09/20/2020–So…Why Be Afraid?

09/20/2020 (Edited 01/27/2024)
So…Why Be Afraid?
(Click on Video Thumbnail Below, to Watch on YouTube)

Psalm 37 (A Psalm of David) (NKJV)

Several things strike me as I read through this Psalm.

First of all, the entire treatise tells us (as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ) not to fret, worry, or be afraid…of anything…of any wrong being done (to us or others).

Some people interpret this to mean that we should just sail along and let the devil steal from us, kill us, and otherwise destroy us, as if we are helpless babies. Such is not the case.

Wound throughout the treatise, is the omnipresent and ongoing answer to making it through your life (at any time…not just “this season”) filled with God’s PEACE.

Consistently, throughout the Psalm, David says that we should not fret, BUT…we should TRUST IN THE LORD.

It’s one thing to TRY not to worry, but it’s quite another thing to admit that we have been fearful, then to turn around (literally, if we need to) look the Lord in the eyes, and say, “I trust in you, Lord Jesus, to do good, and to cut down any evil things that have been sent by the devil, as if you were mowing the lawn. I trust in your faithfulness, Lord, and I let go of my doubt and unbelief. Thank you, also, Father God and Holy Spirit, for your loving care and protection through your angels, in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

Another point that David consistently made, was that we need to KNOW THE DIFFERENCE between true evil and true good. He extensively enumerated things like, “…him who prospers in his way because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” That stands out pretty boldly, in today’s world. There are constantly people saying things like, “Follow the money,” and, “Someone’s paying the rioters,” and, “Who’s paying the arsonists?”

So…is God saying to just turn a blind eye to all of these things? NO! David then specifically says, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret–it only causes harm–for evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth. Yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.”

Again, David says, “…those who wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth.” He’s telling us to spend our time–instead of walking in fear, trepidation, DOUBT, anger, etc.–talking to and walking with the Lord. Spend your time DOING, “…if my people, who are called by my name…” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Look it up–in fact, while you’re at it, read the whole chapter!

David says, “The wicked have drawn their swords and have bent their bows–to cast down the poor and needy and to slay those who are of upright conduct. Their swords shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall be broken.” We’re definitely seeing those kinds of things since 2020 (and believe me, this is not the ONLY time either I or many, many others have seen these things). David saw them happening back in HIS time…why else would the Lord have moved him to remind people about it?”

It’s a fact…David is instructing us in this Psalm, about the sorts of things that ARE wicked, so that we might recognize them when we see them, and then be able to combat them.

Then he instructs us about HOW to deal with them…”Trust in the Lord, and do good. Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

As a human race, we have a common ground that a lot of people don’t realize. We HAVE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS! Sometimes those desires are bent in the wrong directions. Once we accept the fact that Jesus IS Lord, we begin to learn more and more, and more and more and more, about how to bend those desires in the right directions. We need to seek the Lord, in order to recognize how to build UP God’s people…NOT to tear them down.

Notice that David’s instructions contain actions from us, toward God: trust; do; dwell; feed; delight. There are also actions from God, toward us: He will hear; He will give; He will lead; He will protect…etc.

Once again…God doesn’t expect us to just sit idly by and let everything happen that the devil has in mind for us! If God says, “Go…DO…” just do it! If God says, “Continue praying…” pray…and pray some more…until He says to move on to something else. If God says, “Vote for…” listen carefully, and do it! While you’re DOING…STOP fearing, worrying, spreading anger, or purveying doom!!!


It’s interesting to note that in this Psalm, David says something THREE TIMES, in slightly different ways:

#1 “Yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. THE MEEK, HOWEVER, SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH, AND SHALL DELIGHT THEMSELVES IN THE ABUNDANCE OF PEACE.”

NOTE: In order to inherit the earth and be able to delight ourselves in the abundance of peace, we will have needed to be able to notice that the evil has been vanquished.


#2 “THE LORD KNOWS THE DAYS OF THE UPRIGHT, AND THEIR INHERITANCE SHALL BE FOREVER. THEY SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED IN THE EVIL TIME, AND IN THE DAYS OF FAMINE THEY SHALL BE SATISFIED. However, the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord–like the splendor of the meadows–shall vanish; into smoke they shall vanish away.

NOTE: In order to have our forever inheritance, to not be ashamed (even in evil times), and to be satisfied (even throughout famines), we will have needed to be able to notice that the evil has vanished.


#3 “WAIT ON THE LORD AND KEEP HIS WAY, AND HE SHALL EXALT YOU TO INHERIT THE LAND; WHEN THE WICKED ARE CUT OFF, YOU SHALL SEE IT. I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold: he was no more. Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.”

