Journal entry:
Photographs:
Hope and Stephanie Denita.
Another shot of Hope and Stephanie Denita.
I am grateful:
1. My niece feels close enough to me to share her frustrations with me.
2. Mom enjoyed the supper I cooked.
3. I have such a wonderful dog in Hope.
4. I slept enough to somewhat catch up my deficit.
5. I am a decently good speller.
I hope your day has been rewarding and that you have managed to use your creativity.
Always,
Jo Ann
Journal entry and a haiku:
Photographs:
Ford Cobra…
Front view…
Ford Fiesta…
Ford Escape…
Ford Ranger…
Ford F-150…
Ford Expedition…
Ford Edge…
Old farm building…
Cow and field…
Bare tree…
Cow side view…
Another shot of old farm building with cow in background…
I am grateful:
1. I had no problem getting up when the alarm went off this morning.
2. We made it to the appointment for service on the truck before time.
3. The brakes and tires on the Explorer are in good shape.
4. Hope and I walked a mile.
5. I am free to live my life as I desire, within my personal limitations, of course.
If you want to write, draw, paint, take photographs, or otherwise do something creative, you should begin doing it. You will gain no skill without practice. Do not let time pass you by without doing what you desire to do in your life. You will never have a perfect moment to start, but if you do you may find that your perfect moment comes. You must be active to receive the gifts from the universe that are reserved for you.
I hope your day was a good one. Do something creative that you enjoy simply for the pleasure you gain.
Always,
Jo Ann
A poem, a song, and a bit of explanation:
Some pictures:
Hope, resting in a odd position.
Radio Flyer and shelf sitting bear.
Radio Flyer and a teddy bear.
Wheelbarrow and sock frog.
Dandelions, just about to bloom.
Wheelbarrow and gnome I painted a few years ago.
Yellow bell bush.
I am grateful:
1. I was inspired enough to write a poem and a song.
2. The huge boom I heard this morning was not Mom falling.
3. My pictures turned out well.
4. My drive to town and back went safely.
5. We had Papa John’s pizza for supper and it was delicious.
My day was delightful. I hope yours was too. May you find something to inspire you to create.
Always,
Jo Ann
A picture of an old wheelbarrow:
My journal entry and some haiku:
More pictures:
Dogwood tree…
Abandoned wood pile…
Camellia bush…
Weed and pinecones…
Camellia bloom and buds…
Camellia blooms…
I am going to begin keeping a gratitude list daily.
I am grateful:
1. Christy is feeling better.
2. Jeremy, Christy, and Jayden brought the treadmill today.
3. Leigh visited with us a few minutes before taking our trash away.
4. The weather was beautiful so Hope and I walked.
5. We have enough money to buy medicine for ourselves and our dogs.
I enjoyed this day and hope you did too. I hope you were able to capture something beautiful and make something creative from it.
Always,
Jo Ann
A poem I wrote in the wee hours of this morning:
Some pictures from our trip to town:
Mason’s Lodge which used to be a country church.
Interesting oak tree.
The new Dog River Library with Mom’s Explorer in the foreground.
We went to town today, because I had avoided going this week. It was the first time I had gone on Saturday in quite a while, and reminded me why I avoid town on the weekend. The place was working alive with people like a disturbed bee hive with angry bees. The ATM at my bank was offline, so I could not get my money to give Mom, as I do every month. I will have to try again another day. We ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A which was packed with people. Fortunately my wait in line was very short. We went to Wal-Mart and I looked around the parking lot and took the best available place instead of trying to get a handicapped space for Mom. We shopped without incident. I picked up two idea notebooks, four Sharpie pens, two toys for Hope, and some groceries. Mom stayed in the truck while I went into Sam’s Club to pick up her medicine and a few necessities.
I prayed about this trip to town last night. I asked that I come in contact with no idiots on the road, and shockingly no one pulled out right in front of me as usually happens. The trip went very smoothly, which is how I prayed it would go. The ATM being out of service was inconvenient, but not bad enough to ruin the pleasantness.
Unloading the truck, I got very hot and had to turn the air on in the house. It was 76 degrees in town today. I dread warmer weather, and really wish we would have a bit of cold. It is Winter and feels like late Spring.
