Happy Fall Equinox!! 

Today I woke up realizing that today is the last day of this boiling summer and the beginning of Fall. Last night I took a walk and saw the first of the All Hallows’ decorations and it made me smile. 

It’s been an odd summer in so many ways. I’m glad for the coming of Fall. I’m ready. 

I’m finally nearing the end of the pre order campaign orders :) Thanks to everyone who participated in that and thank you for the lovely responses, you guys are the best. 

Today is a day where we are meant to take stock in what we’ve gotten done thus far this year, what we still want to achieve and to be grateful for all of it, the good and the bad. The time of Harvest can be interpreted in many ways. 

“Every day is a school day” as they say. 

Being a caregiver for the past few years has been a steep learning curve and to any of you out there who are suffering with illness or who are doing what I’m doing right now, taking care of someone who is Struggling will illness, I commend you, I send you my love and I tip my hat to you. 

Love is the most powerful force on Earth. It is stronger than Rage, stronger than Hate, Fear, stronger than anything else and can move mountains when needed. 

Today is a good day to remember that. 

Although much of life is beyond our personal control, our will to manifest what we need and want for our lives is a very real force. Energy travels and Directed energy travels even faster. 

This isn’t some fluffy bunny ooga-wooga I’m talking about, it’s just scientific fact. 

We are, each of us, the captains of our own ship. 

If you are reading this, you’ve followed me, my career in Art then I know that you know what I’m talking about. I’m just giving you a gentle reminder and myself as well. 

So I hope that wherever you are in the world, you can take a few moments today or tonight to sit back, look at what you’ve accomplished, what you’re going to accomplish and give yourself a decent pat on the back and know that I’m sending you my love, my thanks and 

I THINK YOU ARE FABULOUS!!! 

Happy Fall my Dears, Happy Fall. 

Lots of love 

Moi

 

HAPPY MAY ALL - Fairuza podcast with Rachel True & Patreon  

The butterflies and bees are out In force and the spring flowers are all blooming. I hope that the spring is sharing it’s beauty with you wherever you are in the world as you read this. 

These past few months have been very trying as grieving is a mysterious and bewildering experience. My Ada’s passed in December then Gbear the prince of felines, my Gingey boy of 15 years and light of my life crossed worlds last month. 

We all know that Death and life go hand in hand and yet there is no way to prepare for it. It never gets any easier to lose the ones you love the most. 

Despite my very real and very present grief I am very grateful that I still get to wake up and look out the windows and see the world, the beauty that is there to see if only you have the eyes for it. Some days I do and some days I do not. 

I am ever grateful for music and art or I’d be long gone myself. When everything else fails, music is there, Art is there so I can speak through it. Even if I trash it or destroy it, it doesn’t matter so long as it’s coming out in whatever form it can. 

I have been hesitant in writing in because I felt like no one wants to hear anyone else talk about Death or anything to do with it. We’ve been through a very tough couple years in that respect. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t lost someone to this horrid stupid pandemic in one way or another. Being that Death IS A PART OF LIFE I wonder why people refuse to discuss it or even think about it. That’s the problem. We push it out of our minds as much as possible but in so doing, when it Death comes to our lives it destroys us utterly. It feels like it has done me at any rate. I know in time it will lessen, the pain will. I can’t imagine not being able to use creativity to process. 

Wherever you are my friends, I hope that this Spring will bring beauty in many forms into your lives and that you will be able to experience it. Spring is magical. 

My Little Rock plants that I affectionately also call the “little bum plants” are also re creating themselves. 

And today I had the pleasure of seeing a newly born to this world teensy Weensy praying Mantis nymph! 

Many years ago now I bought a mantis nest and placed it carefully in the garden in a spot I knew would be safe from predators and it’s wonderful to know that despite the drought, the fires, all the calamities that the Mantids are still around here. Shows that the garden is a healthy one. 

When I was younger I had a black thumb. I killed everything by either watering it ti death or the opposite.. I love too hard? Perhaps? Ya think? 

I worked at it though and now I’m much better and am quite proficient at helping things to grow in the garden. 

On a very different note, I have some very exciting news, Rachel True my old pal and I are going to do a podcast together! We thought that might be fun to do. She is such a sweet, funny, cool person and has been such a good friend to me especially through all of the losses of the past few years. She has done podcasts previously but I never have, so thankfully she knows more about what goes into making a podcast than yours truly. We are in the process of deciding what the topics will be now. We may be doing some Q& A’s as well so that will be cool. I’m really looking forward to it actually. Love that gal. She makes me laugh till I ache. 

