I'm continuing to work on some larger-scale pieces and commissions, while trying to post a new small work every two or three days. Meanwhile, here's a couple of short tales I came across on Anecdotage:

Meandering

One wintry day when Frank Lloyd Wright was nine years old, the future architect went for a walk with a reserved, no-nonsense uncle. As they reached the end of a snow-covered field, his uncle stopped him. "Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly from the fence to the cattle to the woods and back again," he said. "And see how my tracks aim directly to my goal. There is an important lesson in that."

Years later Wright remarked that this experience had had a profound influence on his philosophy of life. "I determined right then," he explained with a twinkle in his eye, "not to miss most things in life, as my uncle had!"

Champagne

One day the artist James McNeill Whistler, famous for his spendthrift ways, was visited by a creditor. Whistler graciously offered him a glass of champagne.

The man was understandably incredulous. "If you can't afford to pay my bill," he cried, "how can you afford champagne!?"

Whistler instructed the man to calm down. "I assure you," he explained, "I haven't paid for the champagne either."