Daily drawing mix with story: Walking down the street

It was a bright summer's day and I needed to get some air.  I was cooped up in my apartment and needed a smoke. I was reviewing a case where a madman murdered two women and dumped their bodies in a small lake just outside of town.  I hadn't even taken off my jacket when I saw an unusual sight.   A man (I think) was walking down the street with a large wicker basket over his head.  That would have been strange enough but on top of the basket was two bullfrogs.  Each large enough to be a meal but stacked up like a hamburger.... You know with their feet as melted cheese going over the side.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  I stood there like an imbecile with my mouth open and my eyes gazing upward toward the toads.  For a moment I forgot about the case that I was working on earlier.  I was drenched with files and beer and thought about the decline of humanity.  The sight on the street didn't help my mind dissipate my thoughts.  I heard an loud obnoxious sound.  I couldn't even reproduce it if I tried.  It was a high pitched scream much like a dying rabbit makes.  I covered my ears and looked up the road.  I saw a young girl with legs that went 3/4 of the way up her body.  She looked odd but her mouth wasn't open and spewing that awful sound.  Her head was tilted sideways looking at the green slimy pile upon the mans head.  Once again the noise blared out followed by some grunts.  It was then I saw a pig.... I kid you not.. trotting down the road at a fast pace.  My mind flashed a gruesome scene in which I was bitten on my ankle and fell backward.  The pig was angry and snorting... spit landed on my neck in which he was headed.  I did the total opposite of which I was taught to do and I freezed.  The pig didn't come toward my ankle but darted past the girl with stilt legs and up to the man with the basket on his head.  He reached down and stroked its back.  The pig looked like it smiled and continued on the road.  Just when things couldn't get any more bizarre the long legged girl shouted "Papa.... Papa!  The frogs are falling off the basket!  I will take Pennelope home and come back to help you with the frogs and boiling basket.  You know Momma will be sour with you if you loose our diner!"  Off she ran with the pig close behind.  Little did the pig know that Momma was planning to have ham and eggs for breakfast.

My grandbaby

Beauty through the eyes of a child

Smiles are abundant

Spirits are high

Grandma sees the mac and cheese

 in the hair of her grandson

He reaches up to grab a bit

and reaches out to share

Mom shakes her head

Grandma chuckles and takes the bait

The bond is increased as grandma plays pick a boo

with a washcloth

Grandma loves the games he plays

She antagonizes him to grab the sheet of stickers

from her purse

He struggles with the first small one but moves on to a larger one

where he places it squarely on grandmas forehead

The game begins, spirits are high

Smiles are abundant

to see the beauty of the world through

the eyes of a child

My Best Friend

walking along the beach

listening to the cry of the seagulls

my footsteps sink in the wet sand 

I watch as the pink hues are overtaken by the dark umber color

squishing between my toes until I am just a stump

My best friend runs along the surface and leaves a distinguished paw mark which quickly disappears as if its time on earth were done

I focus on the multi color sand and the ways the light ripples off the peaks

The zebra like pattern leaves me awestruck as if placed by the All Mighty Himself

this makes me smile and the old childhood saying returns fresh in my mind

"Step on the crack and you'll break your mothers back"

I childishly skip over the contrasting peaks but my blond friend foolishly disregards the game 

she is more interested in the small sandpipers and gives the leash a hard tug

I continue looking at the shadows my body casts upon the sand as I walk toward the rocky edge of the cove

my dog veers toward the frothy shoreline to check out the burnt offering made by campers weeks ago

I watch my steps as cockle burs and shards of glass direct me elsewhere as I absentmindedly left my sandals at the car

We find some sandstone in which to rest and my 

companion seizes the opportunity for a massage to her ear

she sits obediently at my feet and looks out to the calmness of the lake

the glass like surface is only interrupted by a large crane who fled away by the thought of a canine close

I watched as the ripples spread out like an atomic explosion and it reminded me of the pattern in the sand

just minutes before

Couples walk hand in hand on the far side of the cove

a little dog barks with excitement as the older couple move much too slow toward the shoreline

A truck drives over the dunes looking for a perfect fishing spot

earlier that day I saw many a fish biting at the insects floating just above the waters surface

their lips look as if they are blowing kisses to the sky

 My dog has a repulsive smell of the lake which I can only gather to be liquefied fish guts 

since I only have seen the skeletal remains caught upon the shallow rocks

the small dog and happy couple must have left as it remains silent and their is no yapping to break the air 

we head back as the fisherman has determined too that the cove wasn't an optimal spot and packs his gear to try his luck elsewhere

I am looking forward to the beer I know awaits me upon my arrival 

something about the sand and water that makes my mouth salivate for the cold brew and chips I packed earlier

the plastic beach chair looks more enticing after my walk

I pick up my book and soft blanket

settle in to see what the characters have done since I was away

My best friend lies at my feet as we give each other needed warmth and I sigh at the simplistic beauty this moment has 

Wave of life

Sitting in this old lawn chair
Listening to the waves
Chime in unison with the seagulls
Lapping rhythms mesmerize my thoughts
That seem to come to to a halt
As the wind picks up
The rocks don't move as the waves hit harder
Translucent water with a rainbow of natural color
The sand hits my eyes as to yield to my hearing
Only the lapping waves and the sound of distant children's laughter
Is allowed to invade my mind
It's a sacred place I come to get away from all the blame
That no one seems to claim now days
Could I come back to this tranquility when I need it again
Will the children's whines remind me of the seagull
Flying higher with no care or will this peaceful time
only come on my next visit
Or my second beer
Can I be strong and beautiful as the earth tone rocks
That glisten below the waves
Hiding from the sand
I want to come back here in my mind
Tomorrow as Monday approaches all to soon

The Gold Coin

What is life all about?

Is it always reaching for something just beyond our reach

like a piece of gold

with its brilliant rays?

We don't really need it 

We don't really desire it other than the fact

that others desire it more

Why then do we reach for something 

that will only further our debt in our wallet 

and not matter as it makes heavy our pockets?

Why is it that we desire what we can not have

and do not need?

Is the house really in that bad of shape

that the patched holes hide a story that only shapes its character?

Does the family have so much noise that we forget 

the comfortable silence that took so long to build?

Where will my children call home

if our home has moved a half dozen times?

Another chapter in our families story is being written

Do I dare make the marks over the lines

that have already been written?

Should the story always start with a clean page

as each new day promises 

as the alarm rings

and dog barks

Our story only looks worn as we view it through our own 

prescription glasses

Aren't books that are aged and tired

more valued than the synthetic covers and plastic bindings of the new ones?

Is treasure we look for like the new jeans my daughter bought at a high price?

They are worn, fringed, torn and faded

(just like ones I used to wear

but longed for others without holes)

Is it that we have always had the gold that others have

but as time changes

someone

somewhere

takes our vision away from the simple, mundane life we have grown accustomed to?

A simple life

One that has gold already

somewhat tarnished

that needs to polished

and treasured 

as a priceless coin

Moral Compass

It seems like life is a continuum

constantly changing

constantly learning

full of its share of highs and lows

excitement and anticipation will

keep us going strong for awhile

until life hits us from behind

to remind us what is truly important

change is inevitable

learning is a choice

a choice made by the educated

if we learn from our mistakes 

are they really mistakes?

Isn't it just a lesson 

in life's continuum as 

we are constantly 

adjusting our moral compass?