OADMD - in Honor of Karen Grimm

The One-A-Day-Motivational-Drawing is today inspired by a remarkable woman. Karen Grimm lived a too-short, but really big life. Others will have different words to share. I wanted to gather inspiration from her long-time joy of life and ability to do well in many worlds.


This little page is a reminder that one can accomplish amazing stuff - if a person stays true to the quest. Hard work and heart can do tons. They can't do the impossible..... and that's a sad fact.


Thanks, Karen, for all you did in your many worlds - model horses, real Appaloosas, and flying - to name a few. A few of us will live differently from today - at least for a while. Touching folks' lives is kind of a big deal, and you touched so many. Here's hoping that these little scribbles keep reminding us of how some kind words or acts can make another's day or week or year.


Most often we take our days for granted. Cliche? Yup. But this day is all we might have. If we spend it bitching or angry we have spent that one more minute, hour, day bitching or angry. If we spend it joyful - it will have been spent joyful. too simple? Perhaps. Today is being spent sad yet joyful. And appreciating being able to see one more chickadee, admire one more baby lupine, and wash one more bowl.

Here in Minnesota May is that hard month of in-be-tween-ness. Lots of fields are still cold and empty. We want to see more green and feel more sunshine. But we have to learn to live with the day we have today. May it be a day of growth and a day filled with thankfulness.

Thanks again, Karen. Peter and your family is in our thoughts and prayers.
On to your next Grand Adventure!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

OADMD - Llamas

Ah yes. Still with the llama theme. Oh well. At least I'm not still "seeing" them when I close my eyes. We must continue on with OADMD attempt to use up pencil bits. Llama inspiration? Ya sure, ya betcha.


Playing with our old friend OADMD April 26 (Frugal) permits us the adding of llamas and reflections upon these Fibery folks. Hour after hour the penned crew remained mainly calm and oddly interested and upbeat. Llamas are built much differently than our usual farm friends - in particular, their body part ratios do not compute to those of horses. We who have memorized equine proportions must retrain our eyes and hands. Heads, ears, necks, barrels, legs, tails - yes, the features add up properly, but their relationships are distinctly llama-y. More about this in a later post.


Yes, one can be both Relaxed and Alert. Maybe it's in the hay........


Goofing off time. Decorative features morph into llamas. This is madness. But the pencil chips ARE getting smaller. Do not forget the point of this post. We are using up pencil points - and still have quite the way to go. It's both exciting and dis-heartening to realize how much use can still be made of those tiny bits of used-to-be pencil. Next......? Inspirational fibers, of course.

To be continued............

Sue

OADMD - Frugality

Yes, I'm a bit crazed. Broken pencil points can make me sad, angry, and, especially, disappointed. Disappointed in the tip breaking off, not wanting to trust the pencil OR the pencil sharpener. Disappointed in the shorter life span of less-long pencil. Sigh. Yes, I can be seriously shallow.
Yesterday and today included an exercise in hope and frugality. Just how much expression is left in a quarter-inch pencil lead? The drawing portion is still as long as it would be if attached to it's former pencil-self. Gather those literal bits and pieces from the bottom of the bag and give them a chance at making their mark!
First, I went for color symbolism. Free association. Questions. Possibilities. The leads hold up quite well. My fingers - not so much. Come on vise-pinkies, you can do this!


Because only a few colored leads were available at the moment, I had to rely on limited lines, shapes, and patterns to kick-start the imagination. The page was going to be warmly-hued whether I liked it or not. The ever-present Sharpie Marker added a bit of weight to words, but was not allowed to mix with pencil. Leads dragged on their sides made color blocks, leads on end could add the smallest detail. Blending was allowed.

On these pages rules are made, adhered to, and changed. This page was started at The Bikery, continued at home (Thanks, Neil Young, for your You Tube inspiration!), and is still a work in progress. It's messy now and gonna get messier. The pencil bits are far from used up and there is still white paper showing.


1) MAKE UP A FEW RULES. 2) Follow Through. DON'T BE AFRAID TO WASTE TIME OR PAPER. That sentence was really hard to write. However, when chatting with folks who say that they want to start drawing I always say "Don't be afraid to waste paper." It's the waste time part that I'm bad at. Reading books on walking and being idle have helped the brain get over that hurdle. Some of us have to muck through a time of long fuzzy to come up with The Good Idea. We have a hard time allowing ourselves this chunk of day, even if it might be the most "profitable" in the end. Start small. Five minutes. Build to an hour. Maybe chance a day.


Look at bits of art supplies as really tiny toys. (I will so appreciate the complete pencils after this page...)

Neil Young keeps being innovative and powerful in his playing: "Hey Hey, My My.... Rock and Roll will never die..."


Lesson for the day: Lack of art supplies is No Excuse. Use what you have. Make a sand painting. Trace a cloud. Draw a house plant. Go ahead Use your big stuff. but know that if put to the task a tiny tip can probably get your message across. So far so good. And more to come 'cause hardly any pencil bits were worn off in the making of this drawing.


To be continued........

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

OADMD - "O" magazine

Wednesday, I walked downtown to work a day at American Gothic Antiques. Stillwater was being snowed on, the daffodils at the Veterans' Memorial were being snowed on, the flag flying at half-staff was being snowed on, the Historic Stillwater Lift Bridge was being snowed on. April 22.... The Daily Grind Coffee Shop beckoned. I had a little money for coffee and a little time to drip dry. They had a pile of recent magazines. I had a backpack full of art supplies. Doesn't everyone? Out came a red Sharpie marker. O.K. The dream sentence came out of nowhere. On to Oprah. February, 2011.


Today I learned that Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher (AD 55 - AD 135). Once upon a time he'd been a slave. Now he is the source of a number of our words to live by. One of his ideas: First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. If that ain't motivatin' I don't know what is. Make a decision and follow through. It's lots easier to type than to do.

Back to "O". I kept reading and quoting - and listening to guys discussing the recent TV coverage of politicians and reporters regarding the Stillwater lift bridge. "I was watching them walking on the ice under the bridge." "No, no." Yup. I love coffee shops.


Donna Brazile says "Laugh at the opposition." Epictetus suggested: Do not laugh much or often or unrestrainedly. Both may be good advice, though I prefer a hearty chuckle - even on a dark hard day. Laughs or no laughs, time was hinting that the skimming "O" and the scribbling was going to have to end. Read read write write. Decide what to ignore, decide what to include. There was no time to get out the Altoid box of really short colored pencils. This would be a page of words. There was no time for flourishes - only for focus. 9:56, 9:57, 9:58.


Filled paper. Lots to ponder. And actually more in the issue that I want to explore. Thanks, Oprah, writers, and the owners of the Daily Grind. I'll be back soon. This snowy weather is no laughing matter. But sunshine's in my little heart and I've discovered an ancient Stoic. Gotta go with what we've got.

On to The Grand Adventure,
Sue