M is for--Missing!

Missing! I had returned to my dorm room (sophomore year) and he was missing! Fuzzy was not in his designated spot propped up on my pillow.  He wasn't accidentally under the covers. He hadn't fallen to the floor. None of the three roommates professed to know where he might be. 

Soon cryptic messages began showing up in my mail cubby. The words were formed from letters torn from magazines and newspapers then glued on plain white paper. I no longer remember how many such notes I received, but it was made clear that Fuzzy was in someone's possession. Then, the message arrived that Fuzzy would be returned safely IF the ransom was paid!

I gladly made a pan of brownies in the small dorm kitchen and took them to the designated location. I didn't see anyone around as I left them at the specified tree by the small lake at the south edge of town. Then, I returned to my room and waited. Memory doesn't let me recall how long or short the wait was, but the culprit did return Fuzzy. I found him squished in my mail cubby, with a piece of athletic tape over his mouth and his arms tied behind his back with a shoelace! I wish I had thought to take a photo, but I just quickly freed him and took him back to my room where he belonged. Whew!

My closest friend lived in a different dorm on campus, and as the story progressed I kept her up to date on what was happening. "You'll never guess what my roommates have done!" "Look at these notes!" "Now they're demanding a ransom!" Well, the joke was on me, because it turns out that SHE and her boyfriend were the ones who had Fuzzy all along!

They married and live many states away now. But whenever we are able to get together it's a pretty sure thing that Fuzzy's adventure will come up for remembrance. They visited a few months ago, and I had a preemptive plate of brownies ready for them, just in case!

K--is for Kites

Today is much too windy for flying kites, but thought I might share some kite memories...

It was always fun when Dad would bring home a kite and a roll (spool) of kite string, probably from Shafers' variety store. It arrived as two lightweight joined sticks rolled up with the kite paper, which in my memory was always red. We would carefully unroll the paper, rotate the sticks to form a T, then hook the points of the diamond-shaped paper to the slots in the ends of the sticks. Next we tied a length of kite string to the ends of the shorter cross stick, bowing it up to just the right curve. Another length of string (maybe two feet long?) was tied to the longer stick through a couple of holes poked through the paper a few inches from the top and several inches from the bottom. The roll of kite string was securely tied toward the top of this string. A tail of old nylon stockings attached to the bottom was the finishing touch.

Then, it was time to go to a pasture at the edge of our small town and go fly a kite! If the launch was successful, the kite would soar up and up as the string unrolled in your hand! One had to watch as the string came closer to being completely unrolled, to be sure it was attached to the core of the roll. Otherwise the kite could take off on its own for parts unknown! When it was time to head home, the string was wound back up on the spool. This took considerably more time than letting it out! More than once I may or may not have been late getting home before the six o'clock whistle blew!

At some point we bought kite string winders, but even that took awhile, especially if we had combined more than one spool of string for reaching even higher heights with our simple paper kites.

Now, the kites we take out are most likely to be the two- or even four-lined stunt kites that I previously wrote about on this page. But the fun of those first kites, and the family and friends with whom I made and flew them, remains!

Double Bubble Double Trouble

     Do you remember chewing pink bubble gum and making those fantastic bubbles? It was even more fun if your brother or a friend was doing so at the same time. Then the challenge began... who could blow the biggest bubble? Of course, eventually, someone's huge bubble would reach the bursting point with a sudden jolt! Somehow it wasn't nearly as much fun when you had to peel it off your face!

     We usually went with Bazooka gum, since from 1953–2011 it included a Bazooka Joe comic strip! The other brand of choice was Dubble Bubble. Now that spelling of double bothers me, but I probably didn't even notice as a kid. 

     Double your fun by going here, where others are also linking up with Scribble Picnic for this week's "Jolt" or "Double" theme.

Promenade Your Partner!

     Okay, I'm laughing out loud here, so feel free to join in! Did you ever see such tiny heads on such tall, skinny bodies? :-) Guess that comes from not sketching this out in erasable pencil before starting in with the watercolor pencils. Is that what most of you who use watercolors do? So, yeah, I can hardly believe I'm actually posting this, plus linking with Scribble Picnic, for all the world to see!

