A DUCK BY ANOTHER NAME

What I'd been calling a spot-billed mallard is really a mottled duck, I found out today.

I remember seeing a mother at the park pointing to the greenhead in the pond and explaining to her children how you could distinguish the brightly colored male from the plain brown female, pointing to the mottled duck. Inwardly, I said, "She's teaching them something WRONG!" But if I'd have said, "that's not a greenhead female; that's a spot-billed mallard", I WOULD'VE BEEN WRONG TOO!

Isn't that like what we humans do, pointing fingers at others' errors? They've got it all wrong, we smile inwardly.

Here is today's sketch of a foraging...mottled duck. Today, a dragonfly came--probably the last to make its appearance before the onset of cold--as well as a butterfly, so I decided to put them into the picture. It seems a carp nearby wanted to be included too, so I managed to squeeze her in on the side. After all, the place is named "Carp Walk". But what's in a name, right? A rose is a rose; a duck is a duck...

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.

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!

THEY MOVED

Here's Peter the Kawasemi at Step Creek with Mr. Mallard, a Ruby Dragonfly, and...can you see Snorkel in Inner Creek?

I told them I'd drawn all of them before, but they told me they'd moved from Duck Pond to Step Creek.

UM...TODAY IS SHOW AND TELL?

Here's the picture. It rained hard today, so I stayed home and worked on it! While sitting at my desk. I got an unexpected call from Yoshitaka Ishikawa, from Okinawa.

We'd cheered him on in a soap box derby when he was in junior high; he taught Sunday School then went onto Bible School, married, returned to pastor the village church. At my Dad's funeral, he said Daddy introduced him, not just to Christ, but also to lemonade (Sept. 8, 2016 post). He is the pastor who came to my stepmother's funeral and sat behind the person she led to the Lord 50 years ago.

Wait--how did that happen? I was going to show you a picture but ended up telling you about Ishikawa Sensei!

Well...I hope you enjoyed the picture of the carp, damselfly (can you even see it on the rock???), and toad. I TOLD Moark to come out even a little, that I could hear him, but can't SEE his beautiful croaks. You'll have to imagine him under those leaves there on the right side, ok?

GETTING THE BASICS

It was cool this morning too--78.8 by 5--so I got out to the park, and as I went in the back "turnstile gate", I heard the Kawasemi bird's call from Duck Pond. it was resting on a perch one of the cameramen had set up there for it. Excited, I began sketching.

But the bird flew off the branch onto a rock in the pond. Rats; I'd have to start over. I tried to get the general lines down quickly. This time, when the bird flew to the fountain ropes in the center of the pond, I didn't panic. I had the basic shapes down so I was ok.

Getting the basics down is so necessary and worth it, isn't it? Having been away from the park for a month, I'll have to work at drawing from real life. Anyway.. . Here is today's sketch of Peter and a dragonfly. 

After my park visit this morning, I wondered if my son didn't have to go to work today; he was still in bed. Then I remembered I'd tried to come home while it was still cool. It wasn't time to get up yet.

DABBLING

My first attempts, 2 yrs ago, at mixing in anything remotely removed from realistic in my drawings--I wanted to try it too--just didn't work. I tried to blame it on the serpent that posed for me by naming it Picasso. I know, I know; but I couldn't think of anything else.

I found out there's a technique called "bokeh" (Japanese for "blur"), used originally in photography; and artists and painters experimented with adapting elements into some of their works too. I tried it for a while, but I ended up opting to draw either the regular background or just fade it out.

Because when I made drawings like this--my sister, who is one of my biggest supporters, even asked me--"What are those shapes supposed to be?" No, she wasn't talking about the damselflies; she knew what they were. It was the other stuff I tried. That was kind of embarrassing.

Both of these are 2021 drawings; I just dared bring them out now and talk about them. I think anyone who does art dabbles in lots of stuff to find out what he really wants to do.

WORKS OF FIRE

My daughter sent me videos of her 2-yr-old son enjoying a fireworks display. It showed him at smiling at the sky, but in one thoughtful frame also showing another thought, as he whispers, "kowai" (scary). He must've been referring to the repeated bangs he heard. That's a lot of power.

During Sunday's after-worship fellowship, we talked about how some things are like fire. We can use and thank God for them, but they can lead to scary things, like explosions, violence, hurt if used wrongfully. Pray that Yusei see God gave him a mind to be used, not to create blasts to melt bones, but able to make beautiful blooms in the night sky ("FlowerFire" is the Japanese word for fireworks).

