Clothesline
When words began to fail me, I started to draw. I’m not good at it, but that doesn’t mess with my fun. The other day, waiting for inspiration, rather absently I drew a line that went across the page. It turned out to be an empty clothesline. Come on, it seemed to say, fill me up.
Laundry is not my specialty. I sleep in my clothes to avoid the bother of changing out of them every night and then back into them in the morning, and I often wear the same things for days. Also, I sleep on the living room sofa with a pillow, a small blanket and two dogs. No sheets to bother with. At 84, I don’t do for myself what I feel like not doing. I change my clothes, but not every day.
However, it didn’t take long to remember what normal people put in the wash every week. I used to be normal. Pajamas! Nightgowns! Sheets! Jeans, t-shirts. Socks! The clothesline got full quickly. I had to add another one for everything else. I also added two proud and jubilant kids who had handed their mother the clothespins. Then I got some colored pencils and added varying shades of faded color, very lightly and sketchily. You can tell one item of clothing from another, but it’s not art. So what? I was delighted.
It occurred to me that if I had been writing about hanging up laundry, including a list of every article of clothing, it would have been boring. So that was interesting. Words vs pictures. It occurs to me now that I had listed everything, but subjected it to a ruthless edit.
Three nights ago it was 3:33 in the morning and I’d been drawing for an hour. I was totally in gear. I finished drawing a bunch of different fruits and vegetables. These I colored in with bright beautiful reds and greens and oranges. (Sharpies, how I love them!) The eggplant is purple as are the grapes.
Then I made a series of bunny mothers and their offspring. You can tell they are bunnies because of their ears and tails, which was part of the reason I couldn’t stop. You can turn anything into a bunny if you give it those ears and tails. A tin can! A ceiling fan! A war plan!
My grandson Sam liked them, he has very cool taste, so I gave him all the bunnies.
Have to turn the news off now. Gonna draw more ovals. Calm myself right back down.
I enjoyed this one immensely. I loved all the items hanging on the clothes line. The colors added to the excitement. So much to look at. It felt like a happy place… to me. And bunnies! Who doesn’t love bunnies!! Sneaking in the war plane bunny brought me back to reality. Yes, I need to start on some ovals myself…
I wear the same thing every day at home too. I call them my house uniforms. And for the same reason. Only when I go out do I bother to look presentable. I don't even wear makeup anymore. Lymphoma has sapped me. But I got a transfusion a week ago and that high octane stuff really put some color back in my cheeks!
So I'm making pretty roses in pottery class and loving it. Not as easy as it sounds, working with clay. I'll glaze them with different shades of red after they've been fired.
Keep making those ovals, Abby. Anything to get away from the f..ing news.