Tears Freefalling-poem

TEARS FREEFALLING

Sharon Prater-Pope (4-24-12)

Freefalling tears,

Liquid prayers

Cleansing the soul,

Making way for new growth.

Holiday Wishes...

Just wanted to thank you all for your visits and comments and to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! May we all have a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year!

This hand quilted ornament was made and given to me by my Aunt Lela this Christmas. The center is made from one of my uncle's bandanas. He passed away right after Christmas last year and he is dearly missed. They are special people in my life and I'm so honored that she made this for me in his memory.

A Birthday Sheep Story...

Remember the story three posts back about the friend who gave me two Snowbabies ornaments years ago and I put them up for safe keeping and couldn't find them again until a couple of months ago? Well, this little tale is about another one of our "mishaps," and, trust me, we've had many over the past 48 years. Yep, we've been close friends that long!

Anyway, her birthday was last Tuesday. I hadn't been anywhere to get her a card, so she didn't get one on her birthday. I thought about her several times, but she was at work, so I didn't call her either. The day AFTER her birthday, I decided to make her a card, so I used the doodle sheep that I had sketched and painted as the front. I typed my name and where it was from with the date on the back and printed it off on a nice digital card.

It looked good, so I handwrote the birthday song on the inside. Only instead of You, I wrote Ewe, as in "Happy Birthday to Ewe!" etc. It never occurred to me that this might cause some confusion.

My friend called me this past Tuesday night. She said it was a good thing she got the card Saturday (4 days after her bd) because she was going to call to see about me. Then she started laughing and said, "Let me tell you what you're little dumb friend did!"

She opened the card, looked at the front, and thought the sheep was sweet. Then she read the inside. She said she must have read it a dozen times trying to figure out what point I was trying to make by singing happy bd to E-we and sending it to her.

She sang it to me, "Happy Birthday to E-We!" I was already belly-laughing, but I didn't say anything. You had to have heard her telling it.

Finally, she looked back at the front, saw the sheep, and made the connection! By the time she told me this, we were both nearly rolling on the floor laughing. I told her that it never occurred to me that she wouldn't think about a ewe being a female sheep. To which she again sang, "Happy Birthday to E-we!" and we got tickled again.

She said at least I got hers in the mail. She had found some that she got for me that never made it to the mail box. She usually calls me sometime around my birthday though. I told her not to feel bad, that I had fixed up my other best friend a BD card back in July and set it on the shelf to mail. A few days later that friend called me, and I told her that her BD card was sitting on the shelf, that I didn't get it mailed yet, but that I would. About three days later, she came to see me and said that she came after her card. I promptly handed it to her, and we had some giggles over coffee.

Ahhh! The joys of being a Senior Citizen! It's a trip! LOL

Still Here...

Just a note to say that I haven't forgotten that I have this blog. I have just been so busy with drawing and sketching, etc lately, plus I've been trying to set up an Etsy store and taking part in the Art Every Day Month challenge, in which I set myself a goal of sketching 30 dolls in 30 days. I posted my 22nd one today on http://wwwmoxiebluecom.blogspot.com/. I'm having a blast, but it is taking a lot of time.

I still have my love of writing though and can't wait until I get a chance to write some things to post. I have so many ideas and thoughts flying around in my head. There is just not enough time and energy to do everything that I want to do creatively anymore.

I will be back though, Lord willing! :)

Little Story About Lost Snowbabies

I just published a post on http://wwwmoxiebluecom.blogspot.com/ with this sketch and a story about my lost snowbaby figurines.

It was a sketch for my Everyday Matters drawing group, to which I added a true story. I would have copied it here, but for some reason I can no longer copy and paste to my blogs, and I don't have time to re-type the whole thing right now.

It's titled "EDM #242--Snowbaby Figurine." Hope you enjoy it. :)

Trying to Get All My Ducks In A Row

It's been a while since I posted on Scribbles. It's not that I haven't been thinking about it or that I didn't want to. It's just that I have sooo many projects going that I'm bound to fall behind on some of them. I have lots of stories to tell you if I can ever get organized and get all my ducks in a row so that I can keep up with everything.

Along with trying to keep up three blogs and Facebook, I'm in the process of setting up an Etsy store online, which means I'm also trying to get handmade items ready to put in the store. I'll also have to set up a bookkeeping plan, etc.

