A-Z Challenge,  Wild Wednesdays

The return of the Little Mermaid Art Sketches “in living color” series

Hey y’all, how’s this week been going for you?  We’re half-way through the week and as the old saying goes, it’s down hill from here. 

I’m making a conscientious effort to tie up loose ends.  One thing I’m working on is picking up where I left off in my Little Mermaid Art Sketch ‘in living color’ series.  I can’t believe it has taken more than 2-years just to share what I have but at least I’m toward the end of the alphabet with only a handful of pencil designs to colorize and here are two new ones for you.

To refresh your memory, here is my pencil sketch of Ray Ray
Here’s the original pencil drawing of Sebastian & Scuttle

Once I’ve completed this long overdue project I will publish a list of all artwork in one post for those interested. 

 

I’m linking with these Wordless Wednesday Communities… Sandee, NatashaMarie, & Wordless Wednesday!

Here are my responses to Joyce’s Wednesday Hodgepodge questions this week.

 

1. How would you define ‘old’? At what age is someone old?  Age is a mind set.  I truly believe we’re only as old as we feel.  I’d have to say health issues rob us of that youthful energy but the key is to not give up and to keep passions alive while being as active as you can despite limitations.  So, how would I define old? It’s gonna depend on the person.  If a person gives up then that’s old age for him/her but thinking of an age I find old changing every few years.  Do you remember thinking 25 or 50 was old?  As far as what is old, I now think the upper 90s and over 100. 

2. A place you’ve been that’s old? Tell us something about your visit there.   Jonesborough TN is the oldest city in Tennessee and isn’t too far from Knoxville.  Over the years, we’ve visited there a few times.  When we were there last, they had the streets torn up as they were taking down power polls as that’s an eye sore for the historical town and were putting in underground utilities. You can see some pictures of Jonesborough from a visit in 2012 that I  used in the 2014 A2Z challenge.  

3. Something you miss about the ‘good old days’? When were they anyway?  The thing I miss about the ‘good old days’ would be my grandparents and other relatives who are no longer living.  It was just a warm, sweet time just being a kid without a care in the world and not knowing the evils of this world.  Those were the best of days living in the 60s and 70s.

4. In what way are you a ‘chip off the old block’? Or if you’d rather, in what way is your child a ‘chip off the old block’?  I’d say I’m a little bit of a ‘chip off the old block’ of both of my parents.  I’m like my mom in that I’m a bit naive often misunderstanding someone’s intent whether it’s a joke or just being mean and like my daddy in that I am a bit talkative at times.  There are other ways I’m like each but this is the first things that came to mind.

5. Old fashioned, Old Testament, old timer, same old same old, old glory, good old boy, old wives tale…choose an ‘old’ phrase that relates to something in your life or the wider world currently and explain.  I’d have to say “Old fashioned”.  Our kids think every thing we do is out dated and non-relative to modern times but I think having “Old fashioned” ways of thinking isn’t a bad thing and something this non-traditional generation could benefit from in the grand scheme of things.    

6. Insert your own random thought here. Last Friday, we ventured to Boone to come down the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Asheville.  It was another glorious day to be in the western North Carolina mountains!  There were more terrorists tourists in the area compared to our trip two weeks prior  which serves as reminder that things are only going to get worse with the fall foliage making its show next month.  People tend to flock starting the first of October.  The upper elevations might see a slight change by that time but this far south generally colors make a wider sweep toward the end of the month.  Despite the extra traffic, we had a lovely time.  Just taking in the surreal and fairly quiet drive except for our chatter or tunes playing on the SiriusXM.  We got off the parkway for Mt. Mitchell State Park.  Although, we haven’t taken the summit trail to the observation tower with its 360º panorama in since Covid hit, we still like taking in the view from the parking area and it gives an opportunity to stretch our legs.  Afterwards, we headed back down stopping briefly at the park’s only restaurant that’s closed while under renovation.  There’s a nice vista of the valley from there and I managed to capture a huge mass of fluffy cloudy hovering on a ridge below against a blue sky.  It was simply beautiful and the weather felt great!   

I’m going to close things off with my weekly song challenge picks but I’ll be back tomorrow with more artwork with Thursday Art Date (TAD) with Rain.  I hope you’ll join me.   Have a wild and wonderful day! X💋X💋, Cathy

WSC playlist: 1. Jessie’s Girl ~Rick Springfield 2. Midnight Train to Memphis ~Chris Stapleton 3. Your Momma Don’t Dance ~Loggins & Messina
Prompts: a song… with a Boy’s Name in the Title, that mentions a Place in the Title, &  that Kenny Loggins wrote. Hosted by JingleJangleJungle!




