An Eighth Shot of Espresso: Coffee and Creativity on Mum's Third Shift

Straight from summer into autumn from eighty nine to forty five the thermometer is confused. Winds blow under a perfect blue sky I need to auto defrost the windows of my car first time this season. Cold comes late or early depending on what you're used to break out the sweaters put away the tropical shirts. Order hot coffee cider and tea a drink to warm up the old bones and take away the shivers. My joints protest but I've always loved this time of year when the leaves turn color and the campfires burn bright.

Can't see the show? Watch it in the comfort of your own house. By yourself or with a friend Turn the lights down low volume as loud as you want pause the performance skip the parts you don't like And if you don't care for it go back and find one that better suits your tastes! No pesky cell phones no annoying audience chatter. An experience where you set the rules and enjoy in comfort. Did you like this? Find others similar to it you might stumble over a gem you never knew existed. Or change the tone a drama instead of a musical a documentary or a horror flick maybe the latest installment maybe the hidden cult classic. In any case don't worry about being disappointed or raging over the discourtesy of others in a communal viewing this is a tailor-made bundle for you alone!

Handcrafted each stitch tells a story each color shows emotion Shuttles whisper in firelight gnarled hands tease out the knots fringes combed out smooth. Hardly a lost art just not seen as much not as vital as it used to be. Quiet chatter in circles gossip and relationship advice old passing stories to the young. Can there be a revival of those long forgotten days different fabrics sewn whole again?

Work around the needs of others plan every minute keep an eye on the time Shuffle appointments unexpected phone calls it needs to be addressed right now. Explain that being flexible doesn't mean being able to drop what I'm doing immediately for them. Too much sacrifice thoughts on the back burner praise for due diligence scorn for not enough. Stay up at night the only time I am able to breathe deeply and be myself for once.

Thirty degrees between dawn and dusk Mercury soars to sink back down again. Breaths not constant from minute to minute A piece of joyous news to a tragic accident. Heartbeat irregular up a flight of stairs seeing a long awaited friend sitting at rest. Moods swing no food since this morning traffic backed up for miles a riotous hilarious joke. Spark of life uneven walk the floors between the nursery of new life and the hospice of the old.

My muse with clipped wings swings her brush from between the bars of her cage. Canvases steeped in darkness never to be seen by anyone in the light. An expression of madness caused by too many voices suddenly made silent fair weather friends. A scarred heart only half healed hidden away in order to not be hurt again. Her precious children dripping with hope and courage no longer for auction no longer for promotion. Perhaps if you are sincere and don't arrive just to leave again you can see their colors.