My Patreon is very close to being ready! If you’ve ever been curious about me, my life, my work, Art, music, process then you’re going to dig the Patreon. Being an Artist is my life’s work. It’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve spent the past two years being a care giver to my Dad and to my partner who is suffering from Acute Long Covid syndrome. If I had a normal job I would not have been able to be a care giver. It’s because of your support of me as an independent artist that I have been able to both continue as an Artist and also be a care giver. I know there’s a lot of information in this blog. I am in a very open place. Why not be open about life? I’ve never been one to hop on the conveyor belt of competition in regards to any of the Art forms I do for a living. What’s the point? There are all these “rules” when you’re an actor, or there have been I should say. Things have changed a ton recently. Long story short, being in any way “ open” about your life and / or your creative process is a big no no. 

I for one am glad that’s changing. I follow my gut. That is MY rule. I trust my instincts above all else. They are telling me that this is the right time and that is all. I need to move forward. 

I’m going to be making some new merchandise that I think you guys will love (I hope you will anyway) Also I will be making video requests available through the Patreon so it won’t be nearly as expensive as Cameo has been. I really like making videos for people and knowing it cheers them up or hopefully helps to put a smile on their face. So many of us are enduring life changing challenges right now. We have to support each other and do whatever we can. 

People are surprised I think that I can be such a goof ball. Hey, you’ve got to laugh right? This life, if you can’t laugh at yourself then good luck! 

When I make a Video for a person I don’t just blabber for 2 seconds then say goodbye. I make them very personal because, well, why not? I have received so much love and light and support from fans that it’s the least I can do I reckon. I make them as special and as personal as I can. Thank you to everyone who has requested a video. ♥️ 

I’m glad to be able to share more music too, play songs you lot have yet to hear. It will inspire me to make more Art, write more music and focus in more on creating. Which I really do need. It keeps me breathing and moving forward and maintains the inflow of light. 

Many of you have known me since I was a little girl and grew up with me so it feels like we’re friends in many ways. 

I will keep you updated as to the progress of the new endeavours and I hope you are well, I hope you are healthy and I send you all of my love 

Xoxo 

F

Merry Yuletide 

Hello my friends. 

I wanted to reach out to all of you and send you my love, Thanks, light and best wishes for your holidays this year. For many of us who have suffered the loss of our loved ones, this Christmas is very bittersweet. My Father left this world the night of the 12th of December. My heart is grieving and I miss him terribly. 

The whole point of Yule in its early form was a celebration of the solstice but also served as a way for people to get together and remind each other that although this is the darkest time of the year that the light will return. We light our candles, decorate our trees and we remember all of the lovely holidays we have had in the past. I’m trying to keep all those wonderful memories at the forefront of my mind. I have been so blessed to have good loving people in my life and that includes all of you who have loved and supported me so very much. 

Some of you knew my Father and knew what an incredible, brilliant, funny, quirky and immeasurably talented person he was. He is free now, free to be in the light, in pure love and joy. We love you Papa. 

I raise a glass of bubbly to you my friends, my family, and to those who have moved on. 

I hope you will eat well, rest well, and if you are alone this Christmas, maybe, pick up the phone, call someone you love and wish them a merry Christmas. We all need to be reminded from time to time that we’re loved especially at this time of the year. Thank you to all who got Cameo messages, I hope you enjoyed them and that they made you smile. 

Bright blessings my dears, 

Much love and happy Holidays 

Xoxo 

F

Now on Cameo!! Happy October!!! 

Hey people! 

 

I hope you are all out there being your most fabulous selves? It’s been a crazy time for all of us I’m sure. 

I have an announcement to make.l! 

I am now going to be  ( at least for October) on Cameo!! If you don’t know what cameo is, it is an app where you can request personal video messages ! 

I’ve been asked by many of you in the past years to make private videos and now I am going to be available for you personally! 

I think it will be fun and am looking forward to it. 

I’m not able to go to any shows or to travel as I am taking care of family but I can make you messages!! So if you have ever wanted a personal message from me or wanted to come meet at one of the shows but couldn’t make it, this is a very special and unique chance to have that in a virtual way. 

I’m planning on being online more often so I’ll be writing a proper blog entry soon. 

I hope fall is beautiful wherever you are, or spring if you’re on the other side of the world! 

I’m sending my love and light out to each and every one of you. 

Keep your heads up, keep fighting the good fight, moving forward. Brighter days are coming cuz they must! 