YOU SHOULD FLY, LIKE US

Friday, I had to go to the clinic again. Because my medicine requires me to stay out of summer heat, the decision was made to go by cab instead of walking for over 25 mins.

My dragonfly friends seemed to agree with me. They didn't think I should walk to the doctor's office either.

As soon as I got home, I lay down, grateful for air conditioning. Because today was not as hot as the rest of the week, I had only a low-grade fever.

And because I'd been able to ride a cab, not walked, after only a few hours' rest, my temperature came down, and I felt fine. Well enough, in fact, to draw these post illustrations.

Oh--this latter reference photo was NOT taken today. I did NOT go to the park today. You can be sure that was taken on an earlier date, when it was much cooler!

FASTER THAN I THOUGHT

I really thought it would be way more than a year.

Last year, at the park, I saw a baby lizard come out of a bush; find himself face to face with a large dragonfly. I wondered what the two would do. They just looked at each other as if paralyzed--or sizing each other up, perhaps. After a long moment, the dragonfly flew off and the lizard disappeared back down into the bush as if nothing had happened.

That moment...I remember wishing then I had the ability to capture it on paper. I knew I couldn't then, and I stared hard at that place on top of the bush and burned the image in my mind so I would remember it when the time came I could draw it. In ten years' time? twenty? I didn't know.

I know I still have a long, long ways to go--my little lizard looks like a green mole!--but I thought it would be better to get it drawn poorly than to forget it completely, so...here 'tis.

FLYING INSECT AT KORNER KOVE

I told the pond animals I'd be telling them a story today about a flying thing and an insect. I was going to tell them Aesop's fable about the bird and ant who saved each others' lives. I saw the carp, mallards, turtle who'd come to hear the tale appointed.

But a few moments later, I noticed, hanging on a vine nearby, a dragonfly. "I'm a flying thing AND an insect; today you're going to talk about me, right?" It seemed so sure.

I wondered if the dragonfly would be disappointed with the story, but after I was done, it kept flying around the area as if to say it had really enjoyed it.

My Mom used to say our disappointments are often God's appointments.

Don't I find myself surprised with and enjoying his appointments too?

BUTTERFLY DRAGONFLY

This is one of the drawings I made at the park.

This perch was actually made for the bright blue Kawasemi bird. Award-seeking photographers scramble to get shots of it, but I think this butterfly dragonfly's rich, iridescent blue is just as pretty. The insect is smaller than the bird so harder to photograph. But I am sure if they once got a nice picture, they would wonder why they never tried.

Again, it seems this dragonfly was beckoning me to sketch it, because this species usually flies all over the pond, but kept coming back to the branch and stopping there today.

Please do not use my sketch as any indication of how pretty it really is--see one for yourself, if you can!

NOTICING

After fully recharging my camera, I noticed I'd managed to take ONE photo of the damselfly before it had turned off.  I'd wanted to photograph it because  last week, the day the roly poly came to the Irrigation Ditch, this little damselfly had come also to listen to my stories--I wonder if it knew I noticed?

Sunday, I was very early to online church, so I viewed some art lessons; got on ZOOM when it was time; then forgot about the art video. Until evening, my mind was occupied by things heard during the service and fellowship-prayer time afterwards.

I'd asked God to help me enjoy art but please not let it become my idol. He let me see I didn't think twice about tossing it away--not even thinking about it for a while. I'd wanted to "listen to His stories" that day...and He'd noticed.

BRUSH PENS? THAT WAS FAST!

It's raining again--sigh. Do You want me to stay home and put up some other things on the blog, Lord?

Last year was the time I began experimenting with these brush pens, and I had to post some drawings with them, Altho' before brush pens, I'd been spending quite a bit of time drawing endless detail with colored pencil, I found I could work pretty quickly with these, and they gave me much brighter color than the pencils. Here are some of them:

Turtle bubbles, two carp...Basking mallard & reflections on pond surface...After dentist visit, promised romp at the park

Crow surveys field...Teal fly lands on red leaf atop black boulder

I asked Kinya yesterday to order some brush pen replacements online for me. I thot it would be at least a few days, but I guess the company branch just happened to be making deliveries, because the doorbell rang, and they were just delivered!

The only thing I know faster than that is when God answers before I call.

This feller seemed to want to know what I was doing, so. I let him see--I was sketching a red dragonfly!