NOTE: In order to be exalted and inherit the land, we will have needed to be able to SEE that the evil “is no more!” Indeed, we will be able to seek him (because we’ll still exist)…but he will not be found. PERIOD.


Every one of those passages, and basically the entire Psalm, tell us that David understood perfectly that we live in a world where the devil wants to kill us, to steal from us, and to destroy us. Plus, the Bible also says that he tries to “wear out” the saints. Those are his motives…pure and simple.

BUT GOD…while we are spending our time doing what He asks of us because we are looking into His eyes and delighting in Him…WILL make what the devil meant to harm us ricochet right back at him, with all of the Lord’s DUNAMIS (unending & righteous power) behind it…AND WE SHALL SEE IT HAPPEN!

That brings me to my three final points (which are all the same point)…


(1) Some people say that the time we are in is THE end of time, in the Biblical sense. They say that this is IT. Unfortunately, most people that proclaim that at ANY given point in time, tend to quite obviously not understand that at THAT time, the dead in Christ shall rise with Him in GLORY, and will have the most wonderful, beautiful, whole, free-from-sin-and-death place to live…EVER. Instead, they warn people to arm themselves against “the apocalypse,” and to do things like hoard food and goods, etc., etc., etc. Basically, they are spreading fear and trepidation, with no hope.

The thing is…if it IS that “end of time,” then those who are hoarding and trying to hide, will be found…and their end is at hand…they must reckon, then, with our great and holy God Almighty. There will be NO hiding from Him. Those who have “delighted themselves in the Lord and trusted in Him” for all things will be WITH God, proclaiming His glory and love, with every need met…no need for hoarding.

SO…WHY BE AFRAID?
…unless you are one of those who has been coming AGAINST God’s love and mercy!


(2) Others are saying that we are in END TIMES, in the Biblical sense. Personally, I think they are right. On the other hand, even many of those people are saying THAT, with a rather “doom and gloom” point of view!

The thing is…if we are truly in the End Times, then we should be REJOICING! Again…there is no need for hoarding…there is no need for fear…unless you are in the crowd who will have to reckon with our great and holy God Almighty, from whom you will NOT be able to hide. Again…those who have “delighted themselves in the Lord and trusted in Him” for all things will be WITH God, proclaiming His glory and love, with every need met…no need for hoarding.

SO…WHY BE AFRAID?
…unless you are one of those who has been coming AGAINST God’s love and mercy!


(3) Finally (as a simplistic round-up…this could go on in several directions, actually), both of the above groups, on a large scale, at least, seem to be focused on “the fact” that if someone gets into the top two offices of The United States beginning with 2024, who would then proceed to slide us fully into socialism, fascism, Marxism, or any other ‘ism, we will REALLY need to hoard food, and all the other stuff, and that our lives here on earth will be miserable, miserable, miserable. That well may be.

The thing is…has the scenario really changed, in any of those possibilities?

In any of those or any other eventualities (which means any and all of that IS coming, at some point, in some way, shape, or form, and with some type of intensity), there are three things to take away from it all:

(a) Are you delighting in the Lord and seeking His face on an ongoing basis…truly?

(b) Are you going around trying to snuff out those who are doing (a)?

(c) Are you ready to meet the Lord, firmly able to stare Him in the eyes, and confess, “Jesus Christ…and Him crucified!”?

SO…WHY BE AFRAID?
…unless you are currently choosing (b)!


Here are two more (fairly short) pieces of scripture, in this regard.


Philippians 4:4-9 (NKJV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything–by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving–let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God–which surpasses all understanding–will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report–if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.


Ephesians 6:10-20 (NKJV)

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Also, take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.



My “Songs of Hope and Joy” YouTube Playlist
(On My Channel: Grandma’s Gone Gaming)…


The (Brand New) Newest Song Just Added
to the Above Playlist on 01/25/2024…

“The Way The Truth The Life”
by Darrell Goode


(01/24/2024) Two E-mail Devotionals from Today…

Give Him 15 — from Dutch Sheets
“Walking Trails, Sailing Oceans”

Meditate Devotional — from Joseph Prince
Live in the Shadow of His Wings


* * * * * * * * * * *

Scriptures from the New King James Version (NKJV),
®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson (All Rights Reserved).
Less than 500 verses of scripture used by general permission.
Quotations do not amount to a complete Bible book,
nor are they more than 25% of the total text of this work,
which is not to be considered as a biblical commentary
or reference work in its entirety.

* * * * * * * * * * * *


New Post Test

TO AUTHORS…

I have just pulled up a New Post form, and am writing this as a test, to show that once it’s saved, it actually does show up on the “New Posts” Page as it should.