Much Love my dears 

 

Xxxxooo 

Fairuza

SPRING A DING DING THE MUSIC SHALL STREAM 

Hello one and all! 

As we all know here on this side of the planet all things spring are springing. May Day / Beltane came and all of nature around me seemed to rejoice. It was a very long, cold, long, dark, long, winter, have I mentioned it felt very long yet? 

I couldn’t be more grateful for the arrival of the sun and the beginnings of warmth coming back. I love watching what the animals do this time of year and I try to get out and hike and walk as much as I can safely. So In celebration of Spring I am making the ALM music available via streaming services. You guys have been very patient in waiting so long for this and I thank you once again for all of your comments and support in it’s creation. I’m going to record some more music this year and am hoping to do some recording with my dad who is an amazing musician when and if he can. He started teaching me how to play a couple new instruments in this past year that I’ve been with him, a Greek instrument called a Bouzouki and a Turkish instrument called a Cumbus. Very tricky instruments as they’re tuning and scales have quarter notes and half tones etc. fretless instruments are even harder so at least they have frets! I’ve got that going for me.

Learning to play these instruments and learning the art of silver/gold smithing has been amazing and has been what’s gotten me through this past nightmare year. There are many ancient traditions and meanings involved in the making of jewelery for us. It isn’t just learning to smith and to cut stones. There are spiritual and healing aspects in their creation that are very important. My Dad specialized in making ceremonial pieces, working pieces. When I say working I mean that they are created for a specific purpose, to do a specific job such as protection or healing, and some are meant to be worn only for special medicine ceremonies. I’ve been wanting to learn this from him my whole life so it is a great honor to be able to spend the time with him, to practice and to learn from him. It requires true dedication and a true desire to learn, it isn’t a skill one steps into lightly. I will share some photos as I go with you guys. 

Living mobile is an entirely different way of life but thankfully I have experience with it so it hasn’t been too big of a shocking change. The years of traveling to do the shows was what introduced me back into it and I LOVE IT! 

I have great hope for us all as vaccine distribution has become available and I just hope and pray that folks will take care of themselves and their loved ones so that we can move forward into the future. 

I am reminded every single day when I wake up and look out my windows just how lucky I am to still be here on this plane of existence. 

You guys send me so much love through the internet and I want you to know that I send it all right back to you in kind. This pandemic has shown me once again that we are all interconnected, all life is interconnected. At times it feels completely the opposite as we have had to isolate so much but we really are all in this together whether we like it, believe in it or not. It’s just a fact. 

I listened to the Armed Love Militia music after not hearing it for a time and I am proud of it. It’s very personal actually about as personal as it gets. I’m so glad to be able to share it with you. Thank you for your patience regarding the store and for your love. I think I must be one of the luckiest people around, that I get so much love from folks I don’t even really know because of the work I’ve chosen to do and the Art I make. Amazing. 

I must go make some food now and get back to biz. But I love you and send you big hugs, I send you light, healing and strength. No matter how hard it is, has been or may get, you have so much more strength in you than you realize. It’s in there, likely stays hidden for when you truly have to dig deep but trust, it is in there. 

TOOGY sends her love, she is HUGE by the way, Gingey says “bbbbrrrrMrrraow”- cat for Hello!! 

The blue jay outside my window who I’ve named cheeky blue because he truly is the cheekiest bird I’ve ever encountered is asking for peanuts..... life continues, is renewing and we move forward. One foot in front of the other, we just keep moving forward. 

I love you guys, I really do. 

Ok I’m off. 

XXXXOOOO 

 

Ola Amigos - TURKEYVERSE! 

Where to begin..... it’s been quite a long time since I’ve written in hasn’t it? What a Flipping year!!!!  

I do love The Fall season. No matter where I am or what’s happening HALLOWEEN has always made me happy and is very special. I got an email today from my Step Dad reminding me of when we turned my onesy yellow pyjamas into a bumble bee costume by putting black duct tape in stripes around my middle and stuffing a pillow inside so I’d be round. We glued pipe cleaners to a headband and Bobs your Uncle! I’m a Bumble Bee! I LOVED that costume but my pillow sank into my leg hole, it poured with rain all night and when we got home after trick or treating my Mum looked at me all covered in mud, my antennae bent and my bee girth stuck in my leg, she laughed so hard she almost fell over “ My poor little Bee!!! What happened to you!? You’ve been through the wars to get that candy eh?” Bless ALL parents and their patience! I was always allowed 1 treat and had to save the rest. Once my Mum found a huge bag of stale Halloween candies that I’d stashed in the back of the closet and forgot about. Mice had discovered it and they made nests in the stuffed animals and were using the sweets as back up treats for themselves!! Lucky mice. Mum was not impressed. My mother was Tibetan Buddhist so all mice, stuffed animals and everything else had to go outside so all would have a chance at relocation humanely. 

