haven’t accomplished much of anything useful. (That isn’t true; I’ve done a lot of things. It just always feels like there’s so much more to do!)

Today’s silly doodle shows why I rarely draw humans, but I couldn’t resist the costumes in the Kdrama I’m watching with my kids. And now I’m off. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Good afternoon, friends! It’s that strange, nebulous time between Christmas and the New Year, when time is soupy and the days of the week all feel wrong. I’m taking a break today to finish setting up my new planner, because I have a lot to accomplish next year!

A little quiet time this evening, and now I’m off to curl up in bed with a book. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Merry Christmas, friends! It’s grey and damp and it looks more like November than December here, but I’m inside where it’s warm, and I’m with my four favorite people, one of whom gave me this very goth Christmas moth! 😁

Some silly little doodles of random objects while we take turns reading a favorite science fiction Christmas story together. This paper is very nice, but it’s not good for watercolor pencils. I’ll probably fall asleep before we finish the story, so stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

I remember those days, and I still do some of that. But there’s a different kind of joy in having teens and twenty-somethings who help create the magic for each other and even a little bit for me.

Good evening, friends! There are some ornaments on the tree, the gifts for the kids are wrapped, and there are treats waiting for after dinner. I’m still not feeling very Christmassy, but I’m doing my best, and I am happy to have all four of my favorite people here.

It’s been a long day, but mostly a good one. And now I’m off to read for a few minutes before I fall asleep. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

The Christmas tree has lights now. Ornaments will have to happen tomorrow, because I am too tired now. We’re going to eat frozen pizza for dinner and have a peaceful evening. I am glad we stopped at the library on the way home, because it was the perfect thing to counter the afternoon’s overwhelm.

Good afternoon, friends! I am sorry to report that I had to do errands today, the day before Christmas Eve. On the bright side, I didn’t encounter anyone unpleasant, and I found two books I actually want to read in a language where I want some extra practice, so it’s been a pretty good day so far!

Another very busy day, as expected, and most of the small cheerful things I’d planned didn’t work out. But we did finally get the Christmas tree into the living room, after weeks in a bucket of water in the garage! And now I’m off to read and sleep. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Your horoscope for today: Be like your favorite sweater - provide warmth and comfort despite being worn, frayed, and stained by time.

Good afternoon, friends! It’s another busy day for me, full of ordinary chores and preparations for holidays that just don’t feel particularly festive this year. But I’m also building in a few little cheerful things, and that will help.

I feel like I half-assed Solstice this year—didn’t get to prepare, managed only a little time for contemplation, spent most of the day on ordinary things. But now I am in bed with a book and a pretty bookmark chosen last summer. So I’m off. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Good evening, friends, happy Solstice! I have spent the day busy with various things, but I’m taking a little time for contemplation this evening, thinking about unseen things that grow even in the still, cold darkness.

I often carry this little star-shaped stone in my pocket to remind me to keep dreaming. The color is off in the photo—it’s actually blue, with gold and silver sparkles. And now I’m off. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow. And may the Solstice bring you light in this dark season.

Ursula's "Seasonal Quatrains" appear in Finding My Elegy (published in 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Good afternoon, friends! I didn’t plan on such a long break, but I really needed it. I’m fine, things have just been very busy here, even beyond the usual December version of busy! It snowed overnight here, and I’m getting ready for the Solstice tomorrow.

Good afternoon, friends. I’m going to be taking a short break from social media—maybe a day or two, maybe a little longer, I’ll see how I feel. Stay safe, I’ll see you soon.

Good morning, friends! It’s not even noon, and I have already had one setback and a few small good things happen, so it looks like this may be an interesting week for me.

Writing a very polite letter to a stranger is hard enough in my native language, but today I had to write one in a different language. I’m so tired. I’m off to bed with a book. But I’ll probably just fall asleep. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Four albums that dropped when I was highschool-ish that may or may not have warped my mind (but definitely influenced me)? -Good Thing He Can’t Read My Mind (Christine Lavin) -Flood (They Might Be Giants) -Wish (The Cure) -Rites of Passage (Indigo Girls)

Good afternoon, friends! I’m planning yet another busy week, and trying to figure out how to also make time for some fun and some peace.

The moon is shining through hazy clouds and between the bare branches of the trees, low in the sky, and I’m off to curl up in bed with a book. Stay safe, friends. Good night, see you tomorrow.