Fall Zoobie

We had another visit to the zoo. We are zoobies, you know. Not zombies, as the spell checker would like you to think. On a partly cloudy day, the clouds parted just for our time there.

   I love checking on Kali, the Sumatran Tiger Cub. We have been watching her grow. This week she was out of the nursery and into her own habitat. I marveled at her paws, which are huge and hint at what an awesome tiger she will be.

    William Blake leaves us with the sobering question, "Did he who made the lamb make thee?'

Vicarious Farming

   There are mini cultures in which I wish membership but, alas I am a fraud. One of those is the world of sustainable farming. This year I did not even try to plant. I can't say I have ever been really successful at planting a garden but being a vicarious gardener is the best ever. My CSA subscription caught my fancy and I love receiving the bag or box every Thursday.

    I invited "my farmers" over for dinner to thank them for their hard work and diligence. We ate vegetables from their garden and lamb from a local dairy. I quizzed them about their passion for the soil and their answers did not disappoint. They farm because they love the connection to the earth. It makes them happy to labor on the land.

       Having worked on sustainable farms as interns, this year was the first go on their own. Their main concern was finding the right irrigation system and finding balance of just enough water. I feel genuinely grateful that young farmers care to learn and work so hard.

Colored Pencils

   I recently purchased more colored pencils at my local office supply store. The problem is I keep buying the same colors because I love them, again. That is a universal problem with shopping. We are attracted to that which we were attracted to before.
   This is a drawing summer. I have my art supplies on the kitchen table so that I do some sketching everyday. I looked at some older sketches and found some I loved.

     I love this one because the old maple tree in the front yard is still there. It was removed more than ten years ago and although I love more light and less fall leaves, I miss the tree.

        This one reminds me of my little girl Genny. She had a shoe fetish when she was small. We actually found her in someone else's apartment trying on their shoes.

      More girl moments that bring back my two girls. Why are hats such an attractive prop to play with but a pain to wear?

     This sketch attracted me because of the gift bag. I cherished it for years and finally decided to draw it alongside my favorite candle, geode-stone, and hand lotion.
   You know you are getting old when your artwork comes out of hiding because you don't give a fig about being great.

Book of Mormon Summer- Mosiah 18-23

    Sketching my way through the Book of Mormon has brought back to mind the complexities in the Book of Mosiah. This simple diagram, which you can get here, sorts out the storyline. I know Joseph Smith did not write this book because he would have simplified the plot in this section.

        I marveled at Ammon 1, different from Ammon 2, and his abilities to teach Limhi's people. Note that he taught them the teachings of King Benjamin, These sermons of "the mighty change of heart" had power to bring Limhi's people out of bondage. He must have memorized them and tried to live them.

    The "two escapes" are often taught as comparisons. I feel that limits the power of the message. Each escape from bondage is worthy because the pathway led them to God.

   I pray often that the Lord will aid my escape from issues in my life that bind me down and make me feel helpless. My troubles feel just as disabling as anyone else's and require as much petitioning to the Lord. There is no reason to compare, just to rejoice when the way is opened.
   Find more on my thoughts about this section, here.
 Here are 8X5 versions of my illustrations to copy.