I Miss my Mum so much, every single day.. She was my hero and always will be. I celebrate the 31st, the 1st and the 2nd of November all as days to contemplate not only the season and time but to remember all the people I love who are no longer on this plane. It is a sacred and very special time. 

The anticipation and general tension leading up to Election Day was palpable. As the news pours in from all around I hesitate to celebrate one way or another as the fall out may be more than a bit dodgy. We’ll just have to wait and see. There’s already been so much violence, upheaval and general stupidity that I think the US has filled its quota for quite some time to come. So many radical injustices have been committed against countless innocent people. What is absolutely not needed is more violence against the people. 

If however violence continues to be committed repeatedly against the people, eventually there is no choice but to fight back for not only their rights but they’re very survival.. That is what is happening as I think we can all see. The uber wealthy powers that be, those in control have never known 1 day of hunger due to poverty, never known poverty in any way. They have no frame of reference, concern nor compassion for the poor, the struggling, the unhoused millions in this country and they frankly don’t care. I’ve heard as much said with my own ears. 

Disgusting. 

People are waking up finally and realizing that they do have power to create change. It’s something I thought I’d never see as I was convinced that folks were simply too apathetic. If it wasn’t life threatening they wouldn’t act...... well. IT IS life threatening now and for many many MANY people it’s been that way for..... generations. It’s taken this pandemic to push it all up to the top so it can’t be ignored any longer. We live in interesting times indeed. 

Anyway......Remember back in December when we were all saying “ Man 2019 was brutal, let’s raise a glass to 2020!! It’s two 20’s!! It’s got to be good!!! Cheers!!!” Yeah. I remember that too!!! 

Baaahahahahah. Despite indescribable difficulties, there have also been some wonderful things about this year so far though. In spending time up with my Father he has been teaching me the art of Silver and Gold smithing and we are soon moving into blacksmithing as well!!! 

Power tools?!! What a revelation!! I understand now why people can become quite obsessed with tool collecting! I find working with metals absolutely fascinating and I can’t get enough of it. I’m still very much in the early days of my apprenticeship with him but I’m so happy to have found a new Art form to dive into and learn. I’ve always wanted to have my own Jewelry line and to learn this from him and it’s finally happening! I’ve been traveling up and down the coast of CA and loving the traveling life for the most part. I take no risks however as I’m also with my Dad a lot and beyond that I don’t want to get sick with this horrible virus. His health is very precarious so there is No room for error how I see it. It’s been surprising ( to say the least) to watch the weirdness of humanity’s various reactions to this pandemic. I guess a lot of people haven’t been close to serious illness or death, seen it, lived it or even come close to it. We all think we’re immortal when we’re young and fearless , until we lose a loved one, then another or we come close to that edge ourselves and so on... it’s a part of life but the reality of that hits each of us at different times and in different ways. I’m trying to be zen about it and accept that ... well.... “you can’t fix stupid” as the saying goes. Live and let live. All you can do is mind your own and not be a selfish twat. 

Yeah..... my tolerance for Bull**** has gone right out the window I must say. I’ve always thought that the western world had become far too lazy, too complacent and to a certain degree it still is, people think things are just going to go back to the way they were pre pandemic. Hah! That’s pretty funny actually. Lol. History repeats itself people!! This has all happened before. 

Another year I reckon before things can start to regroup and move forward. That’s just my guess though. Ugh! I told myself I wasn’t going to write about the damn pandemic but it does kind of influence EVERYTHING right now. 

I’ve been told that the studios are shuttered, agencies same, my biz, the great machine has been switched off, unplugged and put away for awhile. So, hmmmm...Ok, Well…. 

ITS A GOOD THING IM AN ARTIST AND CAN DO MANY OTHER ART FORMS!!! 

Speaking of which I am in the process of setting up a Patreon page. I’m learning about it and deciding what best I can offer to share with you guys, if you are interested. Because I practice and create Art in many different ways I think I have some good ideas and a lot to share with other creative people. Traditionally there has been this kind of wall in between artists and fans. I’m glad that is changing personally. I’ve met some truly wonderful people via these changes. 

Tis the Season of giving thanks so we’re offering 15% discount off ALL store items from now until the end of November. Turkey of the Universe sale!! 

