COMING IN FOR THE STORY!

I began telling the "Koree and the Fish that Grew" story, but the Mallards began to swim away. "We're not interested," they seemed to communicate. It was then I remembered I had just told them that one. It was the "Koree and the String" I hadn't told them yet!

Mallards are pretty open about how they feel--they will not give you a polite show of acceptance if they don't feel it. However, no other living thing is as encouraging when their responses are positive either. By their honks, nods, wing flaps, and general carryings-on, there can be no mistaking of their approval when they are happy about something.

Today's picture is of one of the spot-billed mallards who came in from a little far out in the pond. Most of the time, these birds will run away from people, but if they know they can get a good story, they come instead. Kinya is witness. Today, after the doctor's visit, he came to the pond with me and saw the mallard come near and stay as I apologized for the mistake of the first paragraph then gave the introduction for tomorrow's story.

WHAT KIND OF "NOTICED" AM I?

"Junior came by himself this year, Maggie didn't come?" the park animals found it hard to believe. It seemed everyone knew about the female mallard, altho' it was the greenhead who had the bright enamel head.

It was Maggie who encouraged him through his juvenile days before he got like that, the spot-billed mallard M & M knew, who'd watched them grow up together at Step Creek.   Male ducklings look pitifully like females, until they're older.

And Speckles the carp had heard how Maggie had been the one who even on cold, wintry days cheered up the pond gang with walks on the ice; posed for sketches for a convalescing artist.

I saw Maggie call to those male greenheads and have them follow her across the pond, Peter the Kawasemi recalled. Most people notice only the bright green, not the dull brown--but Maggie was the one who got them there.

It was this year, when she didn't show up, I realized for the first time how noticed she had been.

HE CARES

Even from a distance I could spot that enamel green spot among the spot-billed mallard mass moving towards Deeper Pond. THE GREENHEADS HAD COME! My heart danced. Junior and Maggie were such good friends. I hurried to meet them...

Snorkel the turtle noticed. "Where's Maggie?" In past years, when the others went to their nests at night, Junior always had his partner by his side, but now he would be alone.

I don't know if illness, accident, or death kept Maggie away this year; all I know is our Father knows, cares, and is worthy of our trust. If mallards would do so, surely we can too.

Crab Gone; Cats Drawn; Turtles Next

Yesterday I went back to the Irrigation Ditch to show the crab I'd drawn it, but it was gone--guess who was there instead? About half a dozen CATFISH! I thought I'd seen one there last year and was sure I'd seen a family of three earlier in the spring, but this is the first time they came out to "play".

Usually turtles run when they think their picture is being taken, but they saw the catfish getting attention and seemed to want to be drawn too, staying even when the camera was pointed at them!

MEET TOPPLE

I thought we were done today, but the dentist says we're not, wants me to come back next week.

But after today's office visit, I was given the same treat I had last week: Kinya came to the park with me! Altho' it was brighter this evening so we could see some of the carp in Duck Pond, it was still a little too dark to see everything clearly.

The time I really wished we had more sunlight (especially because my camera has no flash) was when we were visiting the Irrigation Ditch. At the top of the place where the water siphons off into the gulley, it really looked like I could see a claw!

"What's that?" I pointed. Kinya looked.

"A crab!" Just then, it toppled over the edge. The moonlight caught its outline then. I hadn't been fast enough to get it with my camera--well, there wasn't enough light anyway--but I'd seen it with my eye.

I wanted to draw a picture of what I'd seen but didn't have a photograph for a reference picture, so I had only that split-second mental image to go by. I looked for online images of crabs then drew until past 10:40 before I had what I knew I wanted. It may not be what the crab actually looks like, you realize--we'd seen it only for a moment, and we couldn't even tell you what color it was--this is just a guess--you'll just have to imagine with us.

But it was the first time for Kinya--and me--to see a crab at the park!

The last photo? Kinya had already said he'd come with me to the park, and God sent along a smile for him--a favorite neighborhood cat came and said hello. Kinya has a way with cats--they all seem to come to him.

What animals come to ME? Crabs, it looks like. You're not impressed?

NO NEED FOR TEETH!