Alaska–All the Colors of White

Alaska–All the Colors of White
(Copyright 1988 – 2023, Linda A. Wingfield)

(Click on Video Thumbnail Below, to Watch on YouTube)

“Emerging” (Copyright 2005–Gary H. Minish–My Brother–Used by Permission)

There are links you can follow (for illustrations and more detailed information) throughout this article. I originally wrote this piece in 1988, then after 1995, I added the first weblinks. Since then I’ve been updating the links at least once a year, because the internet is not a static entity. This is my latest version (links updated 05/23/2023). I would suggest that you read the entire article through first, rather than going down every “rabbit hole” as you read through the first time. Mostly, though, I hope you enjoy my colorful description of a place that many people think is (yes…even in this day and time) simply black and white, and all snow and ice…all the time.

NOTE: The first paragraph speaks of “Eskimos,” because this was the word for the Inuit (People) that was used at the time I was growing up in Alaska. It wasn’t until 1980, that the change to the self-identifying word “Inuit” was officially set to designate all indigenous peoples within the circumpolar region, thereby rejecting the use of “Eskimo,” which had been applied to them by outsiders. You can read more about this through the links in this paragraph.


“Did you know any Eskimos?” “Did you live in an igloo?” “How could you stand all that snowy whiteness?” “Is it always dark there?” “Is it always daylight there?” These are some of the questions people used to ask me (and some still do), upon discovering I lived in Alaska for 26 years.

As I was growing up, I was told that I DID live in an igloo—or (as the Inuit would say in English) a house. Though the native hunters sometimes had to build snow igloos to survive—I was taught—most of the time they lived in other types of homes. I had several Inuit schoolmates, and none of them had ever seen a snow igloo.

For many years, tours to Alaska have been advertised all over the world, but people still tend to think of Alaska as a colorless and drab wasteland of snow and ice. To me, Alaska is a wonderfully colorful and vibrant place that affects the spirit, the soul, and the body. Alaska’s unique environment, her multi-colored population, her lifestyles, and her myriad languages are all equally, alluringly painted in my memory.

Short-time winter visitors might well believe the tales of never-ending ice and snow—their mental images of Alaska remaining frozen in black and white. But let me guide you through the 49th State—The Last Frontier—as I remember her. Let me spin for you her complex color wheel, as it revolves through an entire year.


In the icy whiteness of January, black, sub-arctic nights blend with short, white days, creating an enduring impression of gray. Pale sunshine reaches hesitantly past the horizon about noon, but quickly hides behind the mountains as mid-afternoon threatens. Darkness soon triumphs, defeated only by bright winter moonscapes, sparkling distant stars, and sometimes by the eerie, but spectacular, sliding, whirling rainbows of the Aurora Borealis that sporadically race through the icy skies.

In February—tired of the gray, winter monotony—many brave the frozen highways—heading to Anchorage for the annual Fur Rendezvous. Everywhere one can see huge signs urging you to “Think Snow!” Nature doesn’t always cooperate, so enough snow for the sled dog races sometimes has to be hauled in. Then the “Rondy” can begin. The sluggish, black, white, and dirty gray of Anchorage’s busy city streets become vividly painted and animated, as eager carnival-goers don shiny, insulated snowsuits, hats, and heavy gloves—braving the elements throughout this brief, brilliant winter carnival.

Some weeks later dog mushers from all over the world travel to the state to join in the Iditarod Trail Race. This event also begins in Anchorage, but its fiercely competitive participants then traverse the icy, white expanse of frozen tundra all the way to Nome.

“Okay,” you’re probably thinking, “So I was right—Alaska is mainly ice and snow, and mostly black and white!”

But wait! After the long winter, the spring months ease in, causing the cold winter colors to begin to melt and disintegrate—bringing life to a whole different scene. Daylight hours creep slowly backward to mid-morning and inch forward to late afternoon. Sticky, rust-colored willow buds seem to change overnight to the creamier, fluffy softness of pussy willows. Gradually, a tinge of green begins to show through their furry white jackets, and soon the speckled “catkins” drop into dwindling deposits of dirty, leftover snow—allowing tiny, gray-green, velvety willow leaves to appear. Other freshly-green leaves soon follow, whispering to the hardy evergreen needles, “It’s spring! It’s spring! Help us celebrate spring!”

During the spring months yellow and green tones prevail above knee level, but by looking a bit lower, one can perceive the drab, wet, brown that has begun to spread across the ground—and into the homes. “Breakup” has begun. Aptly named, this “season” is typified by warm yellow sunshine and soft Chinook breezes, which combine to cause the ice, snow, and long-frozen earth to submit to their subtle warmth. Brown, sticky goo inevitably creeps into the homes “on foot,” dulling shiny floors and dirtying carpets for weeks.