I want to continue my blogs for fun, and since I don't want them to be stressful to me, they may be a little sporadic until I get situated.

A story was running through my mind when I got up this morning, but I'm expecting company and don't have time to write it down right now. Maybe it will come back to me at a later time.

Things are changing all the time in my life and getting rearranged, so what's going on in my head is a little chaotic. When things get too chaotic, I do like Ducky Blue (above) and take a nap. At least I have him in a row. .. :)

Ilsa And The Puppies

Ilsa And The Puppies

Drawing and Story by Sharon Pope

Ilsa tried to stay in the shadows as much as possible, but shafts of light from the street light spotlighted the very thing she was trying to hide...two puppies.

She stole them from her neighbor's yard during the middle of the night. The neighbors wouldn't miss them. They had so many dogs and puppies in their fenced in back yard and Ilsa was so lonely. She had no one to call a friend.

Ilsa was homeless and lived in a large pasteboard box around the corner in an alley. She once had a husband, two children, and a nice home, but everything was taken in a few seconds during a tornado a couple of years back. She fell into a deep depression and took to the streets. Nothing mattered anymore, not even whether she lived or died.

It was a good sign that she was lonely now. It meant that she was beginning to feel again and that her heart was beginning to heal a little. A sliver of light in the darkness.

She had often stood and watched the dogs and delighted in their antics as she made her daily rounds scrounging for food and necessities. It was a bright spot in her day. She was a fighter, but the depression and thoughts of ending it all had almost won this time.

Almost.

She cuddled the puppies in her arms the way she used to cuddle her babies as she made her way back through the cool fall night to the box she called home. It felt so good to have something alive and warm giving her face wet kisses again, squiggling and squirming between her arms and her chest. She hadn't realized how much she missed and wanted that.

The puppies were non-judgemental and wanted to love her. Dogs were like that. She picked these particular two, a Pekingese and a small breed hound, because they were the two that came to her immediately when she stealthily opened the gate. They made no fuss when she picked them up, closed the gate back, and walked around the corner and down the dark alley.

Ilsa had thought about doing this for a couple of days and found some string in the garbage can near her box that was strong enough to use as a leash. She immediately tied them to her hand, once inside the box, and the three of them crawled into the old sleeping bag that she called a bed. She would worry about feed and water for her new friends in the morning. They snuggled right up against her as puppies do. She had babies again to care for. Oh, she was so happy to have the company that she could barely get to sleep, but the soft little snoring sounds from the puppies, like a lullaby, lulled her into a peaceful slumber.

Early the next morning there was a rapping on the side of the box. Ilsa never had company and couldn't imagine who it could be. Frightened out of her wits, she stuck her head out though the box opening to see a policeman standing there.

"Good morning," Ilsa said, rubbing her eyes. "Can I help you? I have permission to be here."

"We're looking for two puppies that were stolen from around the corner last night. They were worth five-hundred dollars apiece. Have you seen them by any chance?" The policeman was trying to see inside the box as Ilsa crawled out to stand up facing him.

Ilsa couldn't lie. Tears were streaming down her face as she turned and scooped the two puppies up out of the box. "I was so lonely and I didn't think they would miss them. They have so many, and I didn't know they were valuable. I'm so sorry! I knew better than to steal them. I just couldn't help myself." She was talking in a pleading tone, her words tumbling out over one another. "I don't want to go to jail."

Another feeling had returned. The feeling of fear. But that was better than no feeling at all.

The officer escorted her back around the corner to the Crester's place and rung the door bell.

Lisa Crester answered the door, looking irritated. She took the puppies from Ilsa and looked them over. They didn't appear to be harmed any. Ilsa's home made leashes still dangled from their tiny necks.

Ilsa apologized profusely and explained why she took them.

"Aren't you the lady who lives in the large box around the corner...at the end of the alley? I've seen you passing here often."

"I am." Ilsa was so ashamed and could barely look Lisa in the eye.

"I'll tell you what. You've returned them in good shape and you seem genuinely sorry. Instead of having you arrested, I'll give you a chance to make it up to us if you want."

"Anything." Ilsa sniffled. She couldn't stop crying. It was as if a dam had burst inside her. Lisa, in a moment of compassion, put her arms around Ilsa.

Ilsa hadn't been hugged in a very long time.

