Category Archives: Melissa’s Musings and Doodlings

Musings, original paintings, and sketches from life as I see it

Sam’s Point Hike: Fabulous Day!

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Today was a relatively cool, beautiful day, so I took Lyska and spent the day hiking at Sam’s Point Area of Minnewaska State Park Preserve. What a great day! Lyska is turning out to be a wonderful trail dog– she loves hiking, is friendly to other hikers without losing focus on me, walks nicely on leash, is willing to try new experiences even when they are a bit disconcerting, and naps quietly while I sketch. And she was interested but not reactive when we were watching a bear and her cub!

We hiked the Ice Caves Trail, which included very narrow passageways I could just fit through with my backpack, dark passages (I had to use my flashlight for one stretch), and a couple of ladders. I was so proud of Lyska, who hesitated about the ladders, but then went right up each of them.

At one point I was picking and eating blueberries when a young woman came along and told me where to find a great abundance of blueberries and blackberries. I thanked her and told her I like to pick berries around the time of my birthday. She smiled, reached into her pack, and, saying “Happy Birthday!” she gave me a jar filled with blueberries! What a wonderful, spur-of-the-moment kind gift! Tomorrow I’ll be making wild blueberry pancakes for breakfast!

To cap off a wonderful day, I saw a bear with cubs towards the end of my hike, and then a beautiful garter snake. What a day!

Lyska after scrambling up her first ladder

Second ladder, at the end of the Ice Caves Trail

Mama bear with cub. Another cub was in the shrubs.

 

Sketching as Prayer Lenten Retreat

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I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! Philippians 3: 10-11

Who wants to suffer? It’s not something we typically choose, nor should we without good reason. But Jesus did choose to suffer because of his tremendous love for us. He chose to enter into our suffering here on earth, in order to give us life. Lent is a season during which we choose to identify with Jesus, sharing in his sufferings, not for some morbid fascination with suffering, but in order to experience the resurrection life and power we can only have in fellowship with him. This Lenten journey of 40 days prepares us to more wholeheartedly experience and celebrate the reality of resurrection joy when Easter comes.

Given that choosing a path that includes suffering is not usually our first choice, it could be helpful in this Lenten season to set aside a few hours to focus on what it might mean to share in Jesus’ suffering in our daily lives. You are invited to a Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 2nd to join with others in seeking fellowship with Jesus, as we choose to share in his sufferings and experience his resurrection power in our lives.

All are welcome: Non-artists, artists, poets and other writers– anyone who desires a quiet day to draw into God’s presence in the company of others. These Sketching as Prayer retreats are about drawing into God’s presence, not about art; sketching is, for me, a means of drawing into God’s presence. Some people “sketch” with words, some in their imagination, and some draw into God’s presence in other ways.

Saturday, March 2, 2024
9:45 am – 3:00 pm
Wappingers Falls, NY
Email me at melissafischerartist@gmail.com to register or for more info

Advent Retreat Saturday, December 2

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Advent Retreat
December 2, 9:45 AM to 3:00 PM
Immanuel Church
Wappingers Falls, NY

You’re invited to an Advent Retreat at Immanuel Church on Saturday, December 2nd from 9:45am to 3pm. Join us for a day of reflection and rest as we open our eyes, our sketchbooks or journals, and our hearts to God’s presence in this season of preparation for the coming of Jesus. Will you accept an invitation to a day set apart to slow down and renew your focus on our gracious and loving God before the busyness of the season is upon us?

Artistic expression is welcome but not an essential part of the retreat; you can sketch with any kind of simple art supplies, you can “sketch” with words, or you can simply rest in God’s gift of a spacious day.

Details:

Saturday, December 2nd, 2023
9:45 AM to 3:00 PM
Immanuel Church (253 Myers Corners Rd; Wappingers Falls, NY)
Email me (melissafischerartist@gmail.com) for more details or to let me know you’ll participate.

Lenten Retreat

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I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
Philippians 3: 10-11

Who wants to suffer? It’s not something we typically choose, nor should we without good reason. But Jesus did choose to suffer, because of his tremendous love for us. He chose to enter into our suffering here on earth, in order to give us life. Lent is a season during which we choose to identify with Jesus, sharing in his sufferings, not for some morbid fascination with suffering, but in order to experience the resurrection life and power we can only have in fellowship with him. This Lenten journey of 40 days prepares us to more wholeheartedly experience and celebrate the reality of resurrection joy when Easter comes.

Given that choosing a path that includes suffering is not usually our first choice, it could be helpful at the start of this Lenten season to set aside a few hours to focus on what it might mean to share in Jesus’ suffering in our daily lives. You are invited to a Lenten Retreat on Saturday, February 25th to join with others in seeking fellowship with Jesus, as we choose to share in his sufferings and experience his resurrection power in our lives.

