Lately I have come across some fantastic collaborators. They are the kind of people who, when I mention that I have always wanted to hang giant chandeliers all over the tree in my front yard and electrify the whole thing, say, “That sounds like a fine idea!” instead of asking me if I am still taking my meds. Yes, I realize there are a number of logistical problems with the Electrified Tree, but, dang it, if we put a man on the moon (and, Nate, I assure you we did) then, surely, I can electrify my tree.

Mainly I would turn on the electrified tree anytime I am happy to receive drop-in visitors. If the tree is illuminated, crafty people could come over to play. Oh, and I guess it would also be on for all major SusanLand International Holidays… and on especially dreary winter days, too.

So here is a really rough sketch, but even it isn’t quite what I had imagined.

I thought I might weld large hurricane-type lanterns so that they would be watertight and suited for outdoor use, but then there is still the problem of running electrical conduit underground and then up the tree. My friend James mentioned that lightning would be a problem, and yes, I’m guessing electrifying a tree in the front yard in the traditional sense would get my homeowners policy canceled. . .

But then he suggested going with solar-powered LEDs, and that, I think, just might work! He also mentioned that it could be remote-controlled with infrared sensors or somethingorother. James, if you are out there, what was all that again? I am hoping that some of you Makers will weigh in with your ideas. Is it possible to “electrify” my tree without:

* spending a fortune?

* using tons of electricity — or any?

* creating an enormous lightning rod in the middle of my neighborhood?

* voiding my homeowners policy? (Actually, I probably already did that with those hives of bees…)

Well? What do you think? Hmmmmm?

–S.

Today is an S.N.H. — SusanLand National Holiday! It is officially “Birthing Day” for my mom. Here she is in her own words:

It was 35 years ago yesterday that I was making chocolate cupcakes for your dad to take to some teacher thingy.  That’s when my water broke!

We waited and waited all day, and nothing else happened.  Finally, we went to the hospital, and they began inducing my labor.  M-m-m-m-m-m, those pills were tasty!  It took about four hours, and then you decided it was time, but it was Tuesday, August 29th by then. Happy Birthday!

So, Happy Birthing Day, Mom.

I hadn’t done any 2D artwork in a really, really long time. Probably not since I illustrated The Not-So-Lost Soul Companion or The Insatiable Gardener’s Guide. So I wasn’t sure whether or not I still had it in me, but I guess I do. I just finished a very detailed drawing of Ol’ Petie and Leora’s house — complete with just the right people and sundry pooches. It is a snapshot of a difficult time we all shared this summer, and here is just one tiny snippet:

Next on my list is something special for Soma. And after that, who knows?

–S.

Having a backyard pond to call my own is certainly a luxury, I think. I explained why a little bit for Plenty Magazine. But it is a luxury in other ways, too. It is a great spot for staring and thinking. It is just as good for staring and not thinking. And, like most everything else in SusanLand, it is a work in progress. Here is the water garden up close, before we set in stones and so much sedum. (Check out the succulent porn!)

And here are a couple of the pond’s inhabitants.*

*Yes, eventually, I let them out of this bag…

I refer to him as a Capital A Adventurer because, from his note to me, it sounds as if he is. Here is a bit about him and what I think may be an alter ego. He wasn’t sure at first that he had anything to say, but after years of wandering, working odd jobs, and meeting the odd person or two, he says he realized that, at last, he did. So see for yourself. His novel, Dust, lives on-line.

–S.

Here is that photo some of you said you wanted to see. The Great Wall before I cover it with so much broken Frankoma.

If you think it looks a little weird, well, yeah, it does. I took a few photos and smashed them together so you’d get a sense of the bigger picture. It’s still a little wet in places from new mortar and yesterday’s big rain (finally. rain!)

–S.

That’s not quite what Lady Liberty says, but, you know, something like that. Anyway, I’m working on a new, outdoor mosaic, and I could really use any old tiles, dishes, mugs, flower pots — really any kind of crockery that you might like to get rid of. To give you some idea of what I have in mind, there are hundreds of gorgeous mosaics here.

I am in need of really bright colors, but I would be happy with anything at all, to tell you the truth. So far, I have amassed a pretty impressive assortment of items, and I have been smashing it all to bits in my garage. (Shattering the 1930s Frankoma mug given to me — and dozens of other unsuspecting women — by everyone’s favorite local Lothario was particularly satisfying…)

So, if you are somewhat far away and don’t mind mailing me stuff, you can send it to me at:

 P.O. Box 3248

Bloomington, IN 47402-3248

Or you can drop things by Boxcar Books — just tell them it’s for me! — and you will make my whole week. I promise to document my progress here with photos. So far, I just have a gray cinderblock wall, but soon I will be adding impossibly colorful snails, snakes, and who-knows-what-else. Let me know what ideas you have for me, and I may well incorporate them!

–S.

I have been getting the saddest email messages for so long. Messages like this one:

“Your site gave me hope until I found so many dead links. Is the site no more?”

And I have to answer, “Not exactly,” but I can see how some of you lost and not-so-lost souls souls might have given up on me by now. The old Lost Soul Companion community forum had been fraught with trouble for the last couple of years. All those fake members and spam out the ass… Ca$!n0 w!n B!G C@$H!!! and so much porn and the occasional, baffling nonsensical something like, “Then the armored figure removed his helmet, and Domon stared.” It got to be too much. And it wasn’t what I had hoped The Lost Soul Companion Project could be.

So I am working with a nice fellow to clean up the place a bit. Goodness knows it needs it. In the meantime, the SusanLand blog will have to tide you over. I am still here. Where are you?

–S.