Just use CODE: TURKEY15 at check out. 

Order early for Xmas delivery! 

Love you guys, stay safe and take care 

Xxxx F

 

 

Hello World 

I thought I would drop a quick note to say hello from the great outdoors. Back in March after getting the worlds worst stomach flu ( at least I think that’s what it was but these days who knows)I started having very bad chaotic nightmares once again of the city burning and going basically nuts. I had them every night and I realized I had had these same dreams years ago. They’re the impetus for a song I wrote called Dream45. Anyway Covid was just starting to take hold and lockdown had begun where I lived at the time. I did that briefly then realized I might get stuck and heeding the nightly nightmares I packed up my essentials and headed up to see it through with my family and Father. I decided not to comment not to go online at all in fact. I’m tired of watching the insanity and being scared out of my wits. My niece and sister in law are both Nurses and have been incredibly brave in dealing with this new viruses effect on the population. All the frontline workers and everyone dealing directly with this pandemic are super heroes in my book. It’s that simple. 

Me, I’ve had to focus on taking care of a family member who became ill. Some of you are still awaiting your orders and I thank you for your patience. I am getting them out as fast as I can but there is a back log. I’m not a small business. I don’t farm things out either. What I do for fans is done by my own hand so thank you for understanding that. Getting things in the post has been interesting. All of it has been. All of you still waiting will be getting your things I promise:) 

On the upside of being tucked away, far away, I’m having some time for creativity which is a blessing. For the longest time that light was just switched off. Toogs is well, Gingey is well and I am also thankfully. 

I’m going to keep this relatively short tonight but I want to send my heart and my Love out to every one of you. This time is a big huge test for the world. Class is definitely in session. I love you guys and I know I’m always saying thank you but I’m going to say it again. Thank you for supporting me, my creative endeavors and my work. Without you I wouldn’t be able to do any of it! 

You’re all in my prayers and always will be ❤️

Hi ALL PLEASE READ! 

I’m gonna get straight to the point here. 

My niece reached out to me because she is a registered nurse in Manhattan and she’s currently on the front lines of this gargantuan pandemic that’s exploded with cases there. She’s seeing first hand that nurses and doctors don’t have enough personal protective equipment ( PPE) to deal with the huge number of cases that have and are continuing to flood in to the hospitals. Out if sheer desperation and necessity she took it upon herself to start a campaign asking everyone to please donate any masks, gowns, booties and PPE they have ( if they have any) and also any funds with which they can to help the medical staff there. She and all the medical personnel are doing an inhuman level of work to try to save lives and they urgently need our help in whatever way we can give it. I know that we are all having to count our pennies right now. I personally lost 3 jobs I was counting on so I know of what I speak, however if we could all make a donation however large or however small to help these people we need to do it. It’s the least we can do. They’re out there right in the middle of this while we get to stay home away from it. Staying locked inside presents its own challenges but compared to what they’re dealing with it’s pretty kush. I’m not going to rag here on the Gov. & lack of support and supplies because that is self evident. Hopefully that will improve soon but in the meantime there is something we can each do to help them. Attached is the info for her campaign. She is an incredibly honest, loyal, brilliant and creative human being and ALL donations go directly to the staff and hospital workers. I typically don’t trust when someone asks me for donations, I’m one of those people who has to research any cause I’m thinking of supporting butI I can personally guarantee that any funds or supplies you can donate go DIRECTLY towards helping the medical staff and patients. PLEASE help her to help these incredibly brave people who are risking their lives to help others. 

Please have a look at it, read it and please donate here I Love you all very much and In writing this am sending each and every one of you reading this my love and heartfelt gratitude. 

Please share the link far and wide! 

I will write more later but as this is a very time sensitive issue I wanted to get it up and posted as quickly as possible. 

Thank you 

I Love you guys 

XO 

F

 

 

We're in production! With Toogis doing her yoga  

Hello everyone, 

It’s been quite a while so I wanted to write in and let you know that the wonderful goodies from the latest campaign are finally being wrapped one at a time by yours truly and are making their way out across the globe to you my dear dear friends. 

It has taken me a long time to get it all done and I’m not going to go into why and how grieving can derail ones consciousness. I think you are mostly aware of that aspect of life. I am very pleased indeed with how it all turned out and I think you guys are really going to dig your things you ordered! I hope!  

