I don’t think it helped that I tried on the jeans at the end of the day right after I had eaten a burrito bowl. Two of my favorite pairs of jeans just got the dreaded inner thigh blowouts, so I need to replace them but it is proving to be difficult.
February absolutely flew by. I ended it with a very fun and productive meeting with some like-minded creative folks. I was new to the group and just threw out ideas like the magical idea fairy I am wont to be.
When I started this project on January 1, I did not expect to have something to say every day. But, that’s in large part because I was not allowing myself any space to ponder. I’m not saying I sit down every day with a brilliant idea, but carving out time to sit and be present has deepened my connection with myself. I’m finding this has been a very valuable addition to my life!
Update: I took Charlie to the pet store and he was soooooo happy! He picked out some pot roast-flavored treats and I selected some calming peanut butter. I’m hoping that the peanut butter will be a useful bribe so that I can make my comics in the evening, undisturbed. The shop is Urban Pet Co— they are so sweet!
Sidenote— Charlie’s tail is so expressive! The second and third panels really capture how his tail goes from cautiously down to inquisitively up.
I managed not to slip on any of the snow or ice, but a tree root took me down! Felix was not bothered. Charlie was very alarmed and ran back to me with his hackles up. I was relatively unscathed except for a bruise on my knee and a scrape on my knuckle— which is still healing as I write this almost two weeks later!
It’s prescribed burn season in the sandhills. Controlled burns are an integral part of forest management and necessary for the growth of the longleaf pines. Even though I know this, it can still be unsettling to see huge clouds of smoke rising in the sky. That has to be an evolutionary feature of being a human, right? But the fires make way for spring and for growth.
On this day, I was also thinking about how I live so much of my life in a little 2-4 block radius. I really love all the characters that I see every day and it’s comforting to remember that I’m part of the ecosystem.
We actually got 2-3 hours of snowflakes gently falling outside! I was cozy on the couch, working from home with the pups and watching it swirl down.
I think I could actually excel at running an inn! Well, some parts, anyway. I would want to be the event coordinator and organize activities. I think I could also help with managing reservations and marketing. Then, we just need someone to be the repair person/carpenter, someone to do the accounting, housekeepers, front desk attendants. Plus investors. Okay, fine! Maybe I’m fine with being a librarian. Everything seems quaint and romantic until it’s time to unclog a toilet.
My dad can still turn on the charm.
It’s been a long few weeks. My dad is currently in a rehab facility where he will regain some strength before returning home to receive care. Now, he’s smiling less and has entered the “Take me home!” part of the journey. If he has enough strength to be irritated, I’m taking that as a good sign.
I’ve been feeling kind of “blah” lately. I think it’s just winter dragging on, plus the worry and stress of my dad being sick. I’m just not feeling very peppy.
But the ice/snow days did afford me time to have a Bridget Jones marathon. The new movie is so cute! I felt like it was a return to form of the first movie after the middle two were really not that great. I love Bridget’s narrative voice and, just like Liz Lemon, she’s a character that seems more and more relatable with age.
Politics, the climate, the economy. It’s all looking a little murky out there.
I did not expect to be navigating this phase of life (aging and sick parent) without a partner and family of my own. But then again, there are some benefits to piloting my little submarine solo.
It’s a great time for a little breathing exercise. Let’s try it, okay?
On Valentine’s Day, a hawk ate a squirrel right outside the library. I have never, ever seen a hawk in the wild that close! He sat right on a bench and ate the squirrel for about thirty minutes. Maybe it was gruesome, but hawk’s gotta eat.
Later that afternoon, I visited my dad at the hospital. He was asleep so I sat with him for a moment and watched over him as I imagine he did so many times when I was a baby. The next day, I went back to visit and cried— hence the realization above.
This page is not my favorite in my sketchbook so far. I wish the colors were more cohesive and everything got muddy in the section about the breathwork class. To be fair to myself, I was feeling pretty out of it by the time I got home to draw that evening. The class was intense and I felt woozy and out of it. It’s not something I could do all the time, but I can absolutely appreciate the benefits.
It’s hard to exist in the in-between. It feels like winter should be over, but it’s not yet spring. I feel like I’m still a kid, but life is proving that it’s time for me to be an adult and stand on my own two feet.
The bright spot of the week? At least I snagged Cowboy Carter tickets.
Enough is enough! Thankfully, the dogs showed no interest in eating this onion and I was able to dispose of it.