A little teary-eyed herself, Lisa said, "I need some help with all these dogs and my kennel business since Frank has gone back to work. If you want to try it, I'll pay you room and board, plus a very small weekly salary. It'll be on a trial basis for a while, until I know I can trust you."

Ilsa couldn't believe the offer. "You can trust me, I give you my word. I've never stolen anything before in my life and never will again." Her tear-stained face offered up a shakey smile.

"Good, you can start right away. I'll show you where to put your things, and I think I have some clothes that might fit you. I was going to donate them to Goodwill, but you might like them."

"Well, I'll let you two ladies work it out from here." The policeman turned and went back to work with a smile on his face. If only all his cases worked out so well. He would check back on them in a few days.

Ilsa followed Lisa through the modest home to a tiny guest house in the back yard near the kennel. A new home, a new family, and all the puppy love she could want.

Another feeling bubbled to the surface as Ilsa stood inside her new home. Hope.

The End

PS--This little story was written spur of the moment, stream of consciousness, which is how I really enjoy writing. It hasn't been properly revised yet, so please overlook any writing mistakes. It was written to go with the doodle drawing above. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Gift of Roses

These roses were given to me by Mama after Valentine's Day and were wrapped in yellow tissue paper and cellophane, all tied up with a golden ribbon. They are made of very thin wood. The pink ones are pretty, but yellow roses are my favorites. I haven't tried to arrange them yet. I just let them fall naturally. I kind of like them that way though.

Mama's friend, Wilma, who picked up the roses for her, gave us the vases to put them in. Mama's was similar to mine, but more of a fan shape. Isn't it pretty? I like it because it's old timey looking. I love old things. I'm very sentimental.

They looked so pretty with the sunlight streaming in through the window on them this morning that I though I'd share them with you. Have a blessed day. :)

Cat Fight in the Making

Sketchbook doodle inspired by Melissa's technique. Check out her blog for some really fun art.

Click on the picture to enlarge it so you can see the facial expressions better. They just crack me up.

The reason I've posted this on my writing blog is that hubby has just retired, and I'm hoping this is not us in a few weeks, but I might be able to write a story to go with this doodle by then. What do you think? LOL

Getting to the heART of it Blog Festival

This is a double page watercolor drawing in my Moleskine sketchbook in participation in the heART blog festival that Mother Henna is hosting on her blog on Valentine Day. You can click on the Exploring My heART badge on my sidebar to find out the details if you'd like to join in.



Like anyone else who has live long enough, my heart bears the scars of being cracked, broken, and shattered. It has also sung, danced, jumped for joy, swung on stars, and been so filled with love that I thought it would burst. I have been blessed to have loved and been loved by many wonderful people in my life. Whatever I attempt to create comes from the pain, the loss, the joy, and the love of life. I share it in the hope that what comes from my heart will touch yours, if only for a moment, and we will both be blessed.

Play-fulness In Art & Writing

I find myself having a hard time getting started back to writing or drawing in the new year. I had the habit of drawing/writing something every morning while I had my first cup of coffee. The holidays have thrown that off a bit it seems. I've gone from "couldn't wait to get started" to "finding it difficult or downright impossible to start."

This brings me to a question Leah asked in a post, and since I'm participating in her Creative Every Day Challenge this year I thought I'd share my answer here.

The question was, "How do you return to playfulness when your creations are getting stiff?"

Instead of having a chance for my work to get stiff, I tend to get blocked. Sometimes I get stuck before I even start and sometimes it's half way through the project.

I love to do stream of consciousness writing, and if I do it a couple of days in a row that usually unlocks my writing and gets me going again.

Tammy in the Mojoart group introduced me to touch drawing the winter my dad died, four years ago. She shared her story about a technique that she had learned in art therapy. I looked it up on the net and tried it. I was hooked. I made dozens of drawings over the next couple of years. It not only helped my art, it helped me survive those years when we were hit with one trauma after another.

Touch drawing only requires your fingers, ink, thin paper, and an inking board. It helps if you meditate and center yourself first. You spread a very thin layer of printers ink over your board with a brayer, lay your paper down gently over the ink, and tapping into your inner self, let your feelings come out through your fingers and hands onto the back of the paper. You can use both hands at once if you want.

