Waiting for Pancake

Wheat germ and blueberry pancakes are wonderful--this discovery is quite recent for me, having not heard of them until a few months ago. Where have I been? A tip for doodlers: If you're in some restaurants and eateries where they wrap the cutlery in those strips of paper, you have a ready made source of drawing material (if you forgot the sketchbook and most establishments discourage drawing directly onto the table).

He fits nicely on those "napkin rings" made of paper

Time Warp Tuesday:

bartster on Jen and Gary's bandwagon. Hey those names rhyme with Ben and Jerry; maybe they could combine creative talent and have their own brand. Sorry, coffee is still kicking in (a new roast my lovely spouse brought home called Tanzanian Peaberry--it's delish).

Engage the warp-age

Fall 2012-bart and his wonderful gary rith mug filled with  Black Pearl Coffee

Remembering Sharol Collard-- a remarkable person and humorist

Farm Humor by Sharol Collard

 In late November Sharol gave  the OK to post one of her cartoons for this fledgling blog.She had produced and published illustrated stories and calendars to the delight of her family and friends. Her spontaneous style and gentle humor warm the heart and tickle the funny bone. These slices of life reveal the merriment teeming just under the surface of daily life.
   Sharol had battled cancer for nearly two years and her struggle ended a couple of weeks ago. We visited on her last full day on earth. She was tired, weak, and feeling some pain. In all of that she smiled, joked, and wanted to talk about the facets of life in which she found her greatest joy--her family, her pets, hopes for the future, life's mysterious and wondrous qualities--
   As we talked, she asked for the sketch book and markers she had brought to the hospital. On the spot she treated me to a drawing demo featuring "stick horses" that she could enliven with gesture and expression.
   As we parted that day I didn't realize I'd not see her again. At the time her beaming smile, wave, and kind word felt like the most profound of benedictions. Later that day I commented to my wife about Sharol's joyfulness and incredible generosity of spirit. The fact that a person whose strength and energy was waning would graciously receive a visitor and happily speak about life and then offer a 'demo' was like being invited to a master class---in living.
 

Jen and Gary's Great Idea

My friend Gary blogs (it's address is one on my blog that I follow. Check it out). His friend Jen, whom I don't know also blogs and they have this clever idea: Time Warp Tuesday. The idea is to post photos from years or even decades ago. The name is winsome and the idea is fun. So I'm jumping on the bandwagon and playing "Time Warp Tuesday" as well. Why do songs from the Rocky Horror Picture Show keep coming to mind in 'ear worm" mode?

May 1983

The past weekend brought commencement exercises to my alma mater and the thirtieth anniversary of my graduation. Next day after graduation I was traveling with a group of students to central Europe for a study seminar and some touring. I am in awe (actually) about the scope of opportunities we had back then.  In looking over a yearbook from school, I decided I would need many lifetimes to have taken in all the amazing things that were going on--and I remember being fairly active  with both school and extra-curricular activities. I even drew once in a while:)

Huh...coffee beans fit on a scanner

Un-leaded/LEADED!

   To be sure I was supplied with enough coffee for the next few days....I darted over to the bulk foods place near the house and got beans. To be sure I would differentiate between caffeinated* and decaffeinated coffee I judiciously applied the appropriate labels.
   When I got home I added the illustrations. These plain white bags are great fun to draw on. How much trouble would I be in if I took my marker back to the bulk foods place and started drawing on the bags before the customers got to them?
   Actually I have another idea...YOU could draw on YOUR plainwrapped packages and bags. Hey, if you can draw triangles the "c" shape and a couple of straight lines, you're in business. True confession: That's about all I do...placement is where the fun comes in. G'head...I dare you...draw your own cartoons on papers other than legal contracts and such.

**Spell check (cheque?) didn't care for my spelling of "caffeine". So: "i before e except after c and the word 'caffeine' and probably some other words too". Yeah, and kids say they don't enjoy grammar and spelling. I wonder why.....

Gone to the Dogs

So one day I was admiring Charles Schultz' amazing line drawings and how economical his style was. A single line or dot would convey emotion, expression and action. I idly began playing with 'variations on Snoopy" by changing angles, etc....the whole page was filled with dogs....and one guy.

Remember, they're doodles, right?

He reminded me of Underdog, so I gave him a cape

Why I oughtta...

humph

How did I end up a a page full of drawings of dogs?

                   

May Day

May day! May day!

May in Manitoba....there are hazards. Robins eat freezer burned worms. Children have to be careful when dancing around the May pole because if one lets the tongue loll, it could freeze to the pole!

We hear the weather is more severe to the west. We got a dusting of snow overnight and expect temps to stay at or just below freezing today. Just when we thought spring might make a brief cameo appearance.

What do you think of the new look for the blog?  Thanks for commenting and Happy May Day. bartster