THE THREE H'S

Honesty, Humility, and Humor: the three attributes that I most admired about my dad.

He was honest to the extreme: he would take back pennies to a store clerk when he found that he had been given too much change.

He was humble: he didn't brag about himself, even though he drew the Bugs Bunny comic strip for 30 years. He shared his talents by coming to schools for demonstrations, and sending strips to fans who wrote to him. (I still have the 3 binders full of fan letters that he received.)

And he always looked for the humor in things. He loved visual jokes.  One morning I stepped into the bathtub to find a smiling face painted on the overflow plate just below the faucet. I laughed to see that the lever that controlled the bath plug now was the nose of a funny face.

This is my drawing of what the plate looked like after Dad's handwork.

I think I have picked up some of my dad's humor in my artwork. I still see faces everywhere. I may draw something from nature as if it had a personality of its own. (And who knows about the plant world, maybe they do!) 

Other times, I see faces in real objects and photograph them just because they make me laugh.

Each time I see a 'face' I feel a connection with my dad.  Though he is long gone, his traits of honesty, humility, and humor that he held dear are traits that I still admire and try to emulate.

What traits do you most associate with your dad?

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WHEN ARE WE GOING TO STOP?

I could hear the tears in the voice of the reporter as he talked yesterday. "Not again," I thought as the tears came to my eyes too. Today I had written a Father's Day posting, but I've decided to postpone that post in honor of the people in the church in Charleston, South Carolina. May they rest in peace.

This is the year when we need to step forward and come to terms with our past and our present. Let us start today, one step at a time.

MURDEROUS HEART

I'm a gardener.

Sometimes I am at war with my garden. Not with the plants necessarily, but with what the garden brings out in me. This week, on top of 100+ degree weather, I have been battling the snails that have taken over with abandon.

If there is an afterlife, I know that I will be there surrounded by all the snails that I have mushed, smashed, thrown, crushed, broken, splintered, kicked, and salted.

Quick sketch of a snail. They move so slowly, but they don't stay in one position for long.

This is my ode to snails:

Snails devouring a bush
A five-foot tall bush, mind you
Their shells hanging from every branch
In clusters like brown flowers
Ready to open.

I'm murderous
Plucking off each one, hundreds of ones,
I feel their shells soft between my fingers.
I know I could crush them or throw
Them against the wall.
Instead I watch, hideously,
As they bubble in the salt pools
I lay down for them.

My apologies to you, snails,
For my torturous ways.
You just overpowered 
My will to be kind.
You outnumbered me a thousand to one.
What was I supposed to do?
My poor plant was crying out for help.

If the weather turns cooler, and the snail season abates (with a little help from SLUGGO), I am sure that my normal, cool, calm self will return so that I can once more enjoy the fruits of my garden labors without my murderous side bubbling to the surface.

But have you ever seen a banana slug?

STILL IN LOVE

Today, my husband Bill and I celebrate our anniversary.

I love my husband.

If you know Bill, you know that he commits himself to everything he does 120%. He is a 24/7 kind of guy, he loves sports and debates, he rides in 100-mile bike rides, he takes beautiful photos, and leads a group of men to empower themselves as entrepreneurs. He will be there when you need him. He's a stand-up kind of guy.

I love my husband for that.

The other day as we were walking into the post office, he stopped, looked up to the roof, and pointed. I followed his gesture, and saw a baby bird flapping its wings, begging for food from its parent. Bill stood transfixed by the sight, watching.

That, more than anything, is why I love my husband.

Happy Anniversary, Bill!

If you have someone close by today, give them a hug, 

even if it isn't your anniversary. 

Share the love!