32 Comments

  • -Eugi ☕️

    What a refreshing post, Cathy! I love your Mermaid series and glad you brought it back. I love your answers, as well. I feel if we think young, we stay young and it is most important to live in the moment. 🥰

    • Cathy Kennedy

      Thanks, Eugenia! I’m excited to get something long overdue art projects completed and I sure do appreciate your patience in waiting. Oh yes, think young – stay young! That’s the key. 🙂

    • Cathy Kennedy

      It’s not your fault but I do see a lot of Floridans in our neck of the woods. In fact, there are a number of them that have summer homes in western North Carolina. 🙂 The tourists are worse when there’s a special thing going on in Asheville or the foothills on either side of the Smoky’s. The tourism industry keeps things ramped to pull folks into the area to generate a continual income flow. I can’t fault them for that but it makes it difficult on people living in the area in some regard. It is what it is and I’m very thankful that we live here. We can pick whenever we want to go at a drop of the hat unlike other people. Thanks for dropping by, my dear!

  • Mary B

    Old is definitely a mindset. I don’t think of myself as old, but more Tired. I’ve got a lot more life to live to be old. Great choices for WSC. Thanks again for joining me!

    • Cathy Kennedy

      Mary,

      We’re all feeling that tired you speak of, some more than others but yeah, I have a lot more life to live, too. Attitude gives you, me, and others the fight to push through whatever life throws at ya. Take care, my friend.

  • jodaley

    I lived in Jonesborough once upon a time. I worked as a waitress at The Parsons Table and The Widow Browns both and loved it. The town has grown so much since then, the Storytelling Festival was in its infancy and small. We live on the SC side of Asheville so spend a lot of time enjoying the beauty of the mountains and lakes in this area. Have a great day…I deleted your incorrect link, so just the one is there now.

    • Cathy Kennedy

      Joyce,

      That’s cool! Yes, the Storytelling Festival is the big draw for the community. I’ve not been to it but it would lovely to attend. Perhaps after Covid isn’t such a headache we can go again for it. I knew you weren’t too far from the mountains. We live in a beautiful part of the country, don’t we?

  • Kiki Nakita

    Miss my grandparents too. There isn’t anyone who can make a Sunday roast like my Granny or a Rhubarb pie like my Nana. Your trip through the Blue Ridge mountains looks lovely. We’re heading to the Highlands/Cashiers area next month in the hopes of seeing some beautiful fall leaves. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

    • Cathy Kennedy

      I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was small but once I started school then it was reserved for weekends and holidays. We weren’t too far apart but that’s just the way life goes. Your reference to Sunday dinners brought to mind when DH and I dated. After church, he always invited me to join them for dinner. Actually I spent the whole Sunday at his house. He would pick me up in the morning for Sunday School and morning service then to his house for dinner. We took walks on his parents’ land, played basketball, or watch TV. Then we’d go to the evening service when he wasn’t in college otherwise that was the afternoon he had to leave since his school was a couple of hours away. At the close of the day, he’d take me home. It was fun way to spend Sundays. His mother was a super good cook! She frequently made beef roast and she always had an apple pie. Mmm, good that was good eating! 🙂

  • Sandee

    You know how I love your sketches. I love the procrastinate graphic too. You made me laugh out loud.

    Love your Q&A. We’re so much alike.

    Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. Big hug, my friend. ♥

    • Cathy Kennedy

      Sandee,

      I created the meme using a the dialogue from another to add to the pop art girl I found online. I thought it worked better for my blog and personality opposed to the original one I saw. I think others like it, too. I’m glad it made you lol. 😀

  • Arlee Bird

    Every day at some point I pause to reflect in wonder that I have reached 70 years old. I don’t feel much different in my mind than I did when I was 20, but that’s a lot of years behind me. So on to the next decade and hope I make it just fine.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    • Cathy Kennedy

      Lee,

      70 is a good milestone to reach. Age is a mindset. I remember thinking mid to late 60s was old. I’ll be 60 in December so old is definitely pushed way off. lol I’m thankful despite my few health issues of late that I’m basically good health and still have a lot of drive for my passions. Doing things you love is what keeps you young at heart. Sometimes the rest of you is slow to get that memo, though. lol I

    • Cathy Kennedy

      Katie,

      Nah, go ahead and brag! I wish I could remember all the words to any song. These days it just comes to me in bits and pieces and sometimes I just utter the wrong words altogether because that’s what I thought they were to begin with. lol

  • Thomas Anderson

    Hi, Cathy!

    Happy Wild and Almost Wordless Wednesday, dear friend!

