It’s a proper habit now, that arose from an unhappy contingency, some months back when I still owned the Honda: a 2005 Honda Accord, gold in color, and my first car dwelling.  It died a protracted and anxiety-ridden death (and I must try to avoid that with the Subaru), and late last year, it could no longer make it up the hill into the park in the morning.  And it was up in the park every morning that I pee’ed, and brushed my teeth, and braided my hair for the work day ahead.

The Honda’s impending demise obliged me to make a much shorter drive, and not up a hill, to Peet’s every morning, just for the peeing and the teeth brushing.  The hair braiding had to be done in the dark car before the trip to Peet’s.  Realization of the necessity for the change was mildly traumatic, but the change itself was not, I think because of the coloring.

Can’t do that on the block up the hill from the Peet’s:  too much foot traffic, even at 7:00 in the morning.  So I keep the colored pencils on the front seat, along with the clip-board box for a lap desk, and after I finish my egg sandwich and tea, while the local Jazz station is streaming on the phone, I color for an hour.  Just a little something, usually out of my Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook 2025. which is illustrated by some really very handsome woodcut-type prints.  And for the past few months, the very simple colorizing of these has served to put me into a very pleasant state of mind.  I feel quite energized, for to withstand the aggravations of the office.