I forgot to mention: last week Thurs. I went to the dentist and started a root canal. I still remember when I was a little girl, The dentist would say, "This will pinch a little," and he would give me an anesthizing shot to numb the pain for the rest of the work. I guess that helped, but I still remember it hurt like the dickens. "Pinch" nothing. So last week, when the dentist gave me my shot...

"Did it hurt really bad?" It was Aristarcus, the large turtle at Quasi Pond.

No; I expected it to! But the needles today are much better, or my dentist is real good, because it felt like I barely got stung by a mosquito. He did a real good job, and is supposed to finish it Thurs. the 26th.

"Humans should just have horny beaks, like turtles," Aristarcus seemed to think; "then you wouldn't need dentists.

I HOPE THEY SAW IT

The mallards who live at Step Creek have found the stream facing Duck Pond has been stopped up, but the side facing the waterfall is still a bit open. Yesterday, I sketched two mallards cooling off there (at the "open side"), and they seemed to be real happy when I told them I'd color the picture and show it to them today. I forgot I would have no way of identifying them.

Today, the mallards were in two large groups at Step Creek, and then in another group at Duck Pond. I was real careful to spend time showing the drawing to any who wanted to see--I hope this included yesterday's two mallards.

I never have to hope God didn't miss something! Did I say that right? I meant God never misses, but I managed to say it all funny.

JUST GIVE HIM TIME

For 2 days in a row, I had seen a turtle basking on tree roots at Quasi Pond. On Friday the 13th, I'd seen Old Aristarcus, the huge turtle, and the next day, I'd seen her hatchling son I'd decided to call Aris. The spot was empty for several days, then I saw 2 TURTLES there: Mother and Child were basking together!

Excited, I took a picture. But when I went closer to get a shot, the little feller, more easily frightened than his tank-like parent, slipped back into the water. Aristarcus just looked at me.

I wonder how many times I slip back, timid, in circumstances that saints who have walked more intimately with my God would respond to with easy composure?

"Nothing wrong with Aris;" the larger turtle's face seemed to say; "please just give him time."

CORNER COVE FOR SURE

"See? I drew carp Friday! Peter the Kawasemi too!" I thought Milky the carp would be happy when I showed him the drawing yesterday.

"But that's Lower Bridge carp, not one of us on this side of the park. We don't even know those guys."

Oh. It makes a difference. So I pulled out my sketch pad and did another drawing, this time of Milky at Corner Cove, colored it at home.

Aren't you glad God loves us no matter where we are, what country, class, station of life, age, etc? People are People--He can't help but love us all.

HE LOOKS YUMMY!

"OK, OK, I'll sketch you guys next, I'd said lightly to the carp at Corner Cove, when they'd complained I'd sketched only the mallards." so I felt I had to draw them even if I don't feel I draw carp very well. They always turn out looking funny, I think. The image I have in my mind is so different from what I end up with. That's usually the case in my drawings, but moreso with carp than with other animals, it seems. And carp usually swim in the same place in the same poses, so it's hard to cover up bad drawings.

I began to sketch three carp at Lower Bridge when Peter the Kawasemi came and hovered right behind them. It would definitely make the picture more interesting, I thought, and added him to the back. But I wondered later if the picture looked like what my sister told me, that the carp just wanted him for dinner!

A MALLARD SHRUG

I looked--both at Deeper Pond and Duck Pond--for my new mallard friend with the spot on his neck. But he was nowhere to be found. 

"How come?" I asked Mister Mallard, preening at Corner Cove. He simply stuck his bill under his wings (a mallard shrug?). So I just sketched him today.

THE SPOT DISAPPEARANCE

"If you're the mallard I sketched the other day, come over here," I said, really not expecting it to. Imagine my surprise when it did! One mallard had been swimming in this back pond by itself, when most of the mallards were on the front side of the park, at Duck Pond. Maybe because he knew I couldn't tell it apart from the others?

As if it read my mind, the mallard turned his head and showed me a spot on its neck--something I hadn't noticed before. I could pick it out from all the others! "Thanks!" I felt all smiles on the inside and decided to call it Nicky (you know, from the spot on the necky.)

