A Funny yet Sad Story

Remember these guys?  Well . . . I felt the need to send a letter to the editor.  Here it is.

Dear Mr. Editor,

I was a victim of a Devil’s Night prank and theft and I am writing you in hopes that your readers including Adrian residents, police officers and judges will weigh in on how the offense should be handled.  What I am hoping for is public and official support for “unique justice.” 

Okay here’s my story . . .  I’ve even given it a title . . .

“Devil’s Night Revelers Having a Ball cause Heads to Roll”

About eight years ago on a bright October day my friend, and fellow artist, left a fun gift on my porch a pair of painted bowling balls.  (I know you can see where this is going.)  They were pumpkin orange colored with faces painted on them in a 1930’s kind of graphic style.  One smiled the other frowned. 

The smiling one was stolen.  He was recklessly rolled down Locust Street all the way to Stevenson Lumber.  How do I know?  Well the “little devil” (I think of him more as a “Punk-in stealer”) went to work on Halloween bragging about his daring and exciting Devil’s Night adventure.  He had gone out to smash little children’s pumpkins and found a bowling ball.  Oh, the luck.  Strikes and gutters never felt so good. 

I love how things work out, you see “Punk-in Stealer” ran his mouth not knowing I was related to one of his fellow employees.

November first, I went to the Punk-in Stealer’s work to confront him, but he had the day off.  This was good because I was in a reactionary frame of mind and needed time to reason a suitable form of justice.

I examined my feelings:

This guy not only stole my property, but my joy.  My friend painted those bowling balls for ME.  Every time I put them out my heart overflows with gratitude for my friend and all my friends.  Thank you Lord for my friends!

My friends mean more than that bowling ball.  I am sad, but I’m not like Castaway Tom Hanks distraught over losing Wilson.

I’m more mad because he damaged some little kids’ pumpkins.  Did you catch that I live on the east side?  Folks over here don’t have as many financial resources.  Yet what little they have is taken and ruined.  FYI: I‘m unemployed and looking for work which is like digging through a two week old wet stinky trash bag for something I lost and desperately need.  

Ideas . . .

Mr. Punk should be fired.

Mr. Punk should be made to paint me two new pumpkin faced bowling balls.  One will replace my lost pumpkin ball, the other fruit of his labor will endure my punishment.  I will call my friends and we will exact justice on it (while he watches) like the printer in the movie Office Space. 

I will fight him while he is tied to a chair, like in the comedy Eagle vs Shark.

We send him to bowling ball painting purgatory.  Where he has to paint a bowling ball then roll it up a hill.  He will be like The Little Punk Who Could, he will huff and puff “I think I can, I think I can” the ball will roll over the side to the good boys and girls who will exclaim “the Great Pumpkin is Real.”  When Mr. Punk-in gets to the bottom of the hill, another unpainted ball will await him.  We will call him Herby, because he will be like the North Pole Elf who never found joy in his work.

These are pretty good ideas but I would like to know what you and your readers think should be done.

Awaiting your wisdom,

Heidi

After I sent the letter I had a thought . . . the vandal should paint bowling balls then he should hold a street bowling marathon to raise money for the boys and girls club art program.  He has to throw the ball one time for every donor.  For every strike he gets he can throw the ball one less time.  Donors will pay extra for every strike thrown.  Every time he misses I get to insult him and lay a guilt trip on him.  I will make him do it in snow shoes.  And calmly ask him about his pain level like the sadistic torturer in A Princess Bride.

I will give him water flavored with red hots.  And I will smile and ask "Whose smiling now?"
Does it hurt yet?  On a level a 1 - 10 how is your arm feeling now?
So how sorry do you feel about stealing my bowling ball now? 

I want to bust his . . .

Please Comment!

Brut Art

I finished the wall hanging and hung it in my bedroom. The work doesn't liberate me like I want it to.  Instead, I have negative feelings . . . disappointment mostly . . . not in the work because the work is lovely and brut . . . but the work reminds me of something raw and unfulfilled in my own life . . . something unresolved.   
star flowers floating on waves . . . magic drifting away . . . frayed intentions awkwardly assembled . . . unconcealed mending . . . meaningful reconstruction? . . . uncertain binding

Warty

I bought a warty pumpkin at the farmer's market.  I gave it to the grandkids, but I was thinking of Jacob when I decorated it.

Cat Scratch Fever

So Spot has allergies.  She went in for an allergy shot, but it did little good for her.  She doesn't have fleas, but she has been feverishly scratching.  I was so stressed out over her condition that I risked my own life to bandage her head.  See her death stare? The wrapping didn't last long.  Still, I think she might be on the mend in part because she is on antibiotics.

During her ailment/recovery she has been spending a lot of time in the bathroom.  She lays on the rug in front of the shower ALL DAY.  This is weird.  I feel like a lab rat.  She lays there observing my and others actions. She hands out looks of curiosity, pity, and disgust.  She is determined to maintain her ground so we have to step over her to get out/into the shower.  Recently she has been wanting to crawl into the towel cupboard to sleep. 

We all know that Spot can be a bully, but she has been my baby during this ordeal, allowing me to clean and nurse her sores.  I talk in a soothing voice and she has been talking back.  I lay hands on her and pray for her healing.  Animals are mirrors reflecting to us our levels of compassion.    Animals have remarkable levels of empathy; sadly animals often show more compassion to other animals than we do.

Recently, I listened to Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.  On my book list is Lost Dogs which is about the Michael Vick fight dogs.  I don't want to look away from these tough subjects, because I know I can do better and expect better from others when it comes to animals.