Perspective Changes Lots of Things

"You sketched the blue Kawasemi and the blue-vented butterfly. Can you draw me? I'm blue too!" I seemed to hear, "...but you can't see me, can you?"

Oh. There, near the bottom of the twig in the water, was a dainty damselfly the thickness of a thread.

"Most people won't draw or photograph something as small as me either..." Did I sense the damselfly sigh? "Oh well; just thot I'd ask."

"Okay; okay. Tell you what. I'll draw you up close, so you'll look real big." The damselfly wasn't sure she should let herself hope.

And...see? The tiny thing looks bigger than the butterfly or Kawasemi!

THAT WAS A MISQUOTE!

April 9, 2023. The sound of heavy impact in the stairwell behind him made Takuya freeze. He turned to see his father's form lying in a massive pool of blood oozing from the back of his head and found himself thinking: "This could be it for Dad."

But after many prayers, ambulance ride, emergency workers' diligent expertise, and 7 stitches later, it seemed Takuya's father was already beginning to be cautioned from doing too much all at once.

Okay; that picture's not really the kind of "stitches" in the story. But I didn't know how to draw it, okay? This is a picture of me working on a pair of my own pair of slacks, not a medical worker patching up anybody's skin.

After all, it had been that morning, he preached for the Japanese department, and because of years of pastoring in Chicago, he had bilingual ability, so he was supposed to preach to the English department the following week. Taku helped lead singing there so was showing his dad the room when he had that nasty fall.

April 16, 2023. "But God might be a liar," a little demon voice whispered into Takuya's ear. Doesn't it say in the Bible 'I will give my angels charge over you, They will bear you up in their hands, to keep you lest you dash your foot against a stone...."

"Stop right there." Takuya said, shaking his head, as if he were whipping germs out of his hair; "I hear you. But that's a misquote the devil tried on Jesus in the wilderness."

"Misquote?"

"Yeah. It should be 'to keep you in all your ways', but you left out those words. God didn't promise we wouldn't fall and hit our foot on a stone, but that even when we did--in ALL our ways--He'd protect us in it.

So God doesn't say we'll never lose our jobs, but He'll make sure even if we do, we'll be able to take care of our families in it.

There was a missionary who really prayed about it, but for the sake of His testimony, had to walk on hot coals. Of course, his feet were badly burned. God doesn't always promise there won't be burning. But the burns healed so quickly and perfectly, everyone around was amazed. 

And that man's willingness to be burned for his Master plus a Living God Who would so mightily care for His loyal servant resulted in masses of converts--even those who actually persecuted him at first believed....

Dad, what are you doing up? You felt like getting next month's message ready? Mom, get him back in bed!" (She comes rushing in, And talking, the two leave the room.)

The field flowers, insects, birds--all heard from their ancestors what happened during that Encounter in the Desert, and were almost screaming today, "Wilderness Temptation again! Misquote! Misquote!" That's okay, fellers; Taku knows.

SKETCHING NOW

Let me try this again, as I've been making oodles of drawings, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to keep sending them to everybody separately, and I can never keep track of which ones I sent whom, so...I'll just put most of them up here and hope if you're interested, you look here, ok? (I know. I should have another separate site. I don't know how to set up those things. I barely got this far.) Here are three of some of my more recent ones. Blogging is supposed to be out-fashioned, but I'm not doing it to be "with it"; just to let you see the pics I draw, whoever I usually send them to or whoever else would be interested.

Corner Cove was the place I spent the most time when I first came to the park in 2016. Last week, the Lord gave me a real pretty sight as I took my walk there. Some of the leaves were red and yellow, so there was no need for flowers; it was so colorful. The mallards came by too, adding music to the quiet atmosphere.

A few minutes later, when I saw the Akatombo on some rocks on the side of the pond, I was sure it would fly away but began quickly sketching it. Imagine my delight when it came back and landed on the drawing pad when I'd finished, as if looking at itself, saying, "Wow--a picture--of ME!"

I put the Nov. 1-14 drawings into smaller than 1" form so I could post all of them at once, but then they wouldn't load. I don't know how this computer stuff works, so I'll just show you three of them and show you new things drawn from here on. Well, ONE more. I found an old photo of my kids and tried to sketch it. the cheapo journal I got has a translucent cover so is perfect to slip this sketch behind as the first page--keeps the picture from getting unnecessarily dirtied, plus is a nice picture to look at!

The last time I posted, it was about Daddy having gone Home. It looks like my stepmother is getting ready to join him soon. Please pray for us.