     Anyway, the "Let's Dance" theme had so many possibilities, but I went with the first type I remember learning clear back in grade school–the good old square dance. When I got to high school, in a much larger town, it was even taught as part of the physical education classes. The school sponsored "barn dances" in the gym a couple of times a year, and I always loved going with the group of kids I hung out with. Talk about your aerobic exercise! Of course we (teens in the mid '70s) wouldn't dream of wearing the "typical" square dance flouncy skirts and such. Blue jeans and t-shirts for everyone worked just fine!

     Dance on over here to see what the other Scribblers are sharing this week.

Cookies Are a Snap!

Gingersnap cookies have been a family favorite as far back as I can remember. Mom used the recipe from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Sometime in junior high or high school I typed the recipe (using Dad's trusty manual typewriter) onto a pink 3 x 5 index card. I couldn't begin to count the number of times I've pulled out the card, mixed up the ingredients, rolled the dough into balls, dipped them in sugar, and baked up dozens of the tasty treat!

Scribble Picnic theme for the week is cookie, so of course I had to give these gingersnaps a try with my watercolor pencils. Couldn't figure out how to get the sparkle of the granulated sugar on them. I'm anxious to see here what deliciousness the other participants have stirred up for their cookie jars!

I was curious to see if BH&G still has the recipe, so went to their website. I see the recipe they post now is almost

the same as mine, but not quite. Plus, they call them "ginger cookies" instead of "gingersnaps." So, I'll just post the recipe with the ingredient amounts the way I grew up with it!

Gingersnaps

1 1/2 cups shortening            1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar                         4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup molasses                   2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 eggs                                  2 teaspoons cloves

4 cups flour                           2 teaspoons ginger

Cream shortening and sugar; add molasses and eggs; beat well.

Add sifted dry ingredients; mix well. (A wooden spoon works great, since the dough will be stiff.)

Shape dough into small balls; roll in additional granulated sugar; place 2 inches apart on greased (or lined) cookie sheet.

Bake at 375º until light brown and puffy. Do not over bake!

Let cool a couple of minutes before transferring to wire racks.

Makes around 8 dozen cookies.

Covered in Love

     My grandmother (1900-1995), like so many of her era, seldom let anything go to waste. If shirts or dresses were beyond wearing, she would salvage what she could of the material, and piece that together to make blanket tops. I'm not sure that she did the actual tying or quilting, but none-the-less the resulting blankets were uniquely hers, with reminders of this shirt or that robe or this housedress or even that pair of pajamas. I ended up with some of these blankets, most of which have seen much use and better days.  But, I decided to go ahead and use them. After all, that's what they were made for, and despite their worn and torn areas, they are a lovely reminder of Grandmother.

     I started out sketching just a blanket, which quickly became a lap quilt, which had to be on someone's lap, which required a person, and she had to be doing something, so here you have it! I'm not entirely sure what she is reading, though quite likely it's her Bible; or it's also entirely possible that it's one of her old diaries.

     After doing the pencil version, I decided to add some watercolor to liven up the blanket.

      Scanning the painted version in black and white gives it another look.

     This page will take you to see what others are snuggling up with for this week's Blanket theme for Scribble Picnic.

Turn the Radio On

In the late 1960s/early 1970s, my parents had a transistor radio, almost exactly like this one, except it was green instead of brown. Look at that nifty flip-out stand!

By Joe Haupt from USA [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Probably around 5th grade, I remember desperately wanting a small transistor radio and a wind-up alarm clock of my own. I absolutely did not want one of the new clock radio combinations, as I wanted to be able to carry the radio around with me. One December day my parents had gone to a big city (west to Pueblo, Colorado?? southeast to Garden City??) for a day of shopping while my brothers and I were in school. When they arrived home I went out to the car to help them bring things in the house, and there was a receipt, the kind where they used to write every purchase out by hand, that I couldn't help but begin to read... "1 radio  $?.??" Oh dear! I wasn't supposed to see that! There was a brief moment of excitement knowing they had bought it, but as Christmas approached that changed because the fun of not knowing what I would receive was gone. The receipt I saw may have actually listed both the radio and the clock, I'm not sure now. At any rate, they were both Christmas gifts I received that year, and I enjoyed many years' use of them. Since then, I've always been careful to try to not figure out what gifts are ahead of time. It's much more fun that way!

