How do you know what your characters look like?

Addressed to the Floating Critiques folk, and now to you:

Since we have all been either too busy to write, or too busy writing to think about a writing group, I thought I'd ask a question -- do you like to have a picture -- literally -- of what a character you're creating looks like? Is it helpful, is it a hindrance? I have buried about here a file with all kinds of interesting faces in it -- being kept for just that purpose. They will probably end up as characters in my stories. Nowadays, I paste photos in a file -- sometimes a general file, sometimes for a specific book.

I don't tell people who was a physical model for a character. I found out that fans are too influenced by what the individual may be in real life. Professional entertainers are risky, because some people associate them with a role that can't be shaken free of -- or fans don't like their politics, their private life, whatever.

Watching that silly, wonderful Ninja Warrior marathon, I found a face for a future book. It will help me begin to put together the story she's part of, knowing what she looks like.

It also is writing progress, which is always appreciated. Health has been bizarre here, so I'll take the good things as they come along!

Things that don't happen every day

I went to a local semi-regular gathering Friday night, with a few others, and friends who live maybe four long blocks south and two long blocks west asked me if I'd heard about the cougar.

"What cougar?" or something of that ilk was my response.

"The cougar spotted stalking a deer around...what's the street that north of XXX?"

"YYY."

That street! We're talking two blocks south of my house. Apparently TX Parks and Wildlife have found tracks and a seriously gnawed deer carcass.

This is not the first time I've heard about a cougar. There has been one northeast of here in the suburbs. And cougars do appear in the hill country.

I don't want anyone to get hurt. But the poor cougar will be lucky if they can tranquilize him and relocate him quickly.

Apparently it's rather big. I do not have a confirmed size, but let's say bigger than I want in my back yard.

Welcome to Texas, where the Old West is only a block away....