Okay this is how it works.  Its still too chilly or windy for me to sit out on the front steps and wood burn.  The front enclosed porch has no light in it.   But the breeze is not so cold that nobody minds having the windows open.  So I open the window, put a fan blowing the air inside - Outside and sit down to burn for a while.

Now a long time ago I found out that I didn't care for the noises of the house as background noise.  The video game noises on my son's games.  The click click click of my daughter playing cards or typing on the computer.  My husband's breathing as he did his computer work.  (He has this weird tendency to hold his breath for a minute or whatever then let it all out in a big gust.  Its his concentration breathing or something.)  Granted this is all in the room next to the one where I work.  

I tried playing music but at times the family doesn't want to listen to what is making my moods move me.  It can get a bit odd and eclectic or even silly.  One time I listened to songs from the Muppet Movie for almost an hour while wood-burning a box for a little boy.  My husband was then puffing like a locomotive and stressing because HE was trying to study for his Cisco class.

The television is too distracting for me.  Unless it is a science or history show because those are not hard to just listen.

Quite often we listen to audio books.  I figured how how to download audio books from the library and put them on a portable then put that in the stereo so we can all listen to the books.  We usually have a debate on what genre to listen.  It doesn't last long because everyone in the family has similar tastes in literature.  My husband has the whole collection of James Axler "Death Lands".  Those are our fall back books when nothing else is readily available.

Yesterday I found a CD pack sitting on top of the kitchen stereo, Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore.  We have made it through a CD and a half so far.  I think this is a great book for artists to listen to while working.  The writer has taken a humorus, fictional event- the death of Vincent van Gogh and has made an interesting account about the murdering color blue.  I caught my daughter looking up the artworks of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Lucien Lessard and Monet at one point.  This is a perfect listen for me because it has just an undercurrent of dark comedy but most of it is light hearted.  That is always what I try to achieve with my work, especially the commission works- light hearted and peaceful.  People around here don't usually want head eating zombies painted on their trinket boxes where they store their cell phones, loose change and wallet.

Check out how to download (usually for free) audiobooks and kindle books (did you know you can read a kindle download on your laptop or computer?) from your local library!

Well wishes to all
A.