Author Archives: Melissa Fischer

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In
this week between Palm Sunday and Easter, we remember Jesus’ suffering
for us, from the time he entered Jerusalem, through his crucifixion and
burial. As we walk through this week, we’ll look at prophetic verses
from Isaiah, written nearly 700 years before the crucifixion, as well as
some of Jesus’ words recorded in the gospels. Let’s ponder these
passages deeply, thinking about how they speak to us and our faith or
lack of faith, and allow them to fill us with gratitude for all that
Jesus has done for us.

Monday: 
As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and
said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you
peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41-42

What in my life robs me of the peace Jesus offers and causes him to weep over me? Ask God to reveal what is hidden from your eyes that is keeping you from experiencing his peace.

Tuesday: 
Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?
   Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this? Isaiah 53:1
Do you believe the gospel message? It’s different than anything the world has to offer, and that is good news!
Wednesday: 
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
   a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
   he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Isaiah 53:3
Jesus was despised, rejected, and humiliated, even by those whom he loved and for whom he suffered. Come to him with your own hurts, shames, and ways you’ve been rejected, knowing he has suffered in these ways for you.

Thursday: 
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love
has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  John
15:12-13
 

Imagine a friend who loves you so much that he or she would choose to die in your place so you could live. Jesus did that! Ponder his amazing love today, and pray that you would grow in your ability and willingness to sacrificially love others.

Friday: 
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
   he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
   and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
   each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
   the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:5-6
Jesus took all the punishment for our sins– pierced, crushed, punished– for each of us, even though he had no sin. Sit in silence a while, meditating on what great love it took to do that for us, for you. How will you respond to such love?

Saturday: 
And [Jesus] said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be
rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he
must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Luke 9:22
 

Jesus told his disciples that he would be killed and then would be raised to life on the third day. He did indeed rise, and tomorrow we celebrate that resurrection. Today let’s ponder all that led up to his resurrection, so that tomorrow we can celebrate with true joy.

Snowdrops

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My yard, still patchy with snow, is bright with snowdrops blooming in abundant clusters. It’s too cold and windy to paint outside, so I cut a few blossoms and brought them into my studio, where I’ve been playing with different colors and styles to capture these intrepid heralds of approaching spring.

Snowdrops rise from cold earth
standing firm against late winter’s bluster,
prophetic blossoms heralding hope

Weekly Prayer Guide: Denying Oneself

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I’ve decided to start putting the weekly prayer guide that I write on my blog. This one is a bit late for this week, but I figured I’d post it anyway, and after this will post them at the beginning of the week, for those who like to use them in their prayers each day.
Then
he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever
wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and
follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but
whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What
good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed
of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of
Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with
the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38
Monday:
Jesus calls us to deny ourselves so that he, rather than our own self
or desires, is at the center of our life. Beyond denying ourselves some
pleasure, this means yielding control of our life. Let’s meditate on this
today.
Tuesday:
Taking up our cross means following Jesus no matter what suffering or
death that might involve. Are we doing that every day?
Wednesday:
In what ways are we tempted to try to save some aspect of our life at
the expense of living fully for Christ and the gospel? Let’s ask Jesus to
strengthen us to live more fully for him.
Thursday:
Ponder the value of eternal life in Christ as compared to what the
world has to offer. Ask God to increase your longing for him.
Friday: There is no way we could have bought or earned eternal life. Thank God for the incomparable gift of life for your soul.
Saturday: Pray for sufficient faith and courage to stand firm when you’re tempted to deny Christ in any way.

Painting with My Mother and Sister

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On Saturday my mother, Patricia Thompson, and my sister, Jennifer Thompson, came to visit for the day. We had lunch, then watched a Tony Van Hasselt DVD (“Watercolor Fun in Nature’s Studio”), then we spent the rest of the day painting. Even though the DVD was about painting outside, we elected to paint inside my warm studio, because it was 33 degrees and snowing. We had a wonderful and inspiring day together! I am so thankful for our shared interest in art and the good time we can have together.