The hand-sized radio I carried around had two rolling dials, one to turn it on and control volume, and the other to tune in your favorite station. It came in a black leather case. Kids today would surely be aghast to have to use such an antique thing, but it brought in the tunes of the day, and was the coolest thing ever at that point in my life!

These are similar to the radio and case I had, though I remember my radio as being black and silver.

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/guest-column-collecting-vintage-transistor-radios-of-the-1950s-and-60s/

https://www.vintagetoys.com/toys/classified/30030

Here's a page from my little sketchbook portraying that magical little box of electronics.

Visit this page of Scribble Picnic to see what others are tuning in on this week.

All Tied Up

A gift package could be all tied up with string or ribbon.

A shoelace could be all tied up–either a good thing or not, depending on the knots!

A hammock could and should be all tied up.

Our little granddaughters could have their wispy hair all tied up in cute waterspouts.

Yarn could be all tied up in a ball, ready for knitting needles or a crochet hook.

Who knows... it might even get all tied up and turn into something like this...

Crocheted afghan I originally made for my Grandmother T.
approx. 4' x 6'

...or this!

Crocheted baby hi-top sneakers made for first grandson

Go to this page of Scribble Picnic to see how others tied up their posts this week. Sorry to have missed the curly picnic last week, but I was all tied up!

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

Did you ever play "Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?" It was another simple party game I haven't heard of for years, but played many times as a child. I won't go through the details of the game, but if you've not heard of it you can read a simple explanation here. Games don't have to be complicated to be fun!

The Scribble Picnic theme of Buttoned also brought to mind times of going through Mom's collection of buttons, then later of my own kids going through my collection. At some point I came in possession of a small basket labeled "button basket" and started throwing buttons from old shirts in it. Mine actually has handles, and most of the buttons are white, but it is similar to this colored pencil sketch.

See how others buttoned up their posts this week here.

Draw the Curtain, and the Winner Is...

     The first time I remember paying attention to curtains was in high school when I was allowed to choose a new paint color (yellow!) for my bedroom. Then Mom helped me pick out material and sew new curtains for the two windows. I'm pretty sure they were pink with some kind of "modern" flower design! We slept with the windows open in summer, listening to summer night sounds and hoping for a cool breeze to blow through the screen.

     About five years ago I drew these mauve curtains that hang on our half-frosted bathroom window. If I were to draw them now, I'd probably try to make everything a bit darker (or in color) so as to show up better. But, it is what it is!

Thought I should try some new curtains. These remind me of the time my sister-in-law was watching some of her nieces (and nephews?) She couldn't find one of them, until she saw the little one's shoes peeking out from the bottom of the living room curtains!

     The host of Scribble Picnic had a prize drawing a few weeks back. I was pleasantly surprised to hear my name announced as the winner, and thrilled to open the fun package when it arrived. Michael had generously included everything you see here in the photo–an issue of Bella Grace magazine, a package of pencils, bookmarks, a fun pencil box, a decorated egg (how did he know I have a collection of Easter eggs?), a kneaded eraser, a fabulous watercolor journal, two kinds of chocolate (anyone who knows me, knows that's right up my alley!), a couple of tea packets, a notecard made from his original painting (how can I give it up to send to someone?), two different watercolor brushes (that will encourage me to try more than just pencil sketching!), and a lovely personal note. Thank you, Michael, for your generosity, for hosting the Picnic, and for encouraging us to keep stretching our artistic wings!

You can go here to see other curtains hanging around on this week's Scribble Picnic.

Scribble Picnic – Fill in the Blank

Did you ever play "Pin the Tail on the Donkey"? It was a common game at birthday parties when I was in grade school. It was also the first thing I thought of upon seeing this prompt for the "Fill in the Blank" theme of this week's Scribble Picnic. (You can see at least a dozen other takes on the theme here.)