As Alaskans begin to spend longer hours outdoors, a breeze of excitement weaves its way through the soft, blue spring skies—The Nenana Ice Classic has begun! This betting pool signals the end of “cabin fever” to many of Alaska’s winter-weary population. The people—freed from their winter imprisonment—place large sums on the exact day and time that the solid Tanana River ice will break up. Radio and television reports keep everyone informed minutely. The actual breakup is recorded electronically, by the moving of a special apparatus secured earlier in the surface of the still-frozen river. As large, gray and white ice floes begin to slowly grind and shift, the tension mounts…then, “Crack!” Spring rushes in with the thundering roar of waters too long kept locked up by the sparkling, icy grip of winter.

May and June usher in delicate, blue and yellow forget-me-nots (the state flower) and purplish lupine and iris. Along with fireweed and hundreds of other cascading and fragrant wildflowers, variegated Alaskan poppies begin to nod their rainbow-hued heads in the summer breezes, and brilliant magenta shooting stars cover the drying ground. Leafy green canopies begin to billow atop creamy birch and aspen bark, mottled gray alder trunks, and the muted tan of graceful willow and cottonwood branches. Long bright days taper gently to short pastel nights—accented by soft, often misty, rains and sighing breezes. Alaska has shaken off her heavy, drab (though often beautiful) winter parka and slipped into her brilliant, lightweight, summer windbreaker.

It has always seemed to me that Alaskan summers are somewhat frenzied. The “midnight sun” lends its nearly-24-hour light to hundreds of summer-only activities, including Fourth of July parades, fireworks, and festivals. Temperatures that had been well-below zero only a few weeks before, now reach even into the 90s. Flaming pink fireweed stalks stand tall and proud along many winding highways and gravel roads, guarding small, red, wild strawberries, tiny pink and white blossoms that will become low bush cranberries, crowberries, and other small but plentiful fruit that will be highly-treasured in the Fall.

Farmers in the fertile Matanuska-Susitna Valley, outside of Anchorage, are busy taking advantage of the long hours of sunlight and the occasional summer rains to produce prize-winning fruit and vegetables known internationally for their quality and size. It isn’t uncommon to see men and machines laboring to till and plant the rich brown earth, into the wee hours of the twilight mornings.

All too soon, though, August arrives. The nights begin to darken earlier and earlier. However, fall in Alaska is probably more vivid than any other season. Frosty nights, warm days, and winter winds, combine to ripen leaves to gold, rust, then brown, creating a daily kaleidoscope—ever changing, always calling one to run outside early, and to stay outdoors late.

By this time, the salmonberries have already been harvested. Appropriately named, the salmonberry’s color approximates the flesh of a “pink” (one of the varieties of Alaskan salmon). As youngsters, we would impale one of the juicy fruits on a bent-safety-pin hook then dangle a fishing line in the sparkling streams near our homesite, luring the delectable Dolly Varden and Rainbow Trout to devour what they thought were clusters of salmon roe. Kin to blackberries, loganberries, and raspberries, many of the juicy, orange-red salmonberries—at least the ones that make it to the picking buckets—get lined up on pantry shelves in the guise of wonderful sparkling preserves and refreshing colorful wines!

Fire-engine-red elderberries and readily-available dandelions, have been mashed and fermented to make their tangy wines. As fall settles crisply over the land, glossy pendulous red currants and duller rounder red highbush cranberries beg daily to be scooped from their branches. They will be poured into huge pots to be boiled down into sparkling jellies, wines, and luscious confections. Blueberries hang quietly on their burgundy and green stems, staining harvesters’ fingers and mouths indigo, as they also await their ultimate fate. Alaskan “sourdoughs” gather brilliant autumn fruit from dawn to dusk—packing larders with colorful taste delights guaranteed to brighten even the darkest winter.

I can still visualize the way both the Alaskan wildlife and humans scramble to finish stocking up, as early hard freezes leave in their sparkling wakes the first grays and browns of early winter. Leaves begin to forsake their frozen, lonely branches that then begin to provide nourishment to the moose. Meanwhile, the caribou herds begin their migrations in search of winter feed, as well.

Suddenly it’s late October. One morning lacy white snowflakes float lazily down from thick, heavily-laden clouds, creating starkly beautiful mosaics across the velvet surface of a deep, rich, charcoal-gray sky. This is the end—yet the beginning—of another Alaskan cycle of color.