We painted from a photo I had taken of a carriage house in Millbrook, NY. I’ve driven by this stone building with a tile roof many times and every time have thought that it looks like a painting waiting to happen.

Jennifer painting
My mother painting

left to right, my mother’s, mine, Jennifer’s

My painting wasn’t finished yet, and I believe Jennifer has also added to hers since this photo was taken.

You can see Jennifer’s blog at http://jenniferashethompson.blogspot.com/. 

“A Yankee and a Liberal”

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It’s taken me a while to get around to posting about my trip home, because I came home with the flu and am only now really getting back on my feet. I think I can thank the state of Georgia for the flu.

Here’s some writing I did about my drive through Georgia– not my favorite part of my trip:

A Yankee and a Liberal 

“And this one,” the man’s dark eyes radiated anger as he jerked his thumb toward me, “this one’s a Yankee and a Liberal.” 
I’ve never quite known the definition of “redneck,” but I knew this man for one, and I knew he wasn’t safe. I glanced about the rural filling station convenience store, as the man chanted something about the Mason-Dixon Line. A woman behind the counter, another woman at the front of the line, then two lean, grizzled men, one middle-aged, one older. I quickly ducked behind them on line, keeping my eyes lowered and my mouth shut. I felt a bit less exposed and vulnerable behind the two men, but I didn’t want to incite the man anymore than my presence already had. I knew he was trying to rouse the group against me, but my brief glance had assured me he wasn’t winning any friends in this place. 
How had he known I‘m from up north? I was in a friend’s car with Florida plates, and I had known better than to open my mouth and let my accent betray me. I think that mystery was part of what kept me anxious and on guard during my drive through Georgia a few days later. 
I was driving home from Florida, alone except for Rowan, who was sleeping peacefully on the floor in front of the passenger seat, securely buckled in his canine seatbelt. He wouldn’t be able to reach me to help if anyone hassled me. My plan was to stop and sketch or paint anytime a pretty view captured my attention, and there were plenty of pretty views in Georgia. Most of all, I loved the nearly ubiquitous pecan orchards with their majestic trees rising tall and dark in their winter starkness. They would look great sketched in sepia ink on an off-white paper. 
I longed to stop beside the road and sketch, but something in me kept telling me to keep going, that it wouldn’t be wise to be seen stopped beside the road in my car with New York plates. Several times I pulled off the main road to find a quieter place to sketch, but each time I decided to keep going and content myself with sketching in my mind. One such back road crossed over a creek, and I almost missed the sign with the name of the creek. I turned around to go back and read it—“Murder Creek.” I kept going. 
When I finally crossed into South Carolina and then North Carolina, the dark feeling lifted, and I freely and frequently stopped to sketch or stretch my legs. I’m not sure what it was about Georgia, but I don’t intend to plan any painting trips there anytime soon. I’m happy to be back home in the north now; I’d rather be a “Yankee and a Liberal” than a hotheaded redneck any day.

After a morning in Asheville, NC browsing galleries (Fun!), I meandered along the Blue Ridge Parkway and other roads toward Boone, where I’ve been wanting to go for years to visit Cheap Joe’s, my favorite art store. After leaving Boone, I continued north, pulling off to sketch when I saw pretty views. And finally this Yankee is back where she belongs, north of the Mason-Dixon line.

North Cove View from Blue Ridge Parkway
Table Rock View from Blue Ridge Parkway

Boone, NC, where Cheap Joe’s is located!
Draper, VA exit off I 81
Buchanan, VA exit off I 81

Everglades 2013

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After my visit to the Florida Everglades two years ago, my friend Shirley and I began dreaming about going there together someday, since she lives only a few hours from the Everglades and we both love nature, birds, and wildlife. This week “someday” came, and we drove to the delightful little town of Everglades City to spend two days exploring and birding and enjoying the awesome sights and sounds of marshes, swamps, and islands. On the way down to the Everglades we saw a Crested Caracara eating carrion beside the road– a first for both of us and a great start to our adventure!

