Living with Maria is like being in one of those animated cartoons where black and white suddenly turns to color, the rainbow sweeps across the screen and lights up the world. All of my life – and that is a good long life – I’ve worn black, blue or brown socks. I never once thought of buying socks with color and artistry in them.

Maria is a color and light fairy, she sweeps through the house and gardens with the magic want of her creativity, gardens, windowsill galleries, flowers, beautiful stones and crystals appear almost magically. It was inevitable she would get to drab old me.

This week, Maria conspired with Heather at Over The Moon, a socks and beads shop on Main Street, and bought me some new socks. I was surprised by them (Minnie seems to like them) and even more surprised by how much I love them. I wear the same thing every day – jeans or chinos and blue work shirts. Nothing else, ever, except for some polo shirts on hot days. I don’t care about clothes and don’t want to think about clothes.

I could not imagine a few years ago wearing socks like these – or loving them. Despite that, I am not giving up on my jeans and blue work shirts (maybe the shirts), they are my writer’s uniform.

(I have tattoos because of Maria, and four think bracelets made out of old shoes on my right wrist.)

I very much like having these socks, they have brought my feet to life, brightened up my sense of self, caused me to consider my feet in a different way. I don’t think I consider my feet much except when they hurt from all the hiking we do, and now I can look at them and smile. I am a color and light worshipper, and Maria’s artistry, love of life and gift for brightening the world around her has even reached down to my feet.

Maria is a good witch, a genie, an elf and sprite of the forest.