If you were a bear, you’d be snugly hibernating in a deep, dark cave, dreaming of your busy, painted summer. Being human, you can’t hide from the whiteness of winter, but you can face it more boldly by keeping the brilliant, vivid images of the seasons just gone past, at the forefront of your mind, and by anticipating another brightly-colored spring—just around the corner.

Yes—I knew some Inuit families when I grew up in Alaska. Yes—I lived in an igloo—at least the English version of one. Yes—I endured the snowy whiteness and the darkness of the winters. However, my memory returns, mainly, to a vividly colorful Alaska, where I lived for 26 years, and to the special warmth and color of Alaska’s people.

Two PaintShop Pro “Paintings”

DIGITAL STORYTELLING
Copyright Phillip Martin Clip Art
http://www.phillipmartin.info/

I use PaintShop Pro for most of my digital artwork solutions. It will run Photoshop plugins, making the program quite flexible. The program used to be developed and sold by JASC, but Corel took it over somewhere in 2004. They’ve done a good job of keeping it similar to the original program, yet adding state-of-the-art capabilities every couple of years, that keep it on the cutting edge of graphics software. Even if it wasn’t as good as it actually is (I love it for many reasons), the price would mandate my choice. Whereas Adobe Photoshop costs about $250, Paint Shop Pro (which is also often bundled with other, related software) usually runs about $99 for the Ultimate version. I usually wait until it’s been out for a year or so, and buy the version that’s just going out, as they develop the next version. The version I am running right now is Pro 2020 64-Bit, which means I also own the 32-bit version, because when you buy the 64-bit version, they include the 32-bit one free, which is cool.

I started working with PSP’s brushes, trying to implement them in similar ways that I would wield actual paintbrushes, back in 1998 or so, on my Macintosh computer, shortly before the move to Corel was accomplished. Here are a couple of paintings I did. Keep in mind that I was still learning to actually do wet-on-wet painting, so one way or another, these paintings are pretty primitive. Still…I had fun making them, and I’ve kept them all of these years.

WILDERNESS…
This was my first effort at this type of image creation (in 2002), though I had been using PSP since 2000, I think. I was trying to get some distance effects, blended clouds, a sky providing a focused light, reflections, and things like snow on the mountains, running water, grass and trees, rocks, and reflections in the water. I was fairly pleased with that, and also with the fact that it has the basic look of having been actually painted on canvas. It was actually quite hard to achieve anything approaching brown, so I was pleased with that, as well. Not a single part of this was copied from anywhere. It was completely painted with the appropriate brush strokes, and layered only by using blending techniques…not by using actual layers (which I learned to do later).

(Copyright 2002-2018, Linda A. Wingfield)

ALASKA WATERS…
When I decided to do this painting (in 2003), I had been looking at an Alaska Magazine (to which I subscribed for many years, after moving away from Valdez) and had seen a photograph that looked somewhat similar to this painting, except with more detail. I was using the last version of PSP by JASC that I ever owned, as the following year Corel took it over. However, I had moved to my first Windows  computer (which I purchased when I could no longer afford the newer versions of Macintosh…sigh).

My purpose for creating this (other than the inspiration from the magazine) was to use it for a background for a website page I was working on. So I didn’t add any more detail than you see here, because I needed it to remain soft and muted, yet have enough depth to show that the mountains in the background were much further away than the 12 other land masses that would appear as you traveled forward along the waterway that winds along all of the shores. The mood was also supposed to express a slightly foggy, yet warming early morning. No foliage was added on purpose, as it was the landforms and the still, still, deep water that I wanted to represent. I still am pretty pleased with the result, that once again, was achieved only by using the available brushes built into that particular Paint Shop Pro version.

I just did a search for this type of a real Alaskan Scene. If you check out THIS LINK, you can see that I really did a pretty good job, though without the detail in the photograph.

(Copyright 2003-2018, Linda A. Wingfield)

Afghan Made on My USM

The USM (Ultimate Sweater Machine…previously called the Incredible Sweater Machine…previously called the Bond Knitting Machine) is a non-electric single-needle-bed knitting machine created in 1981, in the UK, by Roger Curry. The company is no longer in business, so if my machine ever breaks, the only way I might find parts would be on e-Bay or other such sites. It’s a very sturdy machine, thankfully, so I probably should have it as long as I need it (keeping in mind that as I write this, I’m almost 69 years old).

I created this afghan for my mom’s 86th birthday, in 2009. It’s another item I got back when she passed away in 2014, a few months before her 91st birthday.

Mom’s favorite colors were blue and white. She loved patterns like those used on Delftware, and the Willow Pattern (or Blue Willow). She also love Windmills, so many of the gifts she received from friends and family, for birthdays and Christmas, were similar to the items you can see HERE. Before she passed away, she had given away many of those knickknacks, but my sister Cindi (author Little Sister, on this Blog) has a few of them that she reclaimed after Mom’s funeral. I think my brother Gary (who still lives in Valdez, Alaska) took a couple of them, as well.