The first evening we went to a small boardwalk and watched Anhingas settling in the treetops for the night. This was the first time I noticed the light purple feathers that are longer and fluffier on the back of the males’ head and neck. (click on photos to see them larger)

After watching the Anhingas, we drove along a rather bumpy 17 mile road (the same road on which I had seen a panther two years ago). We didn’t see a panther, but we did see an owl in stark silhouette against the setting sun. As we sat in the car and watched, the owl moved closer and closer, always perching in the crooks of dead trees. At one point on the drive we turned off the car, opened the windows, and sat in silence, listening to the night sounds and watching fireflies, with not a light in sight and no sounds of traffic or people. The night was brimming with life, and we sat in silence allowing it to quiet and fill our souls .

The next morning we took the Thousand Islands National Park Boat Tour- a wonderful time of fresh air, birds, and mangrove islands.

Osprey

Anhinga with a big fish
After our boat tour, we had lunch at the Havanna Cafe on Chokoloskee Island.

The view from our table
Painting the bougainvillea and palms

After lunch we cooled off in the air-conditioning of our rooms for a while, since Rowan and we were all getting overheated. Poor Rowan wears a thick fur coat wherever he goes, and right now is dressed for winter in New York, not mid-80’s in Florida.

When the sun was a bit lower we headed back out to the Big Cyprus Bend Boardwalk, which wends its way over half a mile through swampland.

Straight up a taaalll tree trunk
Barred Owl beside the boardwalk
Strangler Fig- starts life as an epiphyte, then grows downward and grows roots
Royal Palm

Mama or Papa Bald Eagle flapping on their HUGE nest
Great White Egret at the end of the boardwalk

 One of the birds we really wanted to see was the Roseate Spoonbill, and we’d heard that some had been seen at the Marsh Trail, so we headed there after our swamp walk. The Marsh Trail is open during daylight hours, and by stretching the definition of “daylight,” we got to see and hear the marsh in the fading light at the close of the day. We didn’t see any Roseate Spoonbills, but we saw and heard quite a few Black-crowned Night Herons. We also saw hundreds of White Ibis perched in a row of mangroves, but there wasn’t enough light to get a photo of them.

The next morning we headed back to the Marsh Trail before turning homeward, and we both saw our first Mottled Duck! We also saw several Roseate Spoonbills flying over and one posing nicely near the pathway.

 Blue-winged Teal and Mottled Duck

Roseate Spoonbill

On our way back to the car, we heard a White-eyed Vireo– another first for both of us! He was very hard to find in the shrubbery, but I finally saw him and got a photo.

White-eyed Vireo

Two wonderful days of birding, exploring, and shared wonder at a beautiful piece of God’s creation.

Painting with Jennifer

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I spent a day and a half with my sister, Jennifer Thompson, at her home in South Carolina. Although I had previously visited the area, it was before Jennifer lived there, so this was my first time to visit her there. Jennifer is a wonderful hostess, and we ate delicious meals she prepared, did a bit of sight seeing and gallery-hopping, roamed on a remote driftwood-covered beach taking photos, and mostly, we painted.

Jennifer photographing the dunes

I always love painting with my sister, and it was a special treat to paint her world this time. She took me to a beautiful stretch of road, where we sat on some big rocks and painted the marsh on one side of the road, then turned around to paint the beach on the other side.

 

Looking one way we painted the marsh…
…then turned around and painted the shore.

We painted the marsh and beach till we were hungry, then went to the nearby Lost Dog Cafe for a delightful lunch on the outdoor patio. Dogs are always welcome at this cafe, and there are water bowls beside the tables for the four-footed guests. There are Grackles calling in the trees, watching the diners and waiting for them to leave. When the people at the table next to ours left some food on their plate, a Grackle swooped down and enjoyed a hearty meal of bread and meat.

After lunch Jennifer took me to the Angel Oak, where we painted again. I learn so much from watching Jennifer paint. Our styles are a bit different, and seeing how adventurous she is with color encourages me to branch out.

Jennifer’s is on the left; mine is on the right

In the evening we went out to the Old Pitt Street Bridge off of Mt. Pleasant to paint the sunset, where we had an amazing 360 degree view and where we saw birds, dogs, and people strolling. By the time we got back to our car, the moon and stars were shining. A perfect close to a perfect day. Thank you, Jennifer!

