It’s been a week since my last blog post… and the reason for that is that I’ve been so transfixed and horrified by the aftermath of HURRICANE KATRINA that I’ve frankly been at a loss for words. The constant flow of heartbreaking images of suffering and loss have left me stunned and saddened. I’ve also been feeling that any ‘lighthearted’ posts in light of these terrible events would be inappropriate– so that’s also kept me ‘cyber-mum’. This is the worst natural disaster that this country has faced–at least in MY lifetime. And so I wanted my first post since last week to be about something that could make a difference. I’ve already made a donation to the AMERICAN RED CROSS and I encourage everyone who can afford it to do the same. The Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast line has been virtually destroyed and the need for money, goods and services for that area is going to be great for a long, long time to come — and regular donations will be needed to aid these poor folks over that time. And in that spirit, I’ve decided to start an eBay account for selling sketches that I can then donate the proceeds they generate to The Red Cross or any other charity that will be needing funds. You can find my first auction for the above BLACK CAT pencil sketch here on eBay. If you like this sketch, please bid on it and that way, you can help donate funds to folks who desperately need it– and you can have something in exchange for that donation.

UPDATE: J.Donelson warned me that the auction would more than likely be removed by eBay due to their policies regarding charitable auctions– and he was exactly right. I should have read their user policies more carefully, I suppose. I’ll register with MISSIONFISH (a program they use as a conduit/go-between for charity auctions) soon and let you know when the BLACK CAT piece is back up for auction.

This is Entry 143.

Mike