Saturday, February 25, 2023
9:45 am – 3:00 pm
Wappingers Falls, NY
Email me at melissafischerartist@gmail.com to register or for more info

New Year’s Day of Reflection (Sketching as Prayer)

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2023 is just beyond the turning of the calendar. A New Year full of hopes and potential and… unknowns. The turning of the calendar provides a context for looking back to reflect on the year we’re just closing out and looking forward as we give thought to our path for the coming year. We all have hopes and perhaps dreams for the next 12 months, but much is unknown to us and beyond our control.

We can have the certainty of knowing we are in God’s loving care, and that all our days are known to him, but with health concerns, a challenging economy, and general societal turmoil it can be easy to feel at loose ends and anxious about what lies ahead, looking back with regret and forward with fear… unless we allow our minds to slow down and we take time to draw into God’s presence. Sometimes that’s easier to do in the presence of others who are also seeking God’s presence, so you are invited to a day of retreat and reflection, a day of looking back with gratitude and forward with hope.

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways…
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!   (Psalm 139:1-3, 17)

Every aspect of creation bears marks of its Creator, signs pointing to the ongoing presence, stability and love of God, who is still watching over and sustaining this world through all the turmoil of this present time. I find that sketching or writing as I observe creation can be one pathway to being present here and now, seeing God’s fingerprints in the world around us, and becoming aware of his presence. And when we become aware of God’s presence, we are drawn into prayer, either with words or in silent communion with and worship of the Master Artist and Author of our faith.

In this retreat we will open our sketchbooks or journals, eyes and hearts to God’s presence and look with faith into the world around us to see God’s touch, as we draw apart for a few hours from our responsibilities and worries to rest in his presence.

Details:
Saturday, January 7, 2022
9:45 AM – 3:00 PM
Immanuel Church
Wappingers Falls, NY

We will alternate brief presentations with periods of silence for meditation, prayer, and sketching, followed by a time to share thoughts, observations, and sketches.

All are welcome and artistic experience isn’t necessary, but you might want to bring a few supplies. Email me (melissafischerartist@gmail.com) for more details and to register.

The Slow Days of Summer

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I’m not a fan of summer heat. I never have been, always preferring mountains to beaches, winter to summer. The heat gets to me, but neither do I like being cooped up in air conditioning, so I have tended to wish away the summer as I impatiently await the coolness of autumn. But a few weeks ago our pastor said something about enjoying the slow days of summer, and that’s been sitting in the back of my mind as we go through an extended stretch of very hot days.

I remember the summer of 2011, when I knew that my cat Bituminous’ days were winding down, and I wanted to cherish the time I had left with him. He and I enjoyed many slow, relaxed days together on the deck, before his time came in August. I sketched, read, watched and listened to birds, and held Bituminous.

The summer of 2016 was Rowan’s last, and he was no longer up to going out and about with me, as he had for many years as my Medical Alert Service Dog. The bond between us was strong and deep, and I was loathe to leave him behind any more than necessary, so once again I spent long, slow summer days on the deck with a beloved companion. Those days were precious, and I’ll always remember the poignant peace of that final summer with Rowan. I read, sketched, watched and listened to birds, and enjoyed Rowan’s presence and also a sense of God’s presence giving me peace in the midst of anticipation of loss.

This summer has been full with travel and multiple family visits– very enjoyable, but not exactly a contemplative pace of life. Following one visit with family, I came down with Covid-19 and spent the next six weeks recovering– not exactly my plan for this summer. But those weeks were slow by necessity and became a rich time of reading, sketching, watching and listening to birds, and becoming more deeply aware of God’s presence with me, despite less than ideal circumstances. Or, looking back over these three slow-paced summers, perhaps because of less than ideal circumstances.

Have I been so driven by my desire to accomplish things or so focused on the discomfort I feel on hot days that I have needed less than ideal circumstances to refocus me on what really matters? I am thankful to be fully recovered from Covid-19 and very thankful neither of my pets seems to be nearing the end of their time with me, but I want to heed the words of our pastor to enjoy these slow days of summer. I want to take time to sit on my deck with Stephen or Ramble or a friend, to read, to sketch, to watch and listen to the birds, and to become aware of God’s presence and his quiet voice that is easily drowned out when my life is fast-paced without pauses for slow, reflective time. I am thankful I haven’t wished away this summer, and that there are still slow and, yes, even hot days remaining before the delightfully crispy days of fall arrive.

Bluebirds!

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This summer and last we’ve had two families of Bluebirds nesting nearby and visiting our feeders every day. By this time of the summer we are seeing youngsters of various ages; the first clutch that fledged in mid May and a second clutch that has fledged more recently. In the past week we’ve had the treat of seeing Mama Bluebird and sometimes Daddy Bluebird feeding their young on our deck railing right outside the kitchen window.

Lessons Learned from Atka- Available for Pre-order!

