Clara's Window

Either you're a remarkably adept Web surfer with lots of time on your hands, or you know who I am and are curious to read more. In either case, welcome.

I spend my days at the computer -- a Dell Inspiron 8000 laptop fondly referred to as Miss Kitty -- putting together words. Sometimes they're words about knitting, which go in my weekly e-zine, Knitter's Review. Other times they're words about databases, data marts, data warehouses, enterprise resource planning systems, technology security infrastructures, you name it. Sometimes I feel like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with such split lives, but it keeps things interesting.

A few years ago I chucked it all and left San Francisco, leaving behind a great apartment (two bedrooms with a yard, fireplace, and parking in Noe Valley for $1095, imagine!), a great career (at least on paper), and the admiration of my non-San Francisco-dwelling family and friends. My siggie -- who'd just been laid off from a dot-com company -- and I packed up the ol' Camry and headed east.

Destination: the great state of Maine. (I'll explain why later.)

Today, with patience, perseverance, and the generous interest-bearing support of a local bank, we're finally ensconced in a renovated farmhouse that belonged to my beloved eccentric great aunt. My home office overlooks 27 acres of blueberry fields, a beautiful lake, and rolling countryside. Occasionally a bald eagle flies overhead. Have I mentioned that the ocean is just down the road?

Our official tea time is at 3pm, although mine seems to extend more and more throughout the day. We drink Marks & Spencer Extra Strong Tea, two teaspoons of sugar and a dollop of milk thank you very much. We check the indoor/outdoor thermometer -- perhaps the most exciting toy any rural dweller could own -- and discuss business, interesting bird sightings, and -- always -- our beloved cat Casey. (I'm being entirely unbiased when I say he is the most exquisite feline creature on the planet. No really, it's true.)

There's much more to this exciting life, I assure you. But this will have to do for now. I have a deadline I must meet, clients to keep happy, and a cat to hug.