My drawing, Love Message 1:
A poem:
A journal entry:
Pictures:
Hope before we went for our mile walk.
Trees…
Trees reaching for sky in light and shadow…
Sun dappled trees…
Pond through pines…
Driveway fading away…
Valentine plush for Mom.
My Valentine bear.
I hope you have a wonderful Friday night and a weekend full of creative pleasure.
Always,
Jo Ann
A poem, a picture, and a journal entry:
Today is Thursday so it is gratitude list day.
I am thankful:
1. Mom is feeling better today after being quite sick last night.
2. The dogs were groomed yesterday.
3. Some people are following my creativity project.
4. Alex and I were able to communicate a while today.
5. I have read five books so far this year.
6. When my old laptop suddenly stopped working last night it was only because the power cord was disconnected and the battery dead.
7. Penny is doing well despite congestive heart failure.
8. I still have some money left and it is near the end of the month.
9. I have internet access and a working laptop.
10. I have a comfortable bed in which to sleep.
I am hoping to draw something for tomorrow. Drawing seems to be harder for me than creatively writing or taking photographs. I think I am less sure of my skill, especially with the Wacom tablet. This project is not to do things perfectly, but to make some creative effort daily. I made it intentionally broad in category so that any effort counts. I am pleased that I am still doing this project.
I hope your day brings you some inspiration that you can turn into a work of creativity.
Always,
Jo Ann
First a poem I worked to perfect this morning, then a journal entry from this afternoon:
Some pictures from our walk:
A sky shot…
A long leaf pine that reminds me of a cactus…
My sweet puppy dog, Hope, sporting her newly groomed coat.
Another shot of my baby girl.
A shot of the sky.
The road to Linda’s house.
Trees…
Penny in her pajamas.
Close up of Ko-Ko in pajamas.
Hope close up.
I hope all of you have some brilliant creative ideas to brighten your day.
Always,
Jo Ann
My journal entry and a poem:
A few pictures:
Sticky bush…
Rainwater on fronds…
Bear Alex gave me for Christmas 2010. I call him Mountz…
Gumby…
Another shot of Mountz…
I hope you will remember although forgiving others is hard it brings great benefits to you. When you forgive you let go of bitterness that eats away at you. Love is what we are designed to share and that does not mean abandoning others, it means living in relationship. People are not perfect, but we can respond to those in our life with generosity and love.
May you find energy to create something of beauty.
Always,
Jo Ann
My journal entry and a poem:
Today was a rainy day, so Hope and I did not go outside to walk. My pictures for the day come from inside the house. The dogs are going to be groomed on Wednesday so I took some pictures of them with their long hair.
My sweet Hope…
Ko-Ko…
Penny…
Mom with Penny…
Some few of my books in teetering stacks.
You can see I have plenty of material to read and that is only a small number of all my books.
I hope you enjoyed your time spent here. May your day be full of creative energy.
Smiles,
Jo Ann
My journal entry with a poem:
A few pictures:
A gargoyle…
A pair of gargoyles…
An elephant I painted some time ago.
I have no plans to go to town tomorrow. I should have more time to dedicate to doing something creative than I have had the last two days.
I hope you have a wonderful night and a weekend full of inspiration.
Always,
Jo Ann
The topic of my journal entry today is not pleasant, but it provides insight.
Hope and I walked a mile, and I took these pictures:
The resilience of plants to survive the elements of the outside world is amazing. They also make great subjects for our photographs and art. We are fortunate to be surrounded by such varied beauty.
I hope you enjoy your day and are able to find some wonder in it. May you be inspired to create something of lasting significance.
Always,
Jo Ann
I have decided to go back to my regular font. I think it more fits my personality. If any of you has a preference for the other font, let me know.
My handwritten journal entry:
Some pictures from the mile Hope and I walked today:
We had Papa John’s pizza for supper, which was a pleasant treat. I did not do a drawing today because I did not use my limited time very efficiently. I should have gotten up before 1:00 in the afternoon, but the sleep was quite refreshing.
I hope all of you are having an excellent week so far.
Always,
Jo Ann
This has been a productive day. I have drawn and painted a picture, created a song, taken some photographs, and written a journal entry. I have also finished up the week’s Bible study with my Mom.
First, the picture I finished early this morning before going to bed:
The song I created while walking with Hope and my handwritten journal entry for today:
The photographs I took today:
A different angle on the Radio Flyer. This image haunts me.
Hope sniffing…
Hope hurrying toward me with her tongue licking her nose.
Wood and rocks with Radio Flyer in the background.
Hope in profile.
Hope relaxing after our walk.
As I work toward doing something creative every day it seems to get easier and feel more rewarding. I encourage anyone who is contemplating doing one of these projects to go for it. It stretches your abilities and gives you practice to help you move forward with your artistic pursuits. My only regret is that I did not begin earlier.
I hope you are following along and will continue with me on this adventure. Your input is priceless to me. If something touches you, or amuses you, please let me know. Even if you have a negative comment I am interested in hearing what you have to say. This is a journey on which I hope to improve my skills, so all opinions are welcome.
I hope you are having a wonderful day and that you are inspired to do something creative.
Always,
Jo Ann
With reading less I am accomplishing a lot creatively. However, I am still doing a decent amount of reading daily. I am glad to have lessened the pressure on myself to complete so many books.
My hand written journal entry for the day:
This morning Penny, Mom’s fourteen year old dog, was sleeping in a unique place:
These are some pictures from our walk:
There is something fascinating to me about equipment sitting out waiting for use. I think it is the sense of stored power.
Boat, dock, and pond.
The field growing back toward forest, because my brother, James, is no longer here to fight the trees.
Big rocks…
Vegetation…
Swing and picnic table, abandoned for Winter.
Cane Mill…
No drawing today, because I have been rather busy.
I do have some thoughts about grief. When someone leaves the world, or even exits your life, it leaves a empty space that you always feel should be filled by your loved one. There are marks left not only on your heart, but in the outer world, by the absence. Things change because the work they did is left undone. Often I have heard no one is indispensible, but I tend to disagree. Our loved ones are forever missed where they once smiled, laughed, and walked in our lives.
I hope your day is full of joy and creativity. Make something, no matter how small or to your mind insignificant, and impact the history of the world.
Always,
Jo Ann
Chronicles 