Mom also loved soft textiles, which made me think of creating this special afghan for her. She used it a LOT–especially when she was confined to a nursing home for the last three years of her life.

Here’s the afghan during construction, on my USM. That blue & white mug in the background was a gift from her to me, by the way. 🙂 While knitting with the machine, you see the back (purl side) of a project, so this looks slightly different than the second picture, which is of the front (knit side).

 

The afghan is about 6′ in length and nearly 5′ wide. Here it is on the office chair I use when working at my knitting machine these days. Notice that the finished afghan sports a scalloped crochet border.

Despite the lacy look of this pattern and the softness of the yarn (it’s Red Heart 100% acrylic Super Saver), this afghan is very warm and comfy…one of my favorites to curl up with while reading a good book (on my Kindle Fire). 🙂

The second picture was taken about an hour before I typed this out. That means the afghan is almost exactly nine years old, since I gave it to Mom on October 10, 2009, and today is October 9, 2018.

Pioneer Life

As with the painting “Farmer and Scythe,” this man was found in an Ideals Magazine. When I drew him, in 1994, a couple of years after we moved to Aberdeen, Washington, I totally meant to get my paints out and create a companion for the farmer in that painting, but it never happened.

I still have the original drawing, and I still have my paints, easel, and all of my brushes, etc. I’ve been wanting to get back into painting (haven’t done any of it since we moved to South Dakota in 2009). Perhaps, now, I will get really inspired and make it happen!

I was either 44 or 45 when I drew this. As you can see, I had progressed quite a lot with textures since drawing the picture of my baby Jackie when I was 25. On the other hand, I never did get that axe head right! I’ve always thought that though the figure of the man shows the power he would have been wielding, the axe itself looks like it was pretty wimpy. That would be because I invented the axe and everything else in the drawing, except for the man. I wanted him to look like an Alaskan pioneer who had maybe built his own cabin out of logs, and was using some of the leftover pieces for firewood. I did have a picture of the axe to go from, but I think  it was a catalog image…no life to it, at all. If I ever paint this, maybe I can do a better job with that. 😀

(Copyright 1994 – 2024, Linda A. Wingfield)

Farmer and Scythe

The man in this painting was drawn, and then painted, from a picture I had seen in an old Ideals Magazine. If you aren’t familiar with those, here’s a Google search page for images showing it.

Ideals is still being published. If you’re interested, you can find them on Facebook.

My mom and dad used to subscribe to the magazine (I don’t know if you can still do that, or if you just have to buy them separately these days). I always loved poring over all of the beautiful photos inside. When I married (the first time) and left home, my mom gave me a bunch of her old ones. I still had them until we made the move from California to Washington State, in 1992, shortly after I painted this.

Everything in the painting except for the man himself is totally my own invention. The painting was actually done using a mix of oils and acrylics, while I was still learning from William Alexander and Bob Ross videos on TV. Everything except the man’s face was painted in oils. Because I felt more confident in doing the facial details in acrylics, I masked off the face while painting the oil parts, then pulled off the masking to paint the face after the oils were dry.

I still have this painting, and it’s framed beautifully with a box-type frame lovingly crafted by David in 1994. I couldn’t get a good picture of the whole thing, but you can see the color of the frame around the edges of the photo. The “mat” is another masked area. I first covered the entire canvas in black gesso. After it was dry, I covered the entire surface with contact paper, then cut out the shape of the mat. Once the oils were dry, the contact paper was removed (at the same time I removed the mask over the man’s face).

If I were going to do this same scene, now, I’d add some shading inside of the mat, to make it stand out in more of a 3D manner. I’ve learned a lot more about THAT, by doing digital artwork since then.

(Copyright 1994-2024, by Linda A. Wingfield)

An Exercise in Textures

Shortly after my middle daughter Jackie was born (in 1975), I decided to take a drawing class presented free of charge by the Parks and Recreation Dept. in Anchorage, Alaska. I had been drawing since I was a little girl, and I was involved in several other crafts (including ceramics) at the time, but the fact that the class was free and I needed some time out of the house, prompted me to go. Plus, they allowed me to take her with me to class (while my two older kids stayed with the family next door for a couple of hours)…way cool! 🙂

This picture was drawn as an assignment. We were to go home and practice drawing textures. I realized that she was wearing several different textures, plus there was just the smoothness of her baby skin and her almost-nonexistent hair. 😉

So away I went with it, the very same evening I got the assignment. I drew this as I sat and munched some other textured items…chilled celery and carrot sticks…which I had been craving ever since I was about three months pregnant with her. I’m not sure, but I think Jackie still likes both of those things, even now, as she did all the years she was growing up.