You have been so very wonderfully patient, you truly have and I really do appreciate it. I realize that folks are used to mass produced things, to Amazon and the like, being able to get something in 1 day however I don’t job out because I actually make these things and do care very much about this and you, so do please bear with me a wee bit longer and I assure you everyone will get their goodies. No one has been forgotten it has simply taken longer due to personal circumstances beyond my control. 

October is here and fall is finally upon us after a long sweltering summer. I love this season and am grateful for the coming changes in weather, food and the donning of sweaters, coats and hats. 

In Northern California we actually have seasons unlike Southern California which stays pretty warm all year. I have been writing and working on my book which has been good. My creativity switched off like a lightbulb for a long time but writing is one thing my brain is allowing and I’m grateful for that, it has been a year of huge changes for many of us. Big learning curves, big challenges, great losses, lessons learned and also in turn great blessings.  

I’ve come to appreciate a great many new things as my perspective has been changing.  

I have a new friend in the form of a red eared slider aquatic baby turtle that I rescued and named Toogis aKA Tulip. I’ve never had a turtle before and I find her quite fascinating. I never knew Turtles were so interesting. She wasn’t in good shape when she came to me but now she is confidently able to swim, float, climb and glide. She also does her own form of Yoga or possibly some secret form of turtle tai chi.  

She is funny, curious, and expresses emotion which is something I did not realize turtles did. She has put a smile on my heart.  

Gingey bear King of cats has been recovering slowly but so far so good. It is truly astonishing how he has adapted to life on three legs. In case you have never before read any of my blog entry’s Gingey is my big red Tom cat who got cancer in his front right arm and ended up having to have it amputated in order to save his life. He is a champion among cats and a daily inspiration.  

Thank you my dear friends for your emails, your letters, comments and notes via social media. Thank you for showing me so much love. For all the madness and weirdness in the realms of social media the good parts of it really are something. I thank you sincerely.  

I am very proud and pleased with how the music sounds and I hope you will enjoy it.  

Ok my dears that’s it for now. 

Sending you all much love 

Xxxxxooo 

F

RV Life - Spring Road Trip: Part 2 

That night, the night we drove through Narnia was a very scary drive. The truck was hydroplaning in black ice a few times. That’s one experience that doesn’t need repeating. The truck took it like a champion I must say. Thank you Cruise America! With the amount of publicity I’ve given that company they should sponsor me! Lol! We made it through in one piece though. 

It’s very tiring driving in snow storms and icy conditions because all your muscles must stay taught and you have to lean the truck against the wind. It takes your full concentration and a lot of physical energy to keep a truck safely on the road. There are a lot of folks out there who drive like total idiots as we all know. I wish it was part of getting a drivers license to be forced to learn how to drive around big trucks and big rigs. People in cars dart around cutting trucks off, tailgating and just generally being twits. I saw a bumper sticker on one of the trucks that said “ Tail gaters will be road meat. If You can’t see my mirrors I can’t see you”. Quite a few mini heart attacks were incurred in that weather avoiding those twit drivers. We drove well into the night and we woke up after staying at a truck stop in Tucumcari NM to below freezing temps and a soft snow on the ground. It’s hard to really explain it but there’s something so cozy and wonderful about waking up in a new as yet undiscovered place in an RV. You have everything you need right there with you. Also you have your own bathroom and shower so you don’t have to go through the whole creepy rest area or truck stop lavatories. 

I tried to remember to take a photo of whatever I first saw outside my window when I would wake up. Sometimes it was breathtaking other times it was just the side of another RV ( I skipped those ones) but the point is, it was always new. When you park at night in the darkness you really don’t have a sense of your surroundings so it’s always a cool surprise to look around and see where you are in the AM. I discovered that the food at Denny’s is not digestible by my body however they do make extremely fluffy very tasty blueberry pancakes so those became a staple on this trip. There are truck stops called Flying J or pilot where you can park overnight for free and they almost always have a denny’s that’s why I mentioned them. That morning I noticed a terrific rabble outside. There were Seagulls arguing with these small black birds. I had thrown a bunch of bread scraps I’d saved expressly for this purpose out onto the crispy frozen grass. I wondered what seagulls were doing so far inland. They really are quite huge compared to other birds. We finally got on the road and drove through until We were well into Texas. 

On one of our earlier trips we had stopped at a truck stop and Gingey had woken me up chattering at something. I went to see what he was looking at and there outside were several young feral cats no older than 6 months or so. They were out wandering around and looking up at Gingey on the dashboard of the RV. It seemed like he was trying to tell them we were good folks as he had once been a free range cat as well. I went out to them with a bag of food but I couldn’t get close to any of them. I left them a small mountain of crunchy food under a tree and watched as about 8 cats came out to investigate what this strange new food was. I went online and tried to see if anyone lived nearby who could possibly come to help them. I did find a young man who said he would do his best to try to come and help. 