I just did  a couple of initial sketches along the "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" line of thinking.

They didn't go any further, so instead I went with several dozen "pins" and multiple colors to come up with this.

Though at this point I prefer to stick with paper and pencil, I think this would have worked well for me to try on a computer program. Will I ever? We'll see!

Scribble Picnic–Bird

     We're blessed to have many trees around our house, which also means many birds. My husband likes to grow birdhouse gourds and hang them up for the wrens. Their chattering, which I love to hear, goes on and on throughout the day this time of year! We also have a large rock in our backyard. It has somewhat of a basin on the top, so when that is kept full of water it attracts a wide variety of birds–finches, robins, bluebirds, wrens, sparrows, orioles, cardinals, bluejays,...

     Many years ago my brother who lives in the city mentioned "how noisy" it is here in the country after the birds woke him with their early morning singing! He wasn't really complaining, just commenting!

     I already posted this drawing of a ceramic bird figurine from a class I took years ago, but I'll share it again, as it's one of my favorites. 

     And just because, here's a quick little colored pencil sketch of a bird of no particular variety.

Joining Michael at Scribble Picnic for this week's bird theme. Fly on over here to see the other birds at the picnic.

Mail

I love getting handwritten mail, but that doesn't happen nearly as often as it used to. I suppose that is partly due to the fact that I don't write letters like I used to either. Used to have a pen pal; would exchange letters with a cousin; stayed in touch with good friends when we moved after elementary school; wrote to new friends met at various conferences; wrote to my parents after I struck out on my own; there were a few letters exchanged with my now-husband the summer before we were engaged; and I sent out a Christmas letter, usually with at least a short handwritten note added at the bottom, for years and years. Hmmm... sounds like I should round up my stationery, notecards, and stamps and put pen to paper again!

Linking up with Scribble Picnic for this week's Letters/Mail theme. 

Books

     I wonder how many hours of my childhood and youth were spent with a book in hand? It had to be MANY, as I recall books received as gifts; walking (or riding my bike) the two and a half blocks to the town library at least weekly; A Fish out of Water; the Nancy Drew, Donna Parker, and Annette series; bringing home books from the long, low classroom shelves; reading the stories in old school reading books over and over on my own; book reports; ordering paperback books from the flyer brought home from school; reading in bed, in a tree, in my "hide-outs" in the garage and basement, in the car,... How fortunate to have had that privilege!

     I'm so glad that our oldest grandchild (nearly four now) has loved books from the time he was very little, too. He just may have been my inspiration for this week's Scribble Picnic theme of books! You can read and see what others came up with here.

Potted Plant–Peace Lily

     This past week has gone quickly, with it suddenly being the deadline for joining this week's Scribble Picnic. I've always had potted plants around, even before striking out on my own. Probably one of the first I had was the sturdy philodendron. I know we had an airplane plant around when our son was little, as I recall him getting hold of one of the shoots and pulling the (thankfully lightweight) pot down on him and his walker. We probably did some rearranging after that, after cleaning up all the potting soil! Funerals have been the reason for the acquisition of several plants. I know we ended up with peace lilies after the funerals of at least three, and I think all four, of our parents. Here, with no current bloom, is a last-minute drawing of one of the peace lilies.

You can see what others in the picnic have growing here.

Winter Swing Tree

     Have you ever climbed a tree? I hope so! Many, many childhood summer hours of mine were spent up in the branches of a big (elm?) tree in our side yard. It was huge. Well, most likely it wasn't–but from my perspective then it was! Dad, probably with the help of one or both of my older brothers, secured some flat boards (a small door?) a ways up in it. 

     The platform was just big enough for two children to sit on. Sometimes it was just me and our cat. Usually I was by myself, and could stretch out and imagine the hours away, enjoy whatever breeze came by, "spy" on the neighborhood, read (probably a Nancy Drew mystery), make endless plans in a spiral notebook,...  Dad also secured a rope a few feet out on the lowest sturdy branch. The knotted rope was just long enough that a brother or friend could reach up and throw the end for you to catch as you stood in the crotch of the tree. Then you could swing out as Tarzan, or a pirate, or... 