I had to imagine her mouth, while drawing this. In order to keep her sleeping and quiet, I had given her her pacifier (or plug, as we called it back then), and there was no way I was going to remove it, just to draw something I was very used to seeing, anyway! LOL

***NOTE (a couple of days later)…Down in the first comment, my oldest daughter has just reminded me that I originally did NOT draw the mouth…just left the place blank where the mouth was supposed to be. I totally had forgotten about that! Silly old brain! 😉 I don’t remember how long it took me to place Jackie’s mouth where it should be, but Jen says it was years, so…poor Jackie! 😀

As you can see, I had made at least a LITTLE progress in letting shading define areas, since my Beatles drawing at age 14. I was 25 years old when I drew this. At least I had learned to draw from life, rather than just from photographs.

The darker shadows on the picture were from my scanner at the time. I do have the original here, somewhere. Note to self…find it, and rescan it with my much, much better scanner that I have now!

Teddy Bear Box

This box was made back in 1985 or 1986, when David and I were running our decorative wood products business, Wood ‘n’ Word. We made (and sold) quite a few boxes similar to this one. David made the boxes out of pine, handed them over to me, and I did all of the finish work.

This particular teddy bear was (quite obviously) done by using a stencil. I don’t remember for sure, but I don’t think I painted it. I believe I had just given the empty box (minus it’s padded interior panels) to my mom, and she stenciled it and did the padded interior as well. I’m pretty sure that was the case.

From the time I was just little, my parents both created tons of crafted items and taught us to do the same. Daddy was a cabinetmaker by trade. He went through an apprenticeship until he was a journeyman, in California, after Mom and Dad were married. During that time, he got to help renovate a home for Bing Crosby, and he often told us what a wonderful, really nice man he was.

After we moved to Alaska in 1951 (when I was only two years old), he became one of Valdez’ chosen craftsman and carpenter. Plus, over the years, he proved that he was one of the best handymen around…ever. When he passed away in 1973 (at age 54), my mom got card after card saying that Daddy had been to this, that, and the other person’s home, in the middle of the night, on the coldest (or hottest, or rainiest, etc.) day of the year, to fix a plumbing or electrical problem that would have left them without heat or made something else desperately hard for them if he hadn’t been able to get there. He never, ever asked for payment. People paid him, many times, but he never asked, and my mom wouldn’t have had it any other way, even though sometimes WE didn’t have any money to pay anyone. It’s just the way they (and the times and place) were…but all of that is subject matter for more stories I’ll share in other places here.

At any rate…getting back to the original subject…I’m pretty sure Mom decorated this box. I do know she used it for many years, and it’s just another item I received back from her after her death. Thank you, Mom! 🙂

A Young Man’s Fancy–A Work in Progress

I started writing this story on February 2, 2002, and have never finished it. After reading through it as I began to put this site together, I decided to post it here, up to the point where I left off. Then you all can post ideas about what should happen next. I do have a couple of ideas in my head, but I think it would be fun to collaborate. Be sure to comment, and let me know what you think!


A Young Man’s Fancy

Linda A. Wingfield

Begun February 22, 2002

(Copyright 2002-2018, Linda A. Wingfield)


Prologue…

Having had five sons over the last 15 years, Tom knew the drill well. He spoke calmly to his wife as the nurse began to roll her wheelchair down the hall. “I’ll go call Aaron to let him know we never made it to the drugstore and that they should go ahead and eat dinner without us.”

Nadine offered a quick grin. “You’d better hurry. I don’t think Freddy here is going to wait more than a few more minutes to…whooo!” She began breathing in quick, short breaths, as the nurse wheeled the chair through the door of the pleasant room that was part of Underville’s new birthing center.

As the contraction eased, Nadine spared a few moments to mark the difference between this addition to the old brick hospital and the OB ward where she’d given birth to her first five boys. The doctor had told her that with this baby she’d never have to leave the one room. Everything would happen in the same place, and the newest addition to their family could stay right with her for the one night they’d probably be in the hospital before she and Tom took him home to “join the crowd.”

“Okay,” Tom said, as he calmly rejoined her and helped the nurse assist her into the special bed. “Aaron and Brad have everything under control. They’ll feed Danny and Early, and put them to bed. Charlie will be spending the night at your sister’s house. I told Aaron I’d be home just as soon as we get you all settled down here with little Freddy.”