But when I came back the next day, another mallard had left Duck Pond and joined it too. "Is one of you Nicky?" I asked. But I was sure I could spot it this time. Strange...that mallard played some kind of trick on me or spots disappear as you grow, because neither of those mallards had that spot on the neck. Ohhh no. How now brown...mallard?

SMALLER SHELL, LONGER TAIL

"Yess!" A large turtle, like a gray oceanliner, basked on some exposed roots at Far End. It was Friday the 13th, supposed to be an unlucky day, but I felt pretty fortunate to be seeing this! I call her Aristarcus, probably the largest turtle in the pond, but she rarely poses for me.

I was so happy, I took a closeup too.

I couldn't believe it when I went back the next day and saw the turtle still basking at the same spot. But then I looked again, and saw it wasn't the "oceanliner", but a smaller "tugboat" this time. The mama-turtle had probably shown her son a nice place to dry his shell.

If Mama's called "Aristarcus", I said to myself, mebbe I should call this one "Aris"?

LIGHTS ON 24 HOURS A DAY

It says, "Let your light so shine", not necessarily, "at the proper time", right? I started doing my artwork when all around was dark and quiet and I could concentrate; worked through the wee hours; and since for hot summer months, I wanted to get out to the park early in the morning while it was cool, I just stayed awake a few more hours and went to bed when I got home. So I ended up having an upside-down schedule.

Most people turn off their lights at night because that's the time they sleep--I've found that's when I need to turn mine on!

Today's drawing is of a bug I saw at the park that looks like one who also turns on his light at night. He looked a lot like the "Hotaru," or lightning bug (firefly?), which has an orange head and black body also.

The Hotaru may be just a bug wearing Halloween colors; but even people who hate most insects are fond of the glowing Hotaru!

SCARS MAKE THEM STAND OUT

”Sure, we can be friends," I told the mallard. "But there's only on problem."

"With M&M, I know it's him because of his injured duckbill.  But you look just like all the others. I can't be much of a friend if I can't even tell you apart from the others, can I?"

He stayed around for a long time, so I sketched him (as well as Ruby the dragonfly who kept him company).

My friends at the park: it's the shoe-shaped shell that I recognize Quasi the turtle for; Slit the carp got her name from the healed rip around her lip; and Dent's name came from her bruised skull. Hm; I know they were uncomfortable situations for all of them, but these things are what make them special today.

"YO-I, HAKKI YO-I"

That's what I pretended the dragonfly was saying (words often called out at the beginning of a sumo wrestling bout). The situation? A turtle swam up to the foot of the branch, a carp faced him on the other side. I know it was just an accidental meeting, but it looked like a dragonfly perching on the tip of that branch was going to officiate a sumo match, so I drew it that way.

I colored in the sketch I began yesterday. Altho' I hadn't even begun drawing any of the grass or scenery at the far side of the pond, I figure with the additional rain, anything would've been blurred out, and God knew about that. Right. There are no accidents with Him.

Part of my journal--

Yesterday morning, I really didn't feel like going to the park, and knew if God made it rain, I would have an excuse to stay home, but it was forecasted to be sunny all day (going to the park is not something one should feel he has to do, June!) I checked online and noticed God let it rain a little in the morning, as if to say, "Get rested now; but get out this afternoon, ok?"

The sun came out, and I went, but I remember never longing for rain so hard just to be able to rest. Somewhere in my mind tho', I didn't want to do what I knew other Christians did with their manipulating ways and using "God" merely to do what they themselves want. I wanted to be able to follow a God Who was "much bigger than that," Who, I don't know how to put it, "I couldn't push around." So in a sense, when it got sunny and I couldn't stay home, I wasn't completely unhappy. Not really.

But while I was at the park, it began to rain. I mean, hard. Not just misty, sprinkly, or even showers, but the pattering stuff. I'd started sketching but had to pack up and go home. It was as if God laughed, "Yes, I can make it rain. Of course I can make it rain. And you wanted me to show you I can let you get to the park first, THEN let the clouds release the drops of water? See?"

My God is MIGHTY!

This is my Father.

WHEN THE LIGHT HITS JUST RIGHT

When I looked online for reference pictures of Koi, it gave me only the kind called "swimming jewels" the collectors buy for their ponds. So I had to draw from what I saw in the creek.

