In Canada there is a buck on our quarter.

("Buck" as in a male deer, even though we call a dollar a "buck.)

May 15 edit: If you want to know why a dollar is called a buck anyway, apparently a "buck" once meant one high quality deerskin, often used in trades between Europeans and Native North Americans. Lower-quality ones sometimes required multiple to add up to the value of one full buck.

Source: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/03/dollar-called-buck/

Island Chain

And then there was the one called hideaway island. With the red coppery stones and the cave tucked away in a hidden corner where there were many endings and new beginnings, where the Girl in the Wind and the Waterboy became one, the shores they were ice washed up on after fighting the sea monster, and where them and their friends are safe. Off the coast is where they swim through and endlessly explore emerald and deep blue water they can breathe under. This is where they can fly through the water and explore without fear, even though the water is cold and dark. Here the sun always seems to be setting or rising.

Then just a small overpass away is Castaway island. This is the island where I may only bring the ones I trust the most. My animals and imaginary friends live here with me in their own shacks. Home is but a shack, but that is all I need with a surfboard and notebooks. I wade out to swim and get distracted by coral, and often walk back because I realize I have to go pretty far for the water to get deep. The east shore scares me sometimes; shadow beach gets very lonely after sunset as I watch the lights of distant cruisers far away. Sometimes I even watch them from the dock, pretending that someday another boat will dock next to my rowboat, but I know better for this is only the place where I may bring people if I choose to; there is no other way.

These are the incorruptible islands.

Then there is the island of grass. Contrary to what the name suggests, there isn't all grass. There is where the Line cliffs are, the ones I have tiptoed along the edges of, waiting for something to happen and send me plummeting down. But there is seldom a natural wind on this island. The only breeze by the cliffs are the kind that you only feel because you've convinced yourself it's there, because it is only your own breath that creates it. Then there are dust storm areas. This is where parks and corrupted places from the past remain until a storm comes and they are blown to dust and ashes and taken away by the storm, until the next time you revisit them.

Then there is waterfall paradise island. There are treehouses here and lots of waterfalls. It is a jungle with many hidden jewels and rocks to examine and nooks to go swimming. There are even traditionally predatory animals that don't hurt you. It is the best place for a party, and the water is warm. This is the island MC and I would draw as children. There are more exotic, beautiful flowers than you could even imagine. Horses drink by the river in peace with pet cheetahs that relax with elephants at a distance in grassy clearings.

Then there is lighthouse island. Is it never quite as warm as I'd like it to be here, but there are colourful houses and an easy schedule. People are friendly here and read the newspaper here and wear cozy sweaters and go fishing, and help guide sailors in the dark. It is often foggy and the place where my interested in photography bloomed. It is a nice place to visit, though I don't like staying too long. People like to talk.

Then there is the shore of tide pools. This is a happy place filled with love. It is a great place to go diving, or bask in the sun while examining tide pools filled with colourful aquatic wildlife. There are big rocks that are fun to climb and people like to take pictures on. This is a good place to bring someone you love. This is where depth and happiness collide; where you learn profound happiness may be as deep or even deeper than sadness. The weather varies and there is so much to appreciate.

"MBTI is supposed to help you see where people are coming from, not understand them as individuals"

- my INFP friend Lara on MBTI

Love the way she put this

You don't owe everyone an explanation for everything

You don't owe everyone an explanation for everything.
     It goes hand-in-hand with resisting irrational guilt.
     I still struggle with this sometimes, but even just being conscious of this has been life-changing in the way of making it possible to connect with people on a genuine, personal level.

Meditation and Imagination

A side-study doodle that is half distraction, half premeditated, and full inspiration.

It is easy to become absorbed in projects on subjects you feel deeply about, and it always seems like a good sign when important things in life naturally reappear in little pieces and thoughts throughout the day.

Sleep problem: arms

The last few months I've been having a strange problem when trying to fall asleep, where I don't know what to do with my arms. I mean, I had arms before this, yes??

      It feels like my arm or shoulder is always squished or twisted uncomfortably.

A new type of loneliness

This is a new type of loneliness.

This is not an expected part of a journey of learning to feel again; this specific flavour of loneliness is not familiar.
I don't like it.

It's...

Desperate.

     It seems like some types of loneliness make people stronger in a way. It may force them to stand on their own, hold to their own standing for what they believe in without depending on other people. In a way, the loneliness can defeat itself to a degree. (Like building up antibodies, maybe.)