Tile

Several years ago I made this ceramic tile in a workshop.  Colored slips were quickly painted onto a wet slab using a knife. 
My brother David made the frame with scrap wood.

I have "game" I play called, "Use What you Have."  The idea is to not spend any money and to see if you get rewarding dignified results.  I used old leftover brown latex to paint the frame.  Results: A.

Autumn Tradition

Joel and Jenny came for a visit and we went to the Flavor Fruit Farm and McCortie Park. Visiting these sites in Autumn has been a family tradition for about 25 years.

McCortie Park's main feature are concrete bridges, which appear to be wood, built over a small stream. The place used to be a ruins. However, time and the elements weren't as cruel as human neglect, indifference, and vandalism. The concrete eroded revealing the iron support bars; and the park felt like it was decomposing and gave off a horrifying vibe of violent suffering. But then, compassionate "friends" of the park raised money and hired artisans to repair and restore the bridges. Today visitors are less anxious when they visit. The park is on the mend and looking better than we have ever seen it.

Although the core of the old romance has returned, work remains. The effort is not complete and possibilities for the park are great. While I am pleased with the present restoration I still feel a little anxious for the future. I have a new anxiety. For now the public has easy access, but I'm afraid that the energy to "repair" will transform into "reinvention" and that there will be limited access to the park.

This was the first time I took pictures of the bridges from atop the hill. I like the look of the bridges from a distance, but walking over and resting on the bridges is better.

Hope and a Future

We barely got home when I turned around and left for three days in Saginaw for the WELS teacher's convention. It was a wonderful sweet time.

The theme based on Jeremiah 29 v. 11 was ironic because this was the verse printed on prayer bands (like LIVESTRONG) made for the son of two of our church's school teachers. Their son has Hodgkin lymphoma. On the first day of the convention a mission offering was taken, but on the last day just before dismissal the assembly voted to give the offering to the Neumann family to help defray medical expenses. We all felt grateful and worked hard to fight off the tears. It was a kind and tender moment. Neil's thanks to the group was very touching.

I had a really good time at the convention, and I am prepared to present next year. I hope I am invited.

I saw a speaker on Why to teach drawing, How to Encourage Creative Thinkers, Human Fossils, and I visited the Castle Museum's Archeology semi-truck. Very cool indeed. The semi-trailer has seats, a screen for presentations, displays, and tables to have a dig. I didn't get a picture because my brain was breaking down from information overload. I have been really busy and I haven't had time to process all the info.

Our little St. Stephen's group had a lot of laughs.

Anyway . . .

I have been praying to find a position where my talents can be put to good use and where I can express my faith openly to give hope to others.

Pink Elephant

It was Octoberfest in New Ulm so there were events going on around town. We visited the Wanda Gag house which was little and charming. Before going out to dinner with Kadie, Randy and I had a few beers one of which was served to us in a long pilsner glass (for some reason that felt really special to me). I woke the next morning feeling a bit "marinated." It was funny how on our return visit we saw this grafitti covered pink elephant.

Our Girl

We went to see our beautiful girl on Parents Day in Minnesota. She is a senior. *sigh* I just love watching soccer! I'm sorry I didn't get to see her play more.

The Most Perfect Rainbow

The was the most perfect rainbow I have ever seen. The picture was taken in Lake Zurich on my way to my sister's house. Yes, it was visually arresting.

Art Prize gets it share of criticism. The winners, including the $250,000 grand prize winner, is decided by the public. The thought is that the public isn't art educated and that artists cater to the locals tastes. I liked that the public is asked to engage with the art. Many people came out to see the works. There were bus loads of children (what a cheap field trip just the cost of gas and the driver)and there were folks you couldn't imagine caring about anything artistic. What I came to see clearly is that people from all walks of life love art and they admire wholesome authentic talent in all human endeavors. So the artists catered to the public and we didn't see any work that was vulgar. Oh darn. Yes sometimes the public gets it wrong on who they award. This year's winner showed more perseverance with her material than skillfulness in manipulation. Still, a glass mosaic of the crucifixion that is 20 feet(?) tall leaves and impression!
I had a lovely day. I ate well: Risotto cakes, spinach & artichoke dip, veggie wrap, fried feta cheese, warm bread, bloody Mary made with pickle juice, and a hot fudge brownie sundae. But by far the best thing was being with my friends . . . I feel emotionally swaddled when I am with them.

These fruit were constructed from juice boxes which I took as a commentary on what is going into the land fill and what we are putting into children. We put the juice but not the fruit into the child. They get the sweet syrup with none of the fiber.


This is the lobby of Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids.






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My friend Carlos Tobar entered this painting titled, There's an Elephant in the Room. Is the elephant the fact that everyone is naked?

Art Prize

I finally went to Art Prize, mostly because my friend Kim entered this piece titled, Fading Warriors. She created the piece in response to, Nightmare in New Guinea, a documentary produced as part of the Veterans History Project initiated by Grand Valley State University History Department. Nightmare in New Guinea chronicles the contribution of the Red Arrow Division.
Kim's piece is a mixed media which has collaged photos, watercolor, charcoal, gouche, and pastel. Kim wanted to emphasize the "enduring strength and character" of recently passed (including Kim's father) and remaining Fading Warriors of the Red Arrow Division.
It is a touching piece! I am so proud to know her and be exposed to her talent.

The church where Kim's work was on display (and where her sister and father were baptized) has a beautiful *sigh* Tiffany window.

Work in Progress

This is the wall hanging I have been working on. I used my grandma's rag balls to construct the design.