As the nurse hooked up all the electronic monitoring apparatus, Nadine and Tom began to watch their sixth baby’s heartbeat on the screen. Even as the next contraction began then grew in intensity, the little bleep remained strong and steady. Noticing this, they smiled at each other in relief. Their fifth child had arrived three weeks before his due date, as credited by his name. That birth had been a bit worrisome because the umbilical cord had threatened to strangle the babe. The information revealed by the monitor during that labor had not been so comforting. Though all had ended well, little Early’s advent had definitely not been quite as expected.

“No surprises with this little one,” Nadine panted to Tom. “Everything’s going right as scheduled. Freddy is even being born on his right day!”

“I still think it’s wonderful,” replied Tom as he rubbed her back soothingly, “how they do those ultrasounds now. It’s been great to know that our “F” child is another boy. Nobody had to worry about getting the right color of clothes and all, for the baby shower. Plus we still had plenty of stuff that you saved from when the other five were babies.” He smiled, but sighed softly. “Still…it would have been nice to have a little girl around the house, especially since this will probably be our last baby.”

Nadine would have voiced her agreement, but there wasn’t time. “Nurse Johnson, I think you’d better turn on that intercom,” she puffed instead, tapping her on the arm. “I need to push, and if you don’t want to deliver this little boy yourself, Dr. Chadwin had best get on in here!”

Smiling, the nurse obeyed. She’d helped three of the five Garrison boys make their earthly appearance. If Nadine believed she was ready to push, Nurse Johnson wasn’t taking any chances. This veteran mother knew her business!

“Hmmm…” murmured Dr. Chadwin about 20 minutes later. “Since we began doing ultrasounds here at Underville General, we’ve never been wrong about the gender, but…” A sheepish smile spread over his face as he turned and carefully handed the little one to Nurse Johnson to introduce to the seasoned parents. “Frederick is going to be an awfully funny name for this little beauty!

As Tom stood staring wide-eyed at the doctor with dawning understanding, Nadine reached out to touch the newborn’s soft little cheek. “Well! Fancy that!” she breathed in awe.


Chapter 1…

“I don’t need your help setting it up, Daniel!” The feisty little redhead stomped her foot as the young man kneeling beside her began pulling components out of the large, spot-marked box that had just arrived by delivery truck. “I’ve been working with computers for a long time, now, big brother, and I can do this on my own. Let go of that keyboard!”

Glaring at Danny, she seethed inwardly as he totally ignored her and continued unpacking the carton. She knew it wouldn’t do any good to keep protesting. If she continued, he’d turn around and say something like, “Well, fancy that! She knows how to do it herself,” while shaking his head in pretended awe.

The whole town of Underville knew the story of her birth, and since preschool she’d had to endure the fun others had with the appellation her parents had applied to her from the moment they found out she wasn’t the sixth son they’d been expecting. She understood that her five brothers had been named in alphabetical order, and that she was to have been Freddy. But why, oh why couldn’t they have taken just a few more minutes and come up with something other than Fancy That—her mother’s first exclamation upon realizing her newest baby’s gender?

It didn’t seem to help that Fancy T. Garrison had completed college and a teaching internship, and that she was now officially “Miss Garrison” to the Underville Elementary School’s fifth-grade class. Her five brothers were the least likely to ever let her forget the unusual circumstances of her birth. Once in a while she could get a little sympathy from Early, because of his own name, but never from Aaron, Brad, Charlie, or Danny.

Sighing, Fancy turned around and entered the kitchen of her sunny, above-the-garage apartment that overlooked her parents’ large brick house on the family’s five-acre country plot. She should have learned by now that the only way to handle any of her five large, handsome siblings was to offer them food. Picking up several of the freshly baked cookies that lay on the bright yellow countertop, she began munching one noisily.

“Mmmm! These sure are good,” she enthused as she innocently waved one past Danny’s nostrils. “That new brand of peanut butter Pritchards has been stocking sure makes great…Hey!”

It only took a couple of seconds for Danny to wolf down the offering she held. “There are more on the counter, and a fresh gallon of milk in the fridge, big brother,” she tempted him. As he grinned and rose, heading for the kitchen, Fancy took his place in front of her new computer hutch, and began assembling the machine he’d already stripped of packing materials.

As she’d known he would, once she was actually involved in the project, Danny gave her a big hug and let her get on with it. She’d learned the technique well over the years.

“OK, little sister, “Danny taunted. “Do it yourself. Just don’t get too “fancy” with that there contraption!” Grinning, he waved goodbye, ducking out the door just ahead of the piece of foam packing flying through the air.

Bending to her task, Fancy smiled softly. She sure loved her big brothers, even if they did make it hard for any other young man in the valley to “measure up.”


Chapter 2…


…and that’s it…

So…what comes next?