I’ve read that feral cats must have physical contact and affection by four months old in order to be able to domesticate them and earn their trust. I have rehabbed fully grown feral cats before though so I know that it’s challenging but it can be done. Anyhow, we had a deadline so we had to take off and I had been worrying and wondering what became of the feral cat colony so coming back by there was a must. We finally got there at the end of the day and I waited until it got dark and sure enough there they were The Big Fluffy white cat Who is the Alpha of the group, the smaller regular coat white cat, the striped triplets and the spotted female. They were healthy and strong looking and I watched as they all began to hunt for their night’s dinner. I felt like such an idiot. They’re Cats! They are the greatest hunters around! Of course they had survived! What was I so worried about! It made me very happy to see they were doing well though. I’m one of those people who always seems to have animals show up who need help so of course I help them. Pretty simple. It’s kind of beyond me how anyone could not help an animal who has been brave enough to come ask for help.

Compassion is the single greatest action and greatest example of what it means to be a human being in my book. Some folks find dogs, some find birds, some find deer, skunks, possums, you name it. The people who volunteer to foster and rehabilitate wild critters and rescues are total heroes. Incredibly hard thing to do. Anyway, I digress, in the knowledge that little white and co. were fine, we packed up and got back on the road. It was pretty cold at that time, about 10 degrees below zero. The skies were grey and the time was flying by. I had to get to New Jersey and it was still so far away!Texas gave way to Oklahoma. Oklahoma was sunnier and warmer somehow. There are so many casinos along the i40 that it seems like you are passing one every half hour or so. We did stop once out of curiosity to see what these casinos were like Inside. It was a very strange experience. You go from being out in this vast beautiful desert surrounded by huge sky, hawks and ravens above you and a massive sense of beauty and peace, to a dark noisy large room filled with First Nations pensioners, eyes glued to their screens. It felt like I wanna walking through someone else’s  dream. Suffice to say it is a very surreal experience. They bring a lot of money in for the tribes I’m told so that is a good thing. I have yet to develop my skills as a card shark. As we drove through Oklahoma I saw signs for the Cherokee nation welcome centre. My fathers family on his Maternal side were Cherokee. They were a traveling family, Horse people. Folks used to hire them to come and break wild Mustangs. Tough people to say the least. My great grandmother was very gifted with medicine and healing as well. I wish I could have known them. It has been a very tough time for me this past 6 months since my Mother moved on. I can’t talk or write about it, it’s all still far too painful. I realize how lucky I am to have had a mother who loved me and a family who still does. Many people are not so lucky. I always assumed that a mother’s love is a given, that it’s built into women chemically to love and care for their offspring but that is not actually true. Being on the trip, being distracted helped me in some ways.I didn’t feel like I was ready to do the shows or deal with that many people quite honestly but I had made the commitment before all of that happened. As we drove along and watched the scenery change I often wonder what the lives of the people whose homes, ranches, barns, RV camping lots and such are like. Each state is so different they might as well be different countries. The billboards had become very religious. Many billboards were about Jesus, pro life, guns and ammo, firing ranges, as well as advertisements for the casinos, Indian made pottery and gifts etc. Also the giant white crosses had started to appear.All along the i40 there are these gargantuan white crosses along side the road. I had never seen those before I started going on these road trips. I guess they’re there to inspire people or comfort them maybe? Or adversely to frighten them into remembering to attend if they’ve skipped a few Sundays? I don’t like any religion being pushed in my face by anyone. Period. If one comes to religion it should be by choice not force in my humble opinion.

We stopped in at the giant Chief statue bearing “Big Cabin” Oklahoma. It’s a truck stop in the middle of nowhere with a cool ultra twilight zone like shop. I found a ridiculous cat hat made for children no doubt and put it on and browsed for snacks. Two Hasidic Jewish men cane in and seemed to be having trouble communicating with the gal at the desk as they didn’t speak much English. From the looks on their faces they found the place twilight zone like also. The ladies at the counter were very cool, tough but funny and much to my joy they’re water spigots were on! We hadn’t been able to find water for the RV in several states and were almost dry. Everyone shut their water off so the pipes won’t bust in the winter. We filled the tank and gassed up then got back on the road and drove until we couldn’t go any further. I’m not sure what compelled me to do this but I looked on you tube for scary trucker stories and found several channels that cater to that subject. Stories people have submitted were read by the channels host. They’re completely DIY so the sound was often a little funky and being that the hosts are not professional voice actors the interpretations were at times very funny as they tried to make the stories as spooky as possible. They provided a fun distraction these supposedly “ True tales of terror” as we drove in the inky darkness. 