You can see Jennifer’s account of our day on her blog at http://jenniferashethompson.blogspot.com/

Fun in the Snow!

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One of the things I love about my dogs is the way they make me smile and laugh and play. I know I could play in the snow without them, but I doubt I would as much, and I know I wouldn’t laugh as much as I do with them. We had 12 inches of snow last night, which was perfect for snow fun today.

Nothing like a good roll in the snow

Petra bursting out of the snow
Milo, the rate prick-eared Beagle
 

Oopsie!
PJ bursting forth
My handsome Rowan

Leaping for snowballs!
Biting snowballs!
 

Cool shadow
What’s under the snow?
 

Petra! How did you get up so high?
Let me try…
 
Watch me, Rowan!. Look how high I can jump!
Now jump with me…
There you go! Nice height, Rowan!
That was fun!
Watch me run!
I’ll run with you, PJ…
Thank you for the fun!
      

May Her Burrow Be Long and Warm and Dry…

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It turns out the woodchuck is probably a female, so I guess she isn’t “Charlie Brown” after all.

My little friend went home to what may be her forever home with a rehabber
last night. The rehabber and I both think she has something neurological going
on, plus she’s way too habituated to people to be releasable, so Robin (the rehabber) will
most likely be keeping her. Robin LOVES woodchucks and was so
excited to get her from me. She already has seven woodchucks, two of which are
long-term members of her family, because they are not releasable for
various reasons. One of those is litterbox trained and roams around freely in her house! I can hardly wait to go visit and see them
all!

Anyway, Robin took my little woodchuck last night, so hopefully she is settling in now and making herself at home. I really enjoyed having her here for a few days, but am not set up for long-term woodchuck hospitality, so am glad I now know someone whose door is always open to another woodchuck.

Here are some of my sketches from the woodchuck’s time here (click on images for larger view).

 I wish my little friend well, and, whether her life includes chucking wood, or forecasting weather, or simply eating to her heart’s content (no gardens, please), may her burrow always be long and warm and dry.

Winter Woodchuck! Will Work for Warmth

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What is that??!!

I was watching birds out my window, when I caught sight of something dark and furry moving in my snow-covered garden. Grabbing my binoculars, I searched till I saw it again– a woodchuck? But they go into a deep, true hibernation all winter. How could one be out now, and WHY would it be in my garden, where all is white and cold?

(Click on photos to see them larger.)

I headed down to the bottom of the yard and looked over the fence to see a young, obviously confused and very cold woodchuck. He looked at me and held up first one front paw, then the other, as if telling me he was cold and miserable and needed help. After doing a few very quick sketches, I tried to herd him out through an opening in the fence, but he kept skittering past it. Finally cornering him, I pulled off my jacket (and yes, it was indeed cold!), threw it over him, and scooped him up. I dropped him over the fence, and, without looking back, he hurried off in the direction of a nearby brush pile. I hoped he had a den there, though I couldn’t imagine why he had emerged in such unseasonable weather.

I thought I had seen the last of the woodchuck for a few months, but four days later I found him wandering in my driveway. I got out of my car for a closer look, and he came right toward me! Alarmed, I jumped back in my car and consulted with the county health department rabies expert, who said that sounded liked aberrant behavior and could be rabies, but, since I thought his coat looked healthy and he didn’t actually seem aggressive when he approached, maybe it was actually an escaped or released pet looking for help. He cautioned me to avoid exposing myself to a bite at all costs, but said I could consider capturing it.

I grabbed a couple of towels and a small dog crate and headed back out. I put the crate on the ground, whereupon the woodchuck immediately investigated it– it looked as though a crate was not something new to him. He approached me, and when he was right in front of me, I dropped the towels over him and bundled him, towels and all, right into the crate. He won me over completely when I held a finger near the front of the crate, and he tried to reach his cute little paw out to touch my finger.

Now Charlie Brown is comfortable ensconced in a larger crate, eagerly eating kale, apples, carrot peelings, and guinea pig food. In exchange for food and lodging, he poses for sketching sessions.