"Deeply moving...an honest and courageous book filled with love for a very special little cat - I cried. I hope everybody reads it who has ever lost a beloved cat. It is so rare to see a man let down his guard and talk about love with such depth and sentiment". Jeffrey Masson (author of THE NINE EMOTIONAL LIVES OF CATS and DOGS NEVER LIE ABOUT LOVE) Stephen Downes never much liked cats. But one day, his sons Patrick and Ben find three kittens at the bottom of the garden. The strays soon become part of the family. Stephen falls in love with Blackie, a confident, friendly cat who keeps him company while he eats his lunch and takes naps on his study floor.But one day Blackie's tail begins to droop and he seems listless and despondent. Stephen is alarmed and wonders what could be ailing his usually robust pet.From the family vet to an eye specialist and eventually to the vet hospital in Werribee, Stephen pursues every avenue to cure Blackie's illness and keep his beloved cat alive...Deeply moving yet unsentimental, BLACKIE is a beautifully written tale about love and loss. In describing the life and death of Blackie, Stephen expresses the intense experience of loving another living thing.

A life-changing journey from the wasteland of modern society to a place of nourishment and connection. Fifth anniversary edition, with new afterword for 2021. 'Mind-blowing. An anthem for all we could be . . . I sincerely hope every woman who can read has the time and space to read it.' Manda Scott, author of Boudica and A Treachery of Spies 'This is the core of our task: to respect and revere ourselves, and so bring about a world in which women are respected and revered, recognised once again as holding the life-giving power of the earth itself.' If Women Rose Rootedhas been described as both transformative and essential. Sharon Blackie leads the reader on a quest to find their place in the world, drawing inspiration from the wise and powerful women in native mythology, and guidance from contemporary role models who have re-rooted themselves in land and community and taken responsibility for shaping the future. Beautifully written, honest and moving,If Women Rose Rooted is a passionate song to a different kind of femininity, a rallying, feminist cry for the rewilding of womanhood;reclaiming our role as guardians of the land. 'Powerful and inspiring.' Melissa Harrison, author of All Among the Barley

Born on the Kansas plains, Blackie likes to stay in one place rather than risk missing anything, but is gently pursuaded to try his hoof as a rodeo horse, a ranger's mount in Yosemite National Park, and a town mascot on the California coast, and finds love wherever he stands.

After operating espresso bars, I noticed that people stopped communicating with each other. They started being more involved in their phones and laptops, rather than talking with each other. From this, I determined that people needed a way to start the conversation. From this idea, I created the Blackie Bohemian: Book of Questions. Use this book to start a conversation, whether at an espresso bar, party, home, or wherever you are.

RADICALLY REIMAGINE THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE “There can be a certain perverse pleasure, as well as a sense of rightness and beauty, in insisting on flowering just when the world expects you to become quiet and diminish.” — from the book For any woman over fifty who has ever asked “What now? Who do I want to be?” comes a life-changing book showing how your next phase of life may be your most dynamic yet. As mythologist and psychologist Sharon Blackie describes it, midlife is the threshold to decades of opportunity and profound transformation, a time to learn, flourish, and claim the desires and identities that are often limited during earlier life stages. This is a time for gaining new perspectives, challenging and evolving belief systems, exploring callings, uncovering meaning, and ultimately finding healing for accumulated wounds. Western folklore and mythology are rife with brilliantly creative, fulfilled, feisty, and furious role models for aging women, despite our culture’s focus on youthfulness. Blackie explores these archetypes in Hagitude, presenting them in a way sure to appeal to contemporary women. Drawing inspiration from these examples as well as modern mentors, you can reclaim midlife as a liberating, alchemical moment rich with possibility and your elder years as a path to feminine power.

Blackie is a friendly, adventurous lab-spaniel retriever, an emotional support dog to her friend Lou and a detective in Lou and Dirk's BLD Holistic Detective Agency. Blackie is a tough cookie, fiercely loyal to her friends, like Lionel the railroad engineer, who goes missing, and whose blood is found on the railroad track. There is murder and suspense afoot. They find a corpse in the woods, a hidden drug lab far from the city. There is a railroad hijacking and several kidnappings. Why is their client at the railroad acting so nonchalant about Lionel being missing? Detective work is never finished, but Blackie, Lou and Cheech will not give up. When other obligations intrude on Lou, Blackie and Cheech must go on the search for Lionel alone, with the help of the powers of JEDI Cosmos. Thanks for the help of Cheech's ability to talk and size up dire situations and work with his friend Blackie dog.