This is the week where things started to fall apart a little bit…
Here is the short of it: my dad is sick and my family and I are trying to figure out the appropriate care for this next phase of life. I feel like I’ve been rapidly cycling through emotions as we navigate all of this. And one of those has been: anger! But, having this outlet to express myself has been tremendously helpful.
Felix understands way more of the English language than he should.
Recently, I let him get his way and we walked past the chickens. As you can imagine, he did not have pure intentions.
I’ve completely given up on using the microwave. The “fix” is to clean the little sensors in the door, which sometimes causes the light to come back on and fixes the “door” error. But I’ve grown weary of letting my microwave’s whims determine my day! Could I just get a countertop microwave? Yes, but I don’t feel I should have to! I already have one! That doesn’t work! Anyway.
Getting this jar of pickles open was probably one of the best parts of the week. Sometimes, you just need a little victory.
Okay, here’s where the comics start to get meta… a comic about comics. Well, sharing comics to be exact.
I’ve kept my personal art life compartmentalized from my library writing group for 6 years! I just felt compelled to take off my librarian hat and share during this meeting. Everyone was really positive, to be honest. But this exchange really made me laugh.
Well, well, well. Everyone wished away January and by the time you read this, it’ll be practically mid-February. Are you happy now?
I did not get to participate in Hourly Comics Day this year, but this serves as my little recap. It turned out to be a pretty busy day at work!
I made it through one month of making comics every day!
Some of my takeaways:
There is time to be creative. Most of the time, I spent around 30 minutes making my daily comic. That time added up to around 30 pages of comics!
Keep your supplies handy. Having my sketchbook, paints, and pens close by on the coffee table made it that much easier to reach for them.
Making and sharing art feels good! I heard so many sweet and supportive comments from people this month as I started sharing my art and it felt really good! The best part was that these were my friends and neighbors, people I interact with in real life.
Overall, this habit has been easier to maintain than I thought it would be. Plus, it feels good— just like eating right, exercising, drinking water, and all of those things they tell you to do! Cheers to another month of making comics.
First of all, I heard on NPR is what I meant to say. Second of all, does this page give you emotional whiplash? Imagine how tired I am living like this. One second, I’m writing about bug pee and the next it’s about our sacred right to self-expression and how I will never let that be taken away.
Although I’m being glib, this dream was disturbing. I hope that my intuition about everything that’s happening in our country is wrong. All that I know is that I have to keep going. I’m not sure if I will continue at this pace all year— this is a project that I’m holding loosely. I don’t want it to become something mired in obligation and guilt. As I said on Jan. 1, self-expression is a gift, so it’s my intention to keep giving this time and space to myself. Ta-ta for now, February comics to start soon!
I had a really good birthday this year. The weather was beautiful, I had some friend time and some alone time to recharge. I got a lovely massage from my friend and neighbor over at Southern Pines Massage.
I definitely have a lot of “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to” type birthdays. When I was younger, there were many years when I felt disappointed that some sort of unarticulated expectations weren’t met. Now that I’m 36… the only time I teared up was when my dad did his traditional reminiscing about the day I was born: “It was a Sunday afternoon…”
Sometimes it’s overwhelming to feel loved!
I do not take very good care of my car. It is covered in sap (which will act as a protective coating when the acid rain begins). I actually don’t know why my car is more covered in sap than anyone else I know when we all live in the land of the pines. Okay, I guess some people have garages. But what’s everyone else doing? Running out to scrape off the sap before it hardens into an immovable splotch? Anyway, I don’t have a car payment.
These comics really have nothing to do with one another, thematically, except that they both involve planning for the future. I’m imagining a future in which I have both a car that still works and a body that is skin cancer-free! I went to the dermatologist in the fall of 2022, concerned about a tiny little dot on my upper right arm. It turned out my instincts were correct and it was a melanoma that, fortunately, had not spread beyond the surface. One excision and some very uncomfortable stitches later, it was gone. But, if I hadn’t gone to the doctor, it would have eventually spread. Recognizing that something was wrong has become a weird point of pride for me. Now, I go back to the derm every 6 months for a skin check and brag about wearing sunscreen and my doctor indulges me by saying good job.
Just think— this was written BEFORE Elon took over our coffers. Hopefully by the time this posts, that will no longer be the current reality.
On a positive note, this has been my life philosophy for a while. I wish I could retire now but until then, I’ll just act retired as often as I can.