Author: jackiella

After twenty years, I am again in a photo along with my brother and sister-in-law. We tend to dismiss our lack of visiting as “it’s a Wheeler thing,”  which is that we can go years without seeing one another, and drop right into the conversation where we left off years before. My other brother and I haven’t seen each other since 2003, and… Continue reading More Memories

Today was the last class and I approached it with sadness. These lessons have been very instructive, and I feel I have learned a lot, although, I am far from being able to sit down and paint a Sumi-E painting. I still do my best work on the bamboo stalk, the leaves not so good.… Continue reading Sumi-E Class No. 4

Rising at 5:30 a.m., I opened the front door to get the paper and was hit by a wet blanket of what was the air. Eighty-some degrees and high humidity--I began to dread what the full day would bring. Yesterday was painting class and I had trepidations about going, not remembering if the screen door… Continue reading Third Sumi-E Painting Class

It's just like buying a GI Joe for a toddler. He'll pick it up, walk it around making mouth gun noises and put it down and go back to pounding on pots and pans in the kitchen. Well my cats are little toddlers. We just bought them a cute fuzzy chick that, after being wound… Continue reading Expensive Cat Toys

Saturday afternoon, my brother, Denny and his wife, Sue came to visit from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was great to see them and we began the visit by going to Quivey's Grove Stable Inn for lunch. Denny had a salmon salad, Sue a grilled cheese with apples and other surprises. I had the meatloaf dinner… Continue reading Great Afternoon Visit

. . . and I think I have the idea of it but will need to practice, practice, but what then to do with my life than write poetry and meditate on beautiful, graceful art. We did move into "Wild Orchid" today. The second of the Four Gentlemen gave me many problems, but eventually, I… Continue reading Another Try at Bamboo and Birds

As you can see, Jake still has his own apartment in our condo. It's been over a year and a half since the boys lay down together. I'm not sure who is the instigator--it seems like it's a replay of the Hatfields and McCoys; what one doesn't do to keep it going the other does.… Continue reading Update on Simon and Jake

Yesterday I went to an art class called Sumi-E Painting. Sumi-E means Ink Picture. It was originated in China and brought to Japan in the 7th century A.D. by Japanese scholars. The basic strokes are called the four gentlemen: bamboo, wild orchid, chrysanthemum, and plum branch. We practiced the bamboo stroke to make limbs of bamboo with… Continue reading

From the stands of automobiles, she came in with her bag seeing two frightened animals, black of coat, sensitive of skin time to civilize them, cut their nails, give a shot, check the teeth. Cats who spend their days in sleep or at the food dish, suddenly are handled roughly, poked in private places and… Continue reading Our Friends

I’d like to live in a house of cats; a commune of furry creatures parading around nilly-willy, climbing ramps held together with lavender duct-tape and deep purple planks of pine wood. The walkways travel from the back of the sofa, across the drapery rods, to a bookcase and take off from there in a series… Continue reading HOME SWEET HOME