     We moved at the end of my grade school years. I wonder if the platform and rope were still up when we left.

     Our own kids enjoyed a railed platform that Benny built between some trees. It had a short slide out from one corner, and covered a sandbox. He has also put up various swings for them (and us) in several different trees over the years. One tree in particular earned the title "Swing Tree" for its just right branch, height, and location. That tree is still at the end of our driveway, but sadly the perfect branch on it succumbed a few years ago to too many ice storms.

     My drawing is not of that particular tree, but it's what came out of my pencil. I don't believe this swing goes very high, but it might be just right for some very young ones. The tree is waiting for Spring and their arrival!

Linking with Michael at Scribble Picnic for this week's theme. To view more trees swing over HERE.

Scribble Picnic–Ladder

I keep thinking I'll get something posted between Scribble Picnic Wednesdays, then here it is time again to finish up a new sketch and get it posted. So, before I do that, here's a follow-up on the previous post. You'll be glad to know that it appears that "Little Bunny Foo Foo" has repented of his bad behavior and has been given another chance at being a good hare. I caught him hanging out in our yard this evening, looking quite contrite among our dandelions. (Oh dear, but those do need some serious attention!) No field mice in any apparent danger!

On to the picnic, where we've been thinking about ladders. My first thought was about a "ladder of life," but no, none of us know how tall or short that ladder would be. Maybe a ladder that goes on and on and on...., kind of like the never-ending to-do list that most of us have, but no, too depressing and how would I show that? Or maybe a crazy one that goes up, then over, then slants up, then..., but no, a bit too complicated. Ladders, hmmm... I've certainly been on my fair share of them. Sometimes to change lightbulbs, sometimes to try to clean accumulated grunge from ceilings, many times to hang wallpaper or borders, and numerous times to paint walls and ceilings! So here you have it. A rendition of the trusty folding stepladder, ready to hold a bucket of paint and a painter to add some color to that plain, white wall!

To view more ladders climb on over HERE!

Scribble Picnic–Rabbit

I remember attending a day camp in the 1960s.  I'm sure the leaders put much time and energy into all the fun activities for the day.  About all I remember specifically is learning through song about a little bunny who had a penchant for misbehaving.  When he came to mind this week, thought I would see what he looked like when I put him on paper!

There are some variations of the song, of course, but this is the version I remember. Don't miss the moral of the tale at the end!

Little bunny Foo Foo

Hopping through the forest

Scooping up the field mice

And bopping them on the head

Down came the Good Fairy, and she said

"Little bunny Foo Foo

I don't want to see you

Scooping up the field mice

And bopping them on the head."

I'll give you 3 chances,

And if you don't behave, I will turn you into a goon!"

Little bunny Foo Foo

Hopping through the forest

Scooping up the field mice

And bopping them on the head

Down came the Good Fairy, and she said

"Little bunny Foo Foo

I don't want to see you

Scooping up the field mice

And bopping them on the head."

I'll give you 2 more chances,

And if you don't behave, I will turn you into a goon!"

Little bunny Foo Foo

Hopping through the forest

Scooping up the field mice

And bopping them on the head

Down came the Good Fairy, and she said

"Little bunny Foo Foo

I don't want to see you

Scooping up the field mice

And bopping them on the head."

I'll give you 1 more chance,

And if you don't behave, I will turn you into a goon!"

Little bunny Foo Foo

Hopping through the forest

Scooping up the field mice

And bopping them on the head

Down came the Good Fairy, and she said

"Little bunny Foo Foo

I don't want to see you

Scooping up the field mice

And bopping them on the head."

I gave you three chances and you didn't behave....

POOF. She turned him into a Goon.

The moral of the story is:  Hare today, goon tomorrow!

Linking with Michael at Scribble Picnic for this week's theme.
To view more rabbits hop on over here!