It does not feel like this is doing that. This is just making me not think clearly, or even feel clearly or right or real. It seems this is the type of loneliness that should just be reasoned out of; not pacified, but be put a stop to at its roots.

Conspiracy theory: people change

Conspiracy theory: people can change. The people who say that people don't change are just the ones who feel it is too hard.

'Creative Days'

'Creative Days' doodle art.

Somewhat regretting drawing the jellyfish instead of humpback whales. Oh well. Maybe whales will be featured next.

Posted April 28, 2018

"Twice married, once loved." 

Possible realities of child marriage.

Types of Treehuggers

Happy Earth Day!

Here is a repost originally from to Nature-nimbus.blogspot.ca for May 24, 2016, but with the found original doodles to go with it. Each illustration is consciously exaggerated just for kicks so please don't takes offense to what is written here... hope you have fun reading them :) 

The reality is all of these roles have helped raise awareness on environmental needs -that is how they are so recognizable- and a person can combine the traits of any number of them, but the coolest part of sharing this with friends was seeing everyone feel out where their niche is and perhaps even feeling re-inspired to participate in green activities that they enjoy.

Hope you enjoy reading this, and have a lovely Earth Day 2018!
~~~
Here is a little personal project I did a long ago with a few cue cards.

All these characters were drawn on cue cards I cannot find yet, but that can be another post for another time. (Update: Found them, here they are!)

It was a lot cooler when I was sitting at the kitchen table explaining it in a extemporaneous babble to relatives and my dog a little differently each time, but it and went something like this and I hope you find it amusing :)

The Hippie/Flower Child

The classic treehugger stereotypee right out of the 60s who really got environmental movement started. Clad in tye-dye and hemp, and sitting cross-legged in front of trees preaching their message of love, peace, and unity, they are also known for making some lovely tunes to get people in a mood and mindset of unity.

The Rebellious Radical

Sometimes seen as a close younger cousin of the hippie, The Rebellious Radical is loud and grabs attention, and sometimes that might be the exact push people need. Louder the better; think activists chaining themselves to trees maybe with some funky coloured hair. These people make bold statements pointing to the goal of drawing attention and spreading awareness of big issues that really matter.

The Wild Child/Conservationist

It's that kid that's always climbing trees and running around exploring outside with messy hair. They really are in their element/natural habitat outside, probably making mud pies and isn't afraid of getting dirty or touching creepy crawlies. These are the ones who probably know the common, maybe the scientific, and given personal names of backyard wildlife. These friends of the forest, conservation officers, camp counselors, and more have a contagious sense of wonder they are often eager to share with others.

The Humanitarian

The Humanitarian  recognize that people are part of the ecosystem just like other animals, and sincerely care about the wellbeing of fellow humans. Whether they be doctors, aid workers, or concerned citizens, they see how people around the world are affected by environmental issues and are ready to see how can to help. From pollution putting people's health at risk to climate change displacing entire communities, they recognize sustainability as a must, and clean air and water as basic human rights which they will fight for and seek to see as many people as possible having access to.

Engineer/Technician

These are the ones that really make all these advancements work. A lot of what they do is behind-the-scenes, but they use the power of their minds to make it possible to drive new sustainable technologies forward such as in renewable energy. The research they do also gives treehuggers the world over something to actually work with to show the world that what the heart says is the right thing to do also makes logical sense.

Politician/Consultant

"Work The System" is the name of the game here. These guys in the big leagues kind of have to be disguised in big business suits sometimes and they work undercover. Sometimes they develop "green" products, creative marketing to inspire people to take to them, or policies to help change the world. Among politicians and corporates, the suit-wearing or clip-board-yielding ones advocate for the environment in the big leagues using the system to further their agenda, to help the environment on a big scale.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts on which treehugger stereotypes you and your friends relate to in the comments, as well as any ideas for green activities people of different types might like participating in!

Originally posted by Melody Tadeo to Nature-nimbus.blogspot.ca for May 24, 2016
Edited April 9, 2018... also finally uploaded the photos!

He saw me with books

He saw me with books and decided I was a librarian. To be a librarian is a most noble profession, but he still was wrong about me for I was the writer.

Remember, a half-butt bath makes for a half-bath'd butt.

     "...and it makes sense since it was my plan not to marry, from the beginning."

     He looked up and kept his chin tilted down, but a slight upturn slipped through the right corner of his mouth and was betrayed beneath the glint in his eyes.

      "Yeah, yeah, yeah. 'You'll change you mind someday.' I know. I have before and probably will again."

Thanks for the daily discouraging convo 👍

Athlete

"...because you're used to doing things that hurt."

Time Zone Notice

Hey guys, just realized this site has been set to a distant time zone from my own (it was Pacific something), so please not that with the change the date stamps on a few posts might have been shifted a day from what it used to be under.
Have a great day/night :)

Secrets - April 14, 2018

The weight of secrets close to the heart is crippling.