    With all you have going on every day, it astonishes me that you find time to go back and colorize your A to Z sketches. I am always grateful, because they are a joy to behold. The mewsical ray, the lobster character and the seabird all pop now that you have brought them back to us In Living Color. That pretty procrastination pinup girl looks like a self-portrait, Cathy. Did you look in the mirror to create it?

    I admire your Wednesday Hodgepodge musings. As we age, we are all subject to aches, pains and illnesses, but those of us who refuse to dwell on our health problems and focus mainly on fun (even work can be fun if you frame it as such) are the ones who will stay forever young. That’s how I view each new day, as another opportunity to have fun with friends, to smile, laugh and forget about our problems and differences.

    I enjoyed learning about Jonesborough TN. If I were to respond to that prompt, I would name the time when I was 12 that my family traveled to Florida and visited historic St. Augustine, FL. I stood in the famous “narrowest street in America,” stretched out my arms and could almost touch the buildings on either side of the street. USA Today explains: << Treasury Street is just 7 feet wide and connects the waterfront Bay Street to the Royal Spanish Treasury. The street was purposely built to provide barely enough room for two men to carry a chest of gold to the treasury from ships docked on the bay. This was done to minimize the chances of a horse-drawn carriage riding by and stealing the money. >>

    ITA with you that the 60s and 70s were great years to be young. We were so lucky. I wouldn’t trade places with any other generation, past or present. I also absolutely agree that we should preserve some of the old fashioned ways of thinking and doing things. There is value in good old fashioned toil and time spent just “being,” thinking, meditating, instead of staying electronically connected with 100 friends every minute of every day. I loved reading your Random Thought. Mrs Shady, her son and I visited those Western NC mountains the last week of August and the first week of September that year, and so we didn’t see many tourists while we were there, but at the same time we missed the changing of the foliage that comes a few weeks later. That is a strikingly beautiful photo of the clouds hugging the mountain!

    I already busted my brain at BB’s, but I will take the WSC with you as well and think of three different songs. I like your picks, dearie. I loved watching Aussie actor and mewsician Rick Springfield in his role as Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital, and he made a big splash as a recording artist with “Jessie’s Girl,” a song that has stood the test of time as a rock classic. Seems like there’s going to be plenty of overlap among WSC players on the selection of a song penned by Kenny Loggins. You named one that immediately comes to the minds of most people, and at BB’s I named another biggie “What A Fool Believes,” a hit for Michael McDonald and The Doobie Brothers. Here on CAAC, I will name “This Is It,” another song Kenny co-wrote with Michael McDonald. Kenny recorded the song and McDonald provided backing vocals. Their single cracked the top 10 on Cash Box in February 1980. For my BOY song, I’m going with “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” a ditty from The Beatles’ Abbey Road album, and for my PLACE song, I choose one that I recently posted, Chris Kenner’s “I Like It Like That.” That’s actually the name of the place!

    Yessum, I’ll see you tamale for Thursday Art Date with Rain. In the meantime, have a wonderful Wednesday, dear friend Cathy!

    • Cathy Kennedy

      Tom,

      I made promise to bring my LMS to life in living color and by golly that’s what I’m gonna do. 🙂 You know me, this brings a lot of joy to my life and my passions are what allows me to stay young at heart. I think that’s the fountain of youth, one attitude. Have you noticed someone who’s happy with a lot of drive to do various things or even new stuff look much younger than their years reflect? When I’m 80, I hope someone says, “WOW, I thought you were 60!” Often I’ll say to DH, you worked hard today and he’ll say, you did, too, and I usually say, “Yeah, I had a played hard today!” That’s how I see my routines as a lot of play time because that’s how I feel while enjoying my artwork or looking for new music or cooking or even cleaning if you can imagine. I know the Kenny Loggin’s song title. I didn’t know the song “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” even after I listened to it on YouTube. Thanks for the introduction! At first I thought I didn’t know Chris Kenner’s song until I heard it. That one came out the year I was born. Fabulous job throwing out three more song titles for the WSC. You ought to play along sometime. I’m sure Mary would love having you to join the fun but I know you’re not into doing the linky connections and that’s ok. You’re so super good with stuff like this, though. Thanks for popping by, my friend!

  • 15andmeowing

    All your drawings are great. I agree old is a state of mind. I am 52, but feel like I am about 12. 🙂
    Have a great day. XO

    • Cathy Kennedy

      Ellen,

      There’s nothing wrong with being a 12 year old trapped inside a 52 year old bod. lol That’s good you feel so young at heart. We all have a little kid locked inside who’s itching to come out to play. 🙂

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