Wrapped Up

Silly Kitty found a ball of yarn. This is one of my very first attempts with Pen and Ink.

Daddy Update: Today will be the last of the 100 degree weather. Last night it cooled down enough I was able to air out the house. I think it will be much more comfortable for my parents today. Dad is showing lots of improvement. He says his neck feels better than it has since the accident, and the wound vac on the top of his head seems to be doing it's healing work. Friday the physical therapist and the nurse will be in to do their magic, then I will drive him to the Vetran's hospital on Tuesday for an appointment with the plastic surgeon. Thank you again for all your encouragement, good thoughts and prayers.

Vivid

This is another pen and ink of one of my favorite people to draw. Her face is incredibly vivid. Hence the name of this drawing.


Daddy Update: To offset the effects of the heat wave, we have moved Dad and Mom to our home. Dad is getting stronger every day. We have a small air conditioner in the living room which we are using to keep Dad cool. It is supposed to be 103 today, which is dangerous for a person of Dad's age, especially with his severe injuries. Next week I will be driving dad to an appointment with the plastic surgeon. It looks like he'll need some grafts done to cover part of the open area of the wound.

Thank you again for all your good thoughts and prayers. THANK YOU!!! Please keep praying for Dad's continued healing.

Friend of the Butterflies

This is one of my early Prismacolor pencil pictures. I made it for my daughter as a gift. Here you can see the influence of my years of teaching cartooning to youngsters.

There is Always Hope

And the darkest hours of the night,

Are just before dawn's morning light

And now before this moment is through,

Get ready . . . here comes the Sunrise!

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There is always hope.

Below is the original cloud as I first saw it--when you click into the larger picture, you will see I didn't have to paint very much. The details were all there.

Sunflower Friendship

Sunflower friendships are rare and beautiful. They bloom unexpectedly in the field of life, appearing one day out of nowhere. They are fragrant and joyful, rooted deeply into the soil of one's heart. Sunflower friendships are like bright spots of joy on a dark cloudy day. I thank God for the lovely Sunflower Friends He has brought into my life.


Daddy Update: I drove Dad and Mumsie to the Veteran's Hospital. The broken bones in Dad's neck are seated in nicely, but are not healing as quickly as hoped. The surgeon says Dad will wear his neck brace for six months. Dad's bones are soft, and if the bones do not heal, they will have do surgery. The surgeon says the surgery is risky. Please pray Dad defies all expectations and heals faster than anyone could anticipate. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

Aphrodite

Even as a child I loved the old myths of the Greeks and Romans. The stories were magical and the mythical characters of old, with their superhuman powers, seemed almost like comic book heroes. Here you see Aphrodite, goddess of love, dancing in the clouds.

Here she is as I first saw her.

Daddy Update: Dad's cousin Fred came to visit Dad. Dad seems so much better for the visit. He is perky and told me he's getting really bored sitting in bed all day long! A GOOD sign!

Mermaid of Black Lake

We were performing at Black Lake, a camp located in Washington State. It is lovely there. I have NO idea why they call that gorgeous body of water Black Lake, because it is pristine and beautiful.

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It was there I saw my first freshwater mermaid. As I lounged on the bank beneath a gnarled oak tree with my sketch pad, she slipped around the dock to shore and waved a shy hello. She curled up on a log at the edge of the water combing her long green hair. Soon a couple of ducks floated near. Flashing a saucy grin my way, she suddenly leaped into the water giving chase to the startled fowl.

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I did not see her again, but I drew her picture.

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I know, I know...I have a GREAT imagination!!! (grin)

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Daddy Update: Dad did not have any hallucinations, or sundowners symptoms the last two evenings. Thank you so much for your prayers and concern for Dad. You are all very dear.

Sky Angel

This is one of my very first pieces using my beloved Prismacolor pencils. I also used some gold leaf paint I had on hand for the wings. I created this picture for a precious little friend when she was around 11 years old.

Daddy Update: I stayed until dark last night, and Dad seemed to be doing a lot better. I'm so glad it will not be as hot today--with that collar he must wear to stabilize his neck, the heat was really bothering him. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Swept Away

When I drew this pen and ink picture, I imagined winter with her cold hold upon the world, being swept away by Spring's warm kisses.


Daddy Update: Dad did so much better last night and this morning. He visibly improves every single day. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

Exquisite

Last night I was enthralled as the clouds flowed like pink feathers across the skies. First a dragon, then a woman riding a swan. I saw so many beautious things. This morning I painted a cloud painting from one of the exquisite faces I caught with my camera.

Below is the original cloud as I saw it.

DADDY UPDATE: Dad is still doing well, but is now having some severe panic attacks where he is afraid and thinks he is going to die. It is worse in the evening and at night. Mom thinks it is something called Sundowner's Syndrome. These frightening attacks seem to have their roots in memories from his time in WW2 when he was a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany. It may be a result of his meds, they will re-evaluate this today and hopefully he will not have these fearful moments. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.

She Lives in the Window

This is one of my first pen and inks. I love drawing draperies, and thought up the idea of a "drapery angel." Hence the title She Lives in the Window.