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Atka was an Ambassador Wolf at the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY. I spent many hours sketching him, always enjoying his quiet, regal presence. Atka was an amazing and unusual wolf; he enjoyed traveling and being the star of educational programs, and he was comfortable with the people who were part of his “pack.” I was not one of his pack, having made Atka’s acquaintance later in his life, but Lois Kral, who was one of the people he was close to, has written a book commemorating Atka.

Lois’ love and respect for Atka is obvious on every page of Lessons Learned from Atka. Written in verse, the book expands on Atka’s life adventures to underscore lessons taught in the Wolf Conservation Center’s educational programs. Atka traveled to New York City, Washington D.C., and many places in between. He seemed to thrive on interaction with people, and he was a fabulous ambassador for wolves, showing how social they are by nature (though not usually so social with humans).

I was honored that Lois asked me to illustrate the book, and I did so with a technique new to me. I used fountain pen ink for the page backgrounds and then painted and drew the illustrations using bleach. It was a bit nerve-wracking, with a steep learning curve, but it was also fun. The unique challenge of painting with bleach is that, unlike working with watercolor or gouache or any other medium, when one draws or paints a line with bleach, it doesn’t show up right away, as it takes a little while for the chemical reaction to cause the ink to be bleached. That was disconcerting at first, but did teach me to take my time and work slowly and carefully– a lesson I learned from Atka.

Lessons Learned from Atka is now available for preorder on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-a-Million. 20% of proceeds will go to the Wolf Conservation Center.

 

Tea with Bilbo

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I wrote this 10 years ago and find it helpful for my frame of mind to read it every year during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Maybe this week I’ll have tea with Ramble…

Bilbo watched me expectantly, his stub tail wagging, as I put the kettle on, took a mug out of the cupboard, and rustled in the tea cabinet. He knew what that meant: time for afternoon tea. Bilbo, a rescue Australian Shepherd with an unknown history, had a tendency to become anxious if anything in his routine changed. And, of course, most routine went out the window for our family of five during holidays, with three active teenagers and their friends in and out of the house. Add to that my tendency to become stressed during the holidays, and neither Bilbo nor I was a happy camper.

One year, as Bilbo’s anxiety mounted and my holiday-related stress rose, an idea occurred to me. Why not share a cup of tea with Bilbo? I started making a pot of chamomile tea each afternoon, knowing the calming qualities of chamomile, and looking forward to a few quiet moments for myself. Very soon, Bilbo and I were both looking forward to this daily interlude of quiet connection in a busy time of year. I’d make the pot of tea, pour some in a bowl and add a couple of ice cubes, pour myself a steaming mugful, then give Bilbo his tea at my feet, while I sat in my rocker with mine. He would lap, I would sip, and both our stress would retreat for a time. After drinking his tea, Bilbo would settle with a sigh, always touching one of my feet. I would sit quietly so as not to disturb him, and we would enjoy a few moments of quiet connection.

Each dog has given me different gifts; one of Bilbo’s gifts to me was a way to slow down and enjoy simple peace and quiet in the midst of holiday stress. Bilbo is long gone, but those quiet moments shared over a cup of tea are some of my most precious memories of him.

Sketching as Prayer Retreat January 8, 2022

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The turning of the calendar provides a context for looking back in evaluation of the year just past and looking forward as we give thought to our trajectory for the coming year. The future is unknown to us, but we can have the certainty of knowing that we are in God’s loving hands, and all our days are known to him. With myriad health concerns and general societal turmoil, though, it can be easy to feel at loose ends and anxious about what lies ahead, unless we take time to draw into Gods presence and allow our minds to slow down. That’s often easier to do in the presence of others who are also seeking God’s presence, so you are invited to a day of retreat and reflection.

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways…
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!   (Psalm 139:1-3, 17)

While most of us would like to be mindful of God’s presence and able to discern his thoughts (at least some of them), it is often difficult to notice that which is quiet and subtle, especially when so much else clamors for our attention. God more often whispers than shouts, and leaves fingerprints for us to search out rather than neon lights flashing in our faces.

Every aspect of creation bears marks of its Creator, signs pointing to the ongoing presence, stability and love of God, who is still watching over and sustaining this world through all the turmoil of this present time. I find that sketching or writing as I observe creation can be one pathway to being present here and now, seeing God’s fingerprints in the world around us, and becoming aware of his presence. And when we become aware of God’s presence, we are drawn into prayer, either with words or in silent communion with and worship of the Master Artist and Author of our faith.

In this retreat we will open our sketchbooks or journals, eyes, and hearts to God’s presence and look with eyes of faith into the world around us to see God’s touch, as we draw apart for a few hours from our responsibilities and worries to rest in his presence.

Details:
Saturday, January 8, 2022
9:45 AM – 3:00 PM
Immanuel Church
Wappingers Falls, NY

We will alternate brief presentations with periods of silence for meditation, prayer, and sketching, followed by a time to share thoughts, observations, and sketches.

All are welcome and artistic experience isn’t necessary, but you will need a few supplies. Email me (melissafischerartist@gmail.com) for more details and to register.