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Octickle. Gotta love the octopus!

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Myron desperately wanted to tell her where she could "go fish," but he controlled himself.

A few weeks back, I visited a nearby nature preserve and took part in a small beautification effort.  There was a great egret in a clearing we had just made.  He stood absolutely still with just his head bobbing ever so slightly.  Our guide informed us that he was probably hunting for frogs.  I hope this egret doesn't make a meal of one of these guys.  Watch out, Stumpy Stan.  He's got his eye on you.

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Hello?

Is this thing on?

If there's anyone out there reading this, thank you for stopping by.  It's so good of you to explore even the dustiest corners of the blogosphere.

After a long, long, loooong dry spell, I think I am beginning to feel the tickle of creative inspiration again.  It's a tease.  It comes and goes.

In my absence, I discovered the most wonderfully charming and deliciously dark animated series called Over the Garden Wall.  Perhaps you've seen it?  If you haven't, I highly recommend it.  I had to applaud when it ended, it was that good.  Creator Patrick McHale is incredibly imaginative and a genius storyteller.  The artwork is both whimsical and beautiful, and it has a fabulous old-timey feel to it.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks again for stopping by.

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Alas, his work was not yet done.

I finished reading War and Peace this week, which for me is a big deal.  I don't have much time to read, so it took me several months to get through it.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I have dozens of classic books, but I've never read most of them.  So I challenged myself to give them a little love, starting with the biggest and most daunting one.  I was surprised at how contemporary it felt at times, and the characters were wonderfully complex, never entire good or bad.  Very human.

Any suggestions on a favorite classic for me to read next?

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Lulu preferred the company of Gus and his merry band to people.

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Colette gave her love freely, and everyone wanted a piece of it.  But just as easily as it was given, so it disappeared, often leaving a bitter taste.

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When the kids were little, we used to tell them that Daddy grew his mustache by concentrating really, really hard.  Oddly enough, when my cousin was visiting recently, he told us a story of trying to grow a mustache as a kid by concentrating really, really hard.  So now I'm wondering how many other parents have told their kids the same thing.

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Liana the Siren

Music was in her nature.  Just like drawing things in groups of three seems to be in my nature.  I just noticed that.

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Speaking of diving into things, I am going to dive into something of my own.  I recently had the pleasure of meeting and learning more about Heather Von St. James.  The more I read, the more I became inspired.

In 2005, just three months after giving birth to her daughter and at the age of 36, Heather was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer.  Without treatment, she had just 15 months to live.  I can't even pretend to know the level of heartbreak and fear she must have felt then.  As a child, Heather liked to wear her father's jacket, which was crusted with drywall dust, essentially wrapping herself in asbestos.  The effects of high asbestos exposure can take decades to manifest, lying in wait.  And when they appeared in Heather, things looked dire.  She underwent a very risky surgery which, thankfully, was successful.  Now, ten years since her diagnosis, she is a cancer research advocate and blogger, bringing awareness to the need for funding and research and helping those battling cancers of their own.  She is a survivor, she is a warrior, and she is awesome!

Heather introduced me to All or Nothing Day, which is coming up on July 26 and which embodies how she strives to live her life since her diagnosis.  All or Nothing Day is about devoting time to live life to the fullest, to be bold, and to push yourself to do things that you've always wanted to do.  So this year, for All or Nothing Day, I have decided to truly put effort into a project I started about five years ago.  As bucket lists go, mine is pretty short.  All the important things, I have and do everyday.  I'm lucky.  But one thing that has been nagging at me is the desire to create a picture book loosely based on the antics and adventures of my daughters.  I'd like them to have something to look back on when they are older that brings back the memories and giggles of a childhood well spent.  I've been working on it in bits and pieces without any cohesiveness.  A few of the images I've even posted for Illustration Friday.  But I'd really like to dive back into it this year and really try to finish it.  I'm hoping that a public declaration, even if it's to the few who visit this blog, will spur me on.

Wish me luck.

July 26.  All or Nothing.  What will you do this year?

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Danger, danger!  Hurry, we must hide from the bomber mosquito!

I overheard a conversation between my kids the other day.  They were reminiscing and giggling over their younger days when it was time to go to sleep.  Trying to stay still, the younger one would say, "I'm a rock."  And the older one would say, "Then I'm a stick."  Then they burst out laughing.

Have a safe and incredibly fun Fourth of July!

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No no nooooo, it's almost Friday again.  I have nothing for this week's prompt, but maybe this will suffice.  I've been working on a personal piece at someone's request, and this is just a small portion of the bigger picture.

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Today is the last day of school and the official start of summer vacation.  Woohoo!

Ever since I saw that the word of the week was Vacation, that song by the Go Go's has been running through my head.  You know the one.  I can tell it's playing in your head right now, and you're welcome.  So instead of the Go Go's, ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you the Go Goats making their splashy debut.

I'm going to try to keep up with Illustration Friday over the summer since I've slacked off so much during the first half of the year.  But don't be surprised if I fall off the face of the earth.

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This is what I drew one day while waiting for inspiration to strike.  Ahh, creativity.  She is my white whale, which I sometimes try to lure with the promise of cake.  But let's be honest.  It's just my excuse to eat a lot of cake.

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I'm big on recycling.  So here's a piece from long ago that I'm recycling for this week:

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Herbert enjoys a day at the groomer's.

King Cachilo tries to make his pet happy with shiny new baubles.

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It's been a while since we've checked in on our little winged butterbabies.  Oooh, look.  We're just in time to witness one wiggling out of her little chrysalis now.

I keep hearing David Attenborough's voice in my head.  Can anyone else hear him, too?  Or is it just me?

My apologies for being absent from visiting lately.  It's been quite busy at the home front, and I've been stuck in a creative funk.    But I hope that will change.

Hope everything is good where you are.

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You could call this a late submission for last week's Ruckus or an uncharacteristically early submission for this week's Outside.  I prefer to call it versatile by way of serendipity.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  It promises to be very warm where we are.

Happy spring!

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What's going on here?  Oh, nothing.  Just building an elevated path through a doughnut orchard.  I must say, the way she's lashing those spoons together sure is strong.  What's that?  Gravity?  Pshaw.  And doughnuts don't really grow on trees either.

I had my first doughnut in over a year last week.  Mmmmboy, it was so pillowy and soft and sweet.  It was just a simple glazed doughnut, but it was absolutely delightful, and so worth the wait.

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Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

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Where life is slow.  And occasionally slimy.

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