DADDY UPDATE: Dad is eating well. Mumsie says he slept well last night, though awoke complaining of pain in the back of his neck where it is broken. He seems better this morning, and there were no hallucinations or flashbacks. Thank you so much for your good thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray for Dad's complete healing.

Finding Beauty

This is a pen and ink I found in my drawer of old drawings. It is called Finding Beauty. I remember the incident which sparked this picture.

We were living in a very old house with single wall construction--there was no insulation. The idea was to fix the old place, building equity as we went--sweat equity. That first winter all five of us lived in the tiny living room and adjacent bedroom--about 450 square feet. A wool blanket separated those rooms from the rest of the house, where in winter one could set a cup of water on the window sill to find it frozen by morning. The house also leaked like a sieve. We had no way to fix the leaks, and our things were being damaged. I felt desperate and could find no beauty in where we were living.

Mumsie came over one weekend and I was pouring out my heart to her. She listened. And then we went in to look at the leaking roof. She smiled with a mischievous twinkle. "Look here," she said pointing at the brown stains on the ceiling. "You can see a face right there."

"And there's a hippopotamus," I replied.

"And a rosebud," she returned. We looked into one another's eyes and I began to laugh. Deep uncontrollable belly laughter. We laughed until our stomach muscles were sore. Suddenly I had found unexpected beauty and could see the humor in my situation.

Things were still hard after that, but I saw everything in a new light.

DADDY UPDATE: Both Dad and Mom slept through the night. Dad did not have any flashbacks or nightmares, and seems quite plucky this morning. Please continue to pray for Dad and Mom. There are also emotional hurts which must heal along with their bodies.

Sky Smiles

Thank you to all you dear ones, who have been praying for my Dad and Mom as they recover from a very serious accident which happened on Monday. Mom is bumped and bruised, but other than that is fine. We will be moving Dad to my sister's home this afternoon. He will be using a wheelchair and staying in a hospital bed. We will all take turns helping out. Dad will be wearing a neck brace for the next six to eight weeks to stabilize the fracture in his neck. He will also be wearing the wound vac on the top of his head for a few more weeks.

Below you see an angel sky smile. How grateful I am for the angels who kept my parents from being killed on the highway Monday. It is truly a miracle they survived.


Here is the original cloud as I saw it.

Daddy

Here is a graphite picture I drew of my Father. In the photograph which inspired this drawing, Dad is looking down at his first-born grandson cuddled there in his arms.

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We would appreciate your prayers for our Dad and Mom. Yesterday after leaving our home, they were involved in a terrible car accident. Mom is alright, though she is awfully shaken and terribly bruised. Dad has a broken vertebrae in his neck, but the spinal cord is still intact. They did not have to do surgery on his neck, because the fracture has been stabilized. Dad is very very frail. Please pray for Dad's healing, and for our family. Strange how life can change in one moment.

Mesmerized

I had to laugh over this old visual I found when I was cleaning out my file cabinet. Through the 1980's and 1990's I did a lot of speaking with my Mom for women's groups. It looks like I updated the picture to reflect the changing time--originally I believe it was a "video" library.(grin) In those days we had overhead projectors, and I did a lot of my own cartoons. (Now-a-days we use power point and a computer!)
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Anyhow, I found this illustration in a file for a seminar we did on creativity. One of the points had to do with how television robs us of time and creativity. I thought you-all would get a kick out of what I came up with to illustrate my thoughts. (Grin)

Happy Fourth of July

Nine years ago, the weekend of the Fourth of July, we moved to Independence. Since then, next to Christmas, the Fourth of July has become one of my favorite holidays. Except for when I was a child, I've lived here longer than anywhere else. I consider Independence to be my hometown.

Our city's history is rich. Many say our town is the true end of the Oregon trail. There is a lot of merit to that claim and with its name of Independence (the people who settled here came from Independence, Missouri), our small town Fourth of July celebrations are the best. There's a big country parade which goes right past our house, along with a weekend of live entertainment, booths and such down by our waterfront. Because Vancouver opted out of having the big fireworks display this year, our little town's firework show will be the biggest and best in the Willamette Valley.

As I write to you, people are pulling up to the curb, and into the alley to spread blankets and unfold their chairs onto the grasses along our streets in anticipation of the parade. With the rare appearance of sun and heat, this will be the best Fourth of July ever!

Happy Fourth of July!

Four Fair Faeries

After yesterday's serious post, I was thinking a more whimsical subject to be in order. So here we go--these four fair faeries are obviously related. In fact, two of them live in my garden, and the other two live in my Sissy Clytie's garden.

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I just happened to catch these frisky little faeries as they happily visited together one fine afternoon--they were up to mischief in the roses growing along the wrought iron fence. You see the roses are red in my drawing? By the time the mischievous quartet had done their worst--my lovely flowers were resplendent in hot pink and electric orange with finely traced black stripes! Tch tch tch . . .

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One might even think they were cousins. . .

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I know, I know--I have a GREAT imagination! (But if I were one of those naughty little faeries, I'd have GREAT fun coloring those roses, just to see the look on the gardener's face.)