We got up into Missouri and I was hoping we’d get the chance to stop in st this bizarre little strip mall I’d found on another trip called Uranus so I could buy one of their T-shirt’s “We bury Em’ deep in Uranus “ it still makes me laugh that T shirt In a completely ridiculous adolescent humor way. Alas it was night when we passed through and time was not a friend. We had a very long way to go and very little time to get there. We drove as long as possible until fatigue set in and we’d have to stop to eat and rest a bit. Missouri gave way to Kentucky. I don’t have much to say about Kentucky because we only stopped to refuel so I saw a lot of open golden fields, some horses and long stretches of road between truck stops. It was go time so we just drove and drove. Snow storms kept happening and ice storms ie. frozen rain. That leg of the trip can be summed up in one word. 
TreacherousOnce we hit Pennsylvania we were feeling pretty good. We’d be in New Jersey with time to spare or so I thought. Our route took us onto a turnpike and that ended up being a total disaster. We got stuck behind a wide load big rig carrying some kind of giant equipment so we were stuck, we couldn’t pass it. He was going maybe 30mph. The hours were dragging by like a donkey on medical weed dragging a refrigerator. 

We pulled over at one point to get gas and decided we couldn’t stop to rest because we had hundreds of miles still to go. I met some very polite friendly Amish people in the “travel plaza” while waiting to pay for the gas. There were about 8 of them all traveling in a mini van. I had thought they only used horses and buggies to travel but then again we were on a turnpike. They probably wouldn’t let them use a horse and buggy. That would be too fast for this turnpike. We hopped back behind the wheel and grumbled as the sun went down. A soft flurry of thick snow flakes had begun to fall and long sharp icicles had formed along the walls of the mountain sides by the road. In places there were long thin spiky trees that looked exactly like they’d been dipped in white paint. The road went directly through mountains in places. It looked like a giant pie slicer had just cut a slice through the middle of the mountain. 

We were going as fast as we could go which was not fast at all then a digital sign read “Accident Ahead Tunnel closed Prepare to stop”. I was getting very frustrated indeed however there was nothing for it but to just turn off the engine and wait along with everybody else. I was supposed to be in new bloody jersey already and I here I was still in Pennsylvania! 

The accident eventually cleared after hours of being stuck We put pedal to metal and drove non stop trying in vain to get to the show in time but we arrived exactly one half hour after the show had closed for the evening. We pulled into the hotel parking lot to a hundred or so drunk partying people living it up in the lobby and smoking outside. 

It was so cold I couldn’t believe these folks in bare skin and costumes were running around like it was 75 degrees! Very devoted to their characters I must say! I do love the creativity of these people. Some of the costumes I’m told take a full year to create. When you move to a place with a warm climate I swear you get thin skinned. I used to be a cold weather person having grown up in British Columbia and London UK and Europe I love weather and seasons but nowadays after living in California I get chilly in s snap. We parked the RV around back and being far too exhausted to unpack we turned off the engine and fell straight asleep. The next day I had an early start and a huge mass of people to meet. Folks in New Jersey were very sweet, polite and funny. I got many hugs and a great deal of Love. There were a lot of people who were upset that I was a day late but once they heard what had happened with the drive they were very understanding. Anyone who’s ever been on a long road trip understands that there are always unforeseen happenings. I was just glad to arrive in one piece and with the RV intact! Gbear was so glad to be stopped he just passed out and slept the whole week end.The rest of the weekend was so busy I didn’t stop. It flew by and before I knew it, we were done and packing up for the next leg of the trip. 

That particular show had all four of the women from The Craft present and it was nice to see so much love from fans of the film. I never had a clue how big that movie was. For me it was a job. With Film you can’t ever really have any idea of how successful it is when you’re in it, I suppose for the very fact that you are In It. It’s hard to explain but there it is. With music or theatre you get a sense of how the audience feels through applause, audience reaction but with film you do your job then you go home. That’s it. I learned early on not to read reviews. So all these years later finding out that it was this huge cult hit for a whole generation of people was a revelation. The ladies all look so beautiful still. It was a good time all around. 

So on the Sunday evening after the show we packed up and started to head to our next destination, Cincinnati Ohio.

Part 3 coming soon:) Fx