~~~

I tell secrets in pairs; this way the person has someone else to talk to about it (without spilling it).

~~~

April 14th in my head and keeping the 15th archive date, because although it's well past midnight to the 15th odd sleeping patterns make me indecisive.

Would you stop breaking my happy? It has been shy about coming around as it is lately.

Positivity makes the best of a situation; in mindset; in action. It doesn't need to make things up that are completely false, because that just invalidates what would have been a good feeling.

      Sometimes the negative, cynical side of me gets upset when people overdo expressed confidence in me when I know something is greatly exaggerated, or simply not true. It makes me feel worse about myself, feeling this person can't come up with anything real that is good about me to be encouraging.

       Consistently expressing things that are clearly delusions invalidates what they're speaking for, at times has even made me wonder if they care more about appearing to be a supportive person than actually supporting people to their benefit.

      But not all professed optimists or positive people are like this.

       There is this customer who frequents my workplace. She has a spunky nickname, and is so genuinely positive and motivational based on the situation at hand. I always look forward to seeing her, and feel so re-energized before she leaves. She has actually made a career out of it as a life coach and succeeded in man other personal endeavours, but it's clear just speaking to her for a few minutes that this relentlessly positive attitude is the lifeblood of her life.

       Hers is a kind of positivity that affects people in a good way, and one very worth having.

A secret about "echoing"

You can sometimes tell who a person has been talking with by the vocabulary they use. We will often naturally echo words, and that is how mingling with different people and reading different things can help expand your vocabulary, and by extension our thoughts because new words create new thoughts.

"Literally" my pet peeve

My pet peeve is when people use the word "literally" when they mean "figuratively".

     For example: "I literally DIED."

     Unless you literally died and then were brought back to life, please don't put the word "literally" before the hyperbole.

     It isn't always necessary to state when a person is using figurative language, but "literally" is a specific word I don't think should be used to emphasize a non-literal statement. Otherwise, why word do we have for "literally"? "Literally literally"?

      This is too much...

"And then they were like, 'Oh, well...'"

When people are telling a story about a conversation they had and quote something said by someone they think is unreasonable, they often start their quoted sentence with "Oh..." regardless of whether or not it was actually what started the sentence.

       When people do that at the start of every line the other person said, it makes me wonder if they are exaggerating.

Breathing Earth: A sobering map visualizer

http://www.breathingearth.net/

This one really drives home the reality of overpopulation and the carbon footprint humanity is leaving.

Adopting (post I)

My parents gave me so much of their life, I don't feel that giving that much of mine to raise another person would make me deficient in life at all.

       Whether or not I'd make a good mom is another thing, but a fun fact about me is that as a little kid my plan was to never get married, and to adopt a little girl from China.

Rainbow flock

"She might be the black sheep of the family, but I'm the purple one."

      Yeah. Cool purple sheep.

"She might be the black sheep of the family, but I'm the green one."

       Green sheep, cultivating Eco-conscious, grass-fed and truly green organic wool. 

        But then I think "green sheep" and envision greenish mouldy sloth hair. What do you think?

"She might be the black sheep of the family, but I'm the mermaid one, a true fish out of water."

       The more I think about this the weirder it gets; let's stop here for now.

Fake

I try and too often fail to remember that when people seem fake in their demeanor, sometimes it's not really about wanting to look a certain way to others or have others esteem them so much as wanting to feel a certain way themselves.

      Or even if it is largely about appearance, maybe inside they feel completely miserable and don't want to share that or for other people to see it.

      I know sometimes especially at my worst I don't always write how or what I really feel, but I write to feel a certain way. It would be hypocritical of me to not at least try to understand when others do their own version of that.

I can't imagine ever not wanting to remember this...

I can't imagine ever not wanting to remember this, no matter how everything turns out.

It was like this with my old job, and a time volunteering with a group of friends. Some really bad things happened at that time, and not everything ended well, but I still want to remember the feeling and specific moments. Sometimes specific moments really bring out the best in you or other people.

Buckets for sandcastles, making the most of emptiness

"Buckets for building sandcastles, not just to leave them filled with sand."

Monsters

Who else has traded their fear of the monster beneath the bed for fear of the monsters in their head?