It's amazing what images come out when you pull the paper up and turn it over. Each drawing tells a story, which you can write out if you want. You can also add color to them. Each drawing is numbered in the order you drew them during your session. I can line all of mine up in order from all of my sessions and see a progression from grief and anger to acceptance and healing.

I haven't done any for a while, but they sure did help my creativity and my sanity during a rough time. The Center for Touch Drawing has a website with a demo if you're interested.

Another thing I learned this past year was from Judi Russell's website. She shares her art journaling technique, where you center yourself, close your eyes, try not to think about what your pencil is doing, and let it glide lightly over the paper making different shapes, lines, circles, etc.

When you're done, you open your eyes and study the shapes until an image emerges that means something to you. When it does, you darken the lines of the image, add lines, words/phrases, faces, enhancements, etc. to bring it out as far as you want to. Go over the image lines with an ultra fine black sharpie. Then you can color it if you like. You can also journal about what the image means to you.

Judi does have a gallery of her art journal drawings and some of her paintings that derived from the drawings. I have a tutorial of sorts on my Moxie Blue website under the label "quirky art journal instructions." However, my images look nothing like hers. :)

I've been doing at least one of these a day since last April and I have over 325 now. I am constantly amazed at the images I pull out of a bunch of shapes and lines, but they have inspired dozens of ideas for paintings and stories for writing for me.

I tend to take everything waaaaaay too seriously and these techniques are a lot of fun to me because I don't worry about everything being perfect or good enough. I just relax and let things flow. I always come away from these "play" times feeling more relaxed and confident about my art and writing.

As a matter of fact, writing about play time with art/writing has put me in the mood to do some. See you later! Have a creative day!

I'm Still Here & Happy Holidays

Just to say hello and let you know that I'm still working on getting this blog started. I'm going to have to start keeping a notebook in my hand to jot down what I want to say. I have these ideas and thoughts when I'm busy doing other things, then when I get time to write the ideas have sprouted wings and flown away.

Plus, I've gotten myself involved in a few weekly art challenges, which is great fun, it keeps me motivated, and I've met some wonderful artists. It also takes a lot of time to participate, visit blogs, and document everything with photos. I love it, but it does take time.

I have just signed up for the Creative Every Day 2009 challenge for both blogs, so that should really be a challenge. We don't have to post every day, and I already do something creative everyday, so maybe I can keep up. :)

Things are also busy, otherwise, with the animals, house chores, etc. I have let the housework pile up, and J is due home Thursday until after Christmas. I haven't started Christmas shopping yet either, well, I do have a couple of things bought. So I have a lot to do and a short time to do it, as does everyone else at this time of year. I do want to update you all on Sammidog, but I don't have time right now. Maybe later this week.

Take care. Thanks for stopping by, and check back soon. I have some illustrated flash fiction coming after Christmas, if the "Good Lord's willing and the cricks don't rise". :)

Remembering Daddy

Tulips were one of daddy's favorite flowers, so this little watercolor painting is for him. He left us unexpectedly on Nov. 11, 2004, four years ago, and not a day goes by that I don't miss sharing my life with him. All the little day to day things. He is always in my heart and I feel his presence around me continually. He was a good dad, and though I'm a senior citizen now, I'm still his "Baby Girl." Always will be.

This picture was taken when we lived on the river bank, and could actually see the river, not long before we moved to Rabbit Hop, where we're still on the river bank, but can't actually see the river. It's just a short walk away though and beautiful when you get there. The house in the photo has been long gone, but we pass where it sat every time we go to, or come from, town. Also part of my roots. :)

A 2nd Blog From Moi

This blog has just been started, so is still under construction. I have been doing everything on my other blog Moxie Blue, which includes my artistic endeavors, challenges, writings, etc. Somehow, all of a sudden, it doesn't seem to all work together, so I've decided to try keeping up two blogs.

Moxie Blue will still have my art related posts and pictures, and Scribbles will house any writings that I wish to share, such as journal type posts, short stories, life clips, non-fiction personal stories, thoughts, maybe occasional poems, pictures, writing related stuff, whatever I feel like sharing with you.

It may take a few days for the blog to be up and running, but thank you for stopping by for a visit and please do check back. I would love it if you would leave a comment and say hello. I really hope you enjoy reading my scribbles as much as I enjoy writing them. :)

Yes, there really is a Rabbit Hop. I've lived here all but two years of my whole life. :)