H–is for HIE

     In a few months our first granddaughter will reach her second birthday, which will be a great day of celebration, as was her first birthday.  Her actual day of birth, those many months ago, was a time that should also have been full of smiles and joy, but instead filled with worries and questions.  She had HIE–hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Hypoxic–lack of oxygen. Ischemic–restricting blood flow. Encephalopathy–affecting the brain. Simply put–oxygen deprivation that affects the brain at birth.

    The medical staff took immediate action, but it still took hours to stabilize, make preparations, and transport her to the NICU in the larger city. They couldn’t use the life-flight helicopter because of there being such bad thunderstorms going on that night. Instead she was taken by ambulance, with one of the first actions taken being to cool her body, which slowed blood flow to prevent further brain damage. It was a month later that she was able to go home. Her parents quickly learned and gave the day by day care needed, one of the biggest of which was getting used to feeding her via a gastronomy tube. They were fast learners, and Samantha thrives physically. In the next photo you can see her "button" for feeding.

Samantha with her beloved Grampa

     One of the HIE effects was that she was never able to cry. One doesn't usually think of a crying baby as a blessing, but it truly is. How thrilled we were when Samantha first started making some vocalizations!

Samantha having a meal via tube with the help of the orange feeding pump.

     Because of a “default mode” of mostly keeping her head turned to the left (which she still does), her head was getting flat on that side.  So, until her skull fused, she had several months of wearing a helmet, which did its reshaping job.

Helmet "graduation day"

     Samantha has a variety of specialists and therapists who help with different developmental aspects. Even though she has always received her main nutrition through a gastronomy tube, she is also undergoing therapy to strengthen her face and mouth muscles to be able to eat by mouth. A wonderful by-product is that those same stronger muscles help her be able to vocalize more, and to smile. It’s such a blessing to see her eyes light up during an interaction; and now to see an occasional added smile just makes my heart rejoice!

     One always expects and hopes the best with a new baby. And you know, that’s just what the family got with Samantha. No, she isn’t developing at a “normal” rate, but she is making progress and developing at her own normal rate, just as God knew she would.  She reminds us all not to take anything for granted, and is such a sweet joy!

The biggest smile I've seen–looking forward to many more!

     (If you want to know more about HIE, you can read here. Our friend Kacy writes about her own daughter here and here. Of course each child affected by HIE has different diagnoses, but some of Hudsyn’s–the GERD, the gastronomy tube–are similar to those of Samantha.)    

F–is for Family

     Family.  What does one do without it?

     I’ve been blessed all my life with an amazing family.  I have SO MANY great memories of family time when I was growing up.  My dad loved the Lord, was the kindest man you could ever hope to know, and absolutely adored my mom.  They were college sweethearts and had over 50 years of married life together.  Mom was the best anyone could ask for, and I’ll forever miss her love, encouragement, and support in my life.  My older brothers put up with their younger sister, and still do for that matter!  I just wish we could get together more often.

     My next level of family began with the answer to my prayers that I found in Benny.  We were late twenties and mid-thirties when we met and married, and both agree it was worth the wait!  Raising a son and two daughters was not without its challenges of course, but those were far outweighed by the good times!  What a joy and privilege to see them develop into such fine young people and find their own loving spouses to continue on with.

     This may have been taken a dozen or so years ago!

     Grandchildren.  Did I mention grandchildren?  :-)  We have four now–ages 3 1/2, almost 2, almost 1, and just over one week!  All the clichés are true–there’s nothing like it, why didn’t we have them first, etc.  With their different ages and abilities, each one is a unique delight!

#4 (#1, #2, and#3 are a few posts down)

     Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins… None ever lived in the same town I was in, which made each time we were together all that much more special.  Of the older generation, I’ve only two aunts remaining. 

     Of course marriage expanded family immediately.  In-laws and their families brought another good dimension to family that I can't imagine not having.

     I can’t leave the subject of family without including my spiritual family.  These fellow believers have taught and been with me through all kinds of joys, frustrations, and sorrows.  Some I’ve known for decades and some for just a few years, but we all have eternity to look forward to because of accepting Jesus Christ into our lives as Lord and Savior.

     Family.

     I think family should be spelled b l e s s i n g!