The plain carp. A few years ago, I noticed that when the sunlight hit it just right, its brownish-gray could appear tints of purple, and smatterings of tan dirt and sand glitter gold. I so wanted to show what I saw--sorry Softi (today's carp); this is all I can do for now, ok? Maybe someday.

One Glad Day the light will shine just right on me too, and I too will be all beautiful!

GUTSY? THE D-FLIES; NOT ME!

Just before going home, I saw a young man sitting on the grass looking like he was reading...a Bible!  I knew God wanted me to talk to him; and after a struggle working up the nerve, I asked, "Excuse me; is that a Bible you're reading?"

He quickly closed the book, telling me it was only a novel. He also told me he disliked religion and believed a person should believe himself.  All truth is in man, he said. Then I felt intimidated when he said of all the religions, he hated Christianity the most. (Ouch.) I don't know how much of what he said, he actually thought through himself, and how much he was merely parroting what he heard.

He said a lot of things. He also mentioned interest in drawing. I'd just spent much time drawing the dragonfly at Deeper Pond!

I've mentioned before how I feel dragonflies are the gutsiest of all the insects. Gutsy is NOT how I felt when talking with this young man. It's probably  closer to how Peter felt when threatened by a maiden at the fireside. I am so glad there will be John 21 for all God's own!

PETER'S READY FOR WINTER

Not only is it getting cooler; some October mornings get downright chilly. I'd forgotten what that felt like. When Peter came out the other day, his white marking around the neck looked like a warm muffler--at least he looked ready for the onset of cold!

On the way home this morning, God seemed to tell me to drop by the convenience store and pick up a journal (Same store as Jan. 4 post). I wanted to argue I didn't need it yet...but I know I've always been sorry before when I didn't listen to His prodding, and glad when I did so I turned and went.

I picked up my notebook, and nothing exceptional happened; but as I turned home, I felt strangely happy. Sometimes, we don't have to have results as flashy as the Kawasemi. Even our mundane obedience is to God just as sweet as the bird's song--have you heard it, by the way? I've learned to recognize it, and it is pretty, I think. 

PATRICIA THE PIGEON

Yesss--it's finally getting cooler! Now the mallards are coming back to the park. And the ducklings born last year aren't afraid of people so come right up to you.

The bird I sketched wasn't the mallard tho', since I've drawn them so many times. Even the crow, I noticed I've done a surprising number of times. Rather, I saw a single cooing bird drop in among the foraging fowl on the grass so decided to draw her.

She flew away just a tad too quick tho'. I wonder if she heard the adage instead of people wishing you'd hurry up and leave, it's better to have them wish you could've stayed longer.

For too many, they stay mere fantasy

Today, since it was raining, I stayed home and finished up a drawing at the park pond I started yesterday--here 'tis. You can see by the scrap paper on the lower left of the photo I've been on a C. S. Lewis kick recently. The books on the lower right? My Bibles for the memory work I'm doing.

C.S. Lewis clearly meant to write of spiritual realities. The danger is to treat these books as mere imagination. The unregenerate can do nothing else. But the genuinely saved reader, when illumined to truth, should find his heart responding to God, not simply say, "Oh yeah, that was fun reading."

Woops; I got carried away again. I was supposed to just post my picture, wasn't I? I do this all the time...

I'll be back later...

I guess I can't blame it on the dragonfly.

At tonight's supper, after finishing coloring in the drawing I'd started at the park earlier in the day, I was so tired, I found myself falling asleep and almost choking on the meat!

ohhhhh...I wanted to post at least this, but I think I'd better go lie down for forty blinks--I'm about to go crazy.

Back. Hm; the kiddy playground in the back looks like something's coming out of the d-fly's tail! Oh--this red dragonfly was given the name "U. Ramon". He always seems to come greet me at the back gate, and in Japanese, "back gate" is "uramon".

It was a cool day yesterday, so I made one other sketch at the park, but that hasn't been completed yet. It was very basic, the merest outline. Mallard, turtle, d-fly, carp are all there. The kawasemi flew across the scene while I was sketching, but he's not pictured!