Great story, and great art!!! I agree with you, not all things springish are equal…I woke up screaming this morning with the sensation of something crawling across my face! Yes, it was a big hairy bug…argh!!!
Hi Anne,
Thanks for writing! You know that I lived in Texas for 2 years. I know what kind of large, horrific, feathery, crawly bugs you guys have down there. And one crawled across your poor face.
Caroline’s ‘Crayons’ feel like a sign of spring, even if creepy crawlies feature in the return edition. I am so glad to have you and the blog back — and brutal winter gone! Lovely drawings, really compelling.
Your post made my day! It is so good to see you back 🙂 And with what a story! I get goose bumps and shivers just looking at the drawings of the centepede! He/she(?) looks so authentic. Your drawings are very expressive and extremely well done! I think my favorite part is the box being hurled on the sidewalk – you even remembered to add the pen 🙂 Your illustrations add true joy to my life!
Delighted to see the little spider, less so for the HUGE centipede!
At least the creature found a sunny crack to settle into.
Loved the drawings and the story. I especially liked the stylized blustery winter scene and the hurling of the box (with pen!) outside.
Janette, Thanks for writing that comment. You can see how I did feel a little bit sorry for the centipede. You picked the drawings that I like best, too.
Yay! So glad you are back to publishing!! This is a wonderful one….the image of the winds swirling around you in the first frame are wonderful. And then every other frame has so much emotion and motion in it. Well done my dear. No pressure….but I’m already looking forward to the next one.
So good to see your post, Caroline. It brought sunshine into my day. Down here in the Antipodes, we wrestle with all kinds of wildlife, large and small. My favourites, though, are the lizards, tiny and quite rare ones which sun themselves on the deck. We are in a gully and have our own little ecosystem even though we are just a few kilometres from a the CBD.
Thanks for inspiring me to contemplate these natural gifts!!
Hi Caroline,
The riots of Spring; I loved the suspense as I scrolled down reading the caption on each vivid panel, trying to figure out how you were going to conclude it! And I think watercolors are your best medium, they add a certain flow to your artwork.
Indeed it was a long rough winter. So glad you are back and sharing your stories with us – I was worried about you.
UCK, centipedes… Once years ago, I put my hand into a carton and encountered a snake, not a poisonous snake or a big snake, and it was a sleepy snake, but a snake nevertheless. I gingerly carried the carton out to the garden and let the critter go, but my heart beat a little faster for a few minutes afterward.
Hi Carolyn,
Loved your illustrated story. Your watercolors are really improving. I still can’t let go and just be free with my paints. Too used to oil painting….but I’ll catch on. I’d love to see the process involved in doing a post such as yours. I had a scare when gardening. I reached down to pick up a flat of flowers and a 3 ft. snake was coiled around inside the flat. Yikes! Have a great weekend. We all look forward to the next one.
Balisha
Hi Caroline… I was once bitten by a centipede. My finger swell for several days, with a really painful throbbing pain… And so, I cannot help but be cruel at times if I see these animals intruding my space… 😦
Very nice drawings as always… By the way, who is represented by that icon in your office room? 🙂
Hi Ted,
It makes me so happy when people look beyond the story to see my attempts at art-making. Your neighborly enthusiasm inspires me to forge on. Thank you.
Great post Caroline. and in the interests of biology that particular centipede lives in houses, is quite harmless (if you could stand to you could pick it up) and they eat silverfish (which like file folders….therefore probably good pickin’s for the centipede). Also I loved that in true Sally non-violent fashion you girded your loins and released it. Well done!
Great to see you back. Your drawings seem to have a new vitality about them – great stuff! After the winter many of us have had, I agree that the signs of Spring are especially welcome this year. We’ve had some early butterflies which make it seem almost summer-like 🙂
Wow Puddock,
That comment is meaningful to me. You’re right about the vitality. I was struggling along back then. Well, not fair! We have not had any butterflies at all.
crayons encore 
Great story, and great art!!! I agree with you, not all things springish are equal…I woke up screaming this morning with the sensation of something crawling across my face! Yes, it was a big hairy bug…argh!!!
Hi Anne,
Thanks for writing! You know that I lived in Texas for 2 years. I know what kind of large, horrific, feathery, crawly bugs you guys have down there. And one crawled across your poor face.
i love this tale, spare and funny and well-constructed and beautifully drawn!
Hi Beth,
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you saw that it is spare. I had to whittle and whittle in order to get it down to size.
Caroline’s ‘Crayons’ feel like a sign of spring, even if creepy crawlies feature in the return edition. I am so glad to have you and the blog back — and brutal winter gone! Lovely drawings, really compelling.
