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
We were in town at one of Mom’s doctors today and Hope and I were unable to walk. There just was not enough time to get outside. I don’t have a journal entry today, instead I have a rather long prose poem:
My roller skates from my teens.
I also wrote a short poem:
It was a gorgeous day here and I had to wear my sunglasses because my left contact was hurting my eye and the light would have irritated it worse.
I hope you find some beauty in your day and capture it creatively.
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
Mom had an appointment with her neurologist today and we were gone for hours. I did not have as much time as usual to work on creating something. However, Hope and I did walk our mile this morning. I took the following photograph:
I wrote some haiku this evening:
I am tired tonight so I am not going to write much more.
I hope you find joy in the moment and imagination enough to make something lasting.
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
Firstly, it is Thursday, thankful list day.
I am thankful:
1. I have some awesome books to inspire me.
2. Mom brought me lunch from Applebee’s today and it was very good.
3. I am excited about working creatively this year.
4. I have not had to go to town this week.
5. Jeremy, my nephew, has a treadmill that Mom and I can try out here to see if we really want one.
6. I still have an Amazon gift card from Christmas to use for books.
7. I was able to set my old laptop up for Mom’s use and she is spending time playing games.
8. My new coat is very warm and comfortable.
9. Reba may be able to buy a house.
10. I was able to get our watch warranties extended to five years as advertised.
My journal entry:
The picture of a unicorn that I created on the Wacom tablet:
The photographs I took while walking a mile with Hope this evening:
I thought some of these shots turned out extremely well. I am so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place.
Be creative and enjoy your wonderful life.
Always,
Jo Ann
Chronicles 