I read the Bible aloud to Mom. We began our study of Exodus today. Moses’ attitude at the beginning of the book shows how cowardly people can be used to become great instruments in the work of God. Gives me some hope that I might be useful.
I hope you had a restful day and found something creative to work on.
Always,
Jo Ann
My journal entry:
Some pictures:
The National Historic Site near my psychiatrist’s office.
Fig trees at dusk.
Camellia.
Camellia and bud.
I am so glad this day went well. There were a few idiots out driving, but I am always prepared for their exploits. We had an awesome lunch at Hudson’s Hickory House. I woke up craving barbecue, so we went there. Mom recommended that I get a coleslaw to go with my pork plate, and it made the meal even better.
I hope your Friday was pleasant, and wish you a peaceful weekend full of creative energy.
Always,
Jo Ann
Some haiku and a bit of exposition:
A couple of photographs:
Stump surrounded by foliage.
There are books on these shelves…
It is Thursday, time for a gratitude list.
I am thankful:
1. I have enough time to explore my creativity.
2. I am blessed with an active imagination.
3. I learned to read and write.
4. I have plenty of tools to use in making art.
5. I managed to raise a responsible citizen.
6. I am able to help my Mom.
7. I have a very sweet puppy dog.
8. My two books came from Amazon this week.
9. My bed is soft and comfortable.
10. We have heat and air conditioning to keep the house temperate.
I hope you find something in your life for which to be thankful. Making these lists helps keep one mindful of blessings. May you be given inspiration to create something beautiful today.
Always,
Jo Ann
My drawing to welcome everyone to February:
My journal entry and some haiku:
Pictures of my PENA unicorn:
I found this unicorn in Helen, Georgia, years ago. The unicorn has always been my favorite mythic creature, so I was overjoyed to find such a wonderful portrayal. I count this as one of my most treasured possessions.
I hope each day this month brings you an awareness of the love that surrounds you in life. May you find inspiration to do something creative today.
Always,
Jo Ann
Today I was gifted with many sweet morsels. The words simply kept coming to me with little effort on my part. I hope you will enjoy:
A few pictures:
Expectant face intently staring.
Close up of Hope.
Clouds that brought to mind sheep.
I love this cup.
Our mile walk today was graced with beautiful skies and warm temperatures. Hope was so happy to be outdoors. Her joy is so intense one cannot help but join her in bliss.
Writing when the words come easily is great fun. It seems to be effortless. Even if the words come in the form of haiku it warms the heart to be given something to write. Maybe if one opens themselves to inspiration it finally comes. I urge everyone who wants to write to spend time at it daily. You cannot produce if you do not apply yourself to actually doing the work. The writing can be anything, but simply writing brings some worthwhile lines to you. You have more talent than that of which you are aware. Talent grows with practice.
I hope your Tuesday has been a great day. May you be blessed with something creative to bring to life.
Always,
Jo Ann
My constant lament:
Pictures from my mile walk with Hope:
Buds in Winter…
Brightness in bare…
Could not resist the Radio Flyer…
More modern haulers…
Daffodils sprouting…
This is not exactly easy, coming up with something creative every day. I am sometimes totally at a loss. Today, I had no words, so I had no choice, but to write about my lack of inspiration. I could not think of anything outside of which to take pictures that I had not already used, so I had to pay particularly close attention on my walk. I guess that is the beauty of the project though. It forces me to use my brain when it would be easier to do nothing.
If you are thinking about starting a project, do not wait, because the time will never be perfect. Do it for yourself so you can grow. You will see that there is more available than you ever imagined. Your creativity will rise to the occasion. We, humans, tend to procrastinate and sometimes we leave our best undone forever. Do not leave your gift unused. Do and be, fulfill your most cherished dreams.
The poem I wrote today is another group of haiku on one subject strung together to form a complete poem. Know that you can do something similar. There is nothing special about me that I can write like that. I just chose to make an effort, and you are capable of doing it as well.
Some of what I do here is not very good, and I probably should not put it on display for all the world to see. The project requires that I use what I produce, no matter what my feelings about it may be. This is to force me to place my work for review, mainly so one day I might not be so afraid to send my productions out to publishers. I hope nothing is so horrible that it is hated, but that is not my problem.
I hope your Monday was a good one. Make something from your imagination and let someone see it.
Always,
Jo Ann
Chronicles 