Thanks Susan. I hated drawing the centepede.
Caroline~
Your post made my day! It is so good to see you back 🙂 And with what a story! I get goose bumps and shivers just looking at the drawings of the centepede! He/she(?) looks so authentic. Your drawings are very expressive and extremely well done! I think my favorite part is the box being hurled on the sidewalk – you even remembered to add the pen 🙂 Your illustrations add true joy to my life!
Lisa,
Your words mean a lot to me. I’m glad you enjoyed reading the story. It was fun to write/draw.
Delighted to see the little spider, less so for the HUGE centipede!
At least the creature found a sunny crack to settle into.
Loved the drawings and the story. I especially liked the stylized blustery winter scene and the hurling of the box (with pen!) outside.
Janette, Thanks for writing that comment. You can see how I did feel a little bit sorry for the centipede. You picked the drawings that I like best, too.
Yay! So glad you are back to publishing!! This is a wonderful one….the image of the winds swirling around you in the first frame are wonderful. And then every other frame has so much emotion and motion in it. Well done my dear. No pressure….but I’m already looking forward to the next one.
MB That warms my heart. I always really enjoy hearing what it’s like read one of my stories. I’m looking forward to the next one, too!
So good to see your post, Caroline. It brought sunshine into my day. Down here in the Antipodes, we wrestle with all kinds of wildlife, large and small. My favourites, though, are the lizards, tiny and quite rare ones which sun themselves on the deck. We are in a gully and have our own little ecosystem even though we are just a few kilometres from a the CBD.
Thanks for inspiring me to contemplate these natural gifts!!
Hi Ana,
Yes, you do have bountiful wildlife. Thanks for the idea of my bringing sunshine into someone’s day!
Hi Caroline,
The riots of Spring; I loved the suspense as I scrolled down reading the caption on each vivid panel, trying to figure out how you were going to conclude it! And I think watercolors are your best medium, they add a certain flow to your artwork.
DB Thanks for the feedback about the watercolors. I can only see the sloppy quality. You help me see it in a different light.
You are so brave!! I would have left the office until someone else removed the critter! Very nice drawings. Just wonderful!
Hi Sue
Thanks for the fun comment. I’m about to visit your site.
Indeed it was a long rough winter. So glad you are back and sharing your stories with us – I was worried about you.
UCK, centipedes… Once years ago, I put my hand into a carton and encountered a snake, not a poisonous snake or a big snake, and it was a sleepy snake, but a snake nevertheless. I gingerly carried the carton out to the garden and let the critter go, but my heart beat a little faster for a few minutes afterward.
Hi Carolyn,
Loved your illustrated story. Your watercolors are really improving. I still can’t let go and just be free with my paints. Too used to oil painting….but I’ll catch on. I’d love to see the process involved in doing a post such as yours. I had a scare when gardening. I reached down to pick up a flat of flowers and a 3 ft. snake was coiled around inside the flat. Yikes! Have a great weekend. We all look forward to the next one.
Balisha
Hi Caroline… I was once bitten by a centipede. My finger swell for several days, with a really painful throbbing pain… And so, I cannot help but be cruel at times if I see these animals intruding my space… 😦
Very nice drawings as always… By the way, who is represented by that icon in your office room? 🙂
Trees are blossoming and and Caroline is drawing again! Hooray!
I jumped at the centipede!
I love seeing you experiment, here combining crayon and watercolor. There was a little of that in Phoenix too, yes?
You are awesome.
Hi Ted,
It makes me so happy when people look beyond the story to see my attempts at art-making. Your neighborly enthusiasm inspires me to forge on. Thank you.
Great post Caroline. and in the interests of biology that particular centipede lives in houses, is quite harmless (if you could stand to you could pick it up) and they eat silverfish (which like file folders….therefore probably good pickin’s for the centipede). Also I loved that in true Sally non-violent fashion you girded your loins and released it. Well done!
Kristin — thanks for the science behind the scare. Thanks also for the good laugh about loins.
Ahh! Centipede! Birds are much more welcome sign of spring! 😉
Hi Colleen, yes perhaps a bird in the next post. But centipedes are much easier to draw!
Great to see you back. Your drawings seem to have a new vitality about them – great stuff! After the winter many of us have had, I agree that the signs of Spring are especially welcome this year. We’ve had some early butterflies which make it seem almost summer-like 🙂
Wow Puddock,
That comment is meaningful to me. You’re right about the vitality. I was struggling along back then. Well, not fair! We have not had any butterflies at all.