Excuse my French, but what in the bloody hell is going on?

I’m certain I will toss and turn typing this title into my newest blog post, but it must be done and even more so be done.

I’m an old Fart as my late husband use to call himself when he was a tender young lad of 46 before he passed. What in the Hell !

Today I am 63 going on 64, feeling like 94 with each rain drop that is falling this spring so far. What the Hell?

Now to be honest and I actually dislike when folks repeat that saying, “To Be Honest”. Well if you’re being honest in the first place and live an honest life there is no need to announce that at this point in time you’re going to turn over a new leaf and become honest in a statement that is to follow. Right?

Actually this is the first time I’ve used to be honest, either saying it out loud or typing it here. Feels sort of cheesy and also it feels like I’m being dis-honest by announcing it. Weird I know but to know me is to love me .. wink…

I began making videos on YouTube in 2015. Not knowing what I was doing but sometimes paddling out into the deepest of waters where the sharks live just waiting for tadpoles to swim by can be exciting. I can almost have read their minds, “Hum…Tasty treat has arrived.”

So, I dodged the dangers of sharks in the giant ocean of other YouTubers trying to put out videos in hopes that someday they would attract attention like a bee to honey. Well, I sailed along until 2019 when the platform stirred the pot big time and were laying down the law so to speak, YouTube was no longer the Wild Wild West any longer and the sheriff rode into town to clean up the ones who were upsetting the advertisers or whom ever was upset. (It had something to do with children content) What the hell!

So, being a little channel with just over 1, 500 subscribers at the time I got a bit worried since my channel consisted of animated story lines that I was have fun creating. You see even old dogs can learn new tricks and with the help of my son the graphic designer he guided me on how to use a computer drawing tablet and off I went as happy as a pig who had just found a water hole for which to roll over and over again.

So I created a few story lines and did the weekly drawing on the tablet which to most folks looked like a cartoon of my story.

My favorite of all the panels for my story, memories of Iowa and my great-grand-mother

Those are just a few of the art work I was creating for my story line and I narrated each Friday because it took many many hours and 6 full days to get each panel just right for my story and remember I was a new comer to this type of digital art. I learned with pencil and paper, moving on to paint, and oils back in the day. But, I must say I adored the time and hours spent creating like this and my son was proud of me for picking it up so quickly. All was good there on YouTube for a brief time it felt like. My channel was never going to be huge and lots and lots of followers which at times made me a bit sad .. But , I really did not have the trolls as they called them coming to my channel because I was that tree in the forest of many. Trolls to me were those fat belly dolls with the colorful hair that lived underneath bridges.

I use to play with them when a child myself, and so did my daughter many years later. Funny how some old things are new again. I most times wish I were too. Especially when my knees hurt or the gout attack I experience after eating a few spears of Asparagus that I grow out in my garden but can no longer eat without my body turning on me. F.Y.I if your curious about what causes gout , for me it is Seafood, Beef, Turkey, and the glorious Asparagus. There are other things as well but you would have to research that on your own or ask your doctor.

I digress again as per usual. I get on here with you readers of my little blog and I feel as if you are sitting right here with me and either rolling your eyes at me and my ponderings or laughing along with me. If, there is a point where I actually laugh out loud while typing on here I hope I can cause a huge ripple effect for you to giggle too because What the Hell we all need it right now.

So long story even longer I deleted my YouTube channel in 2019 and hid behind my woes feeling I’d made a big mistake, since after a few days I sorely missed the interactions I had with my subscribers who were mostly at the time view for view but heck and good golly miss molly I didn’t care because I typed and typed to them back in the comment section when they would comment on one of my videos. I loved every key click of my keyboard and smiled in pure bliss.

You see even the most simple and mundane appearing actions one can preform can and does give you joy which I’ve found grows into a sense of happiness. How many of us take our entire lives looking for that blue bird of happiness when it was right there inside of you all the while. Waiting for you to see.

So go ahead and be brave even if you want to cause a young neighbor child to laugh with a big blue bowl atop your head. Smile like you’ve never been happier and the ripple action will begin and you’re on your way to bliss. No fooling ~give it a try…

So shortly after deleting my original YouTube Channel I made a brand new one. Realizing I’d never get back my original subscribers and yet again I was back at ground zero wondering off and on since then why am I doing this. I threatened to quit many times when my videos which I worked very hard on never got off the ground. Actually, I knew it’s a young persons world. In my sixties I’m not going to be out front of the camera and my channel would have to exist with me being the director behind the camera trying my best to create something of purpose.

I suppose I figured I’m too old to show off what gravity does to a aging body. Gravity did nothing to my mind and I most times still feel young at heart although with age comes experience and hopefully wisdom. I’m still waiting on wisdom to arrive but I’m at peace with the experience gathered over these 6 decades. Now if you’ve read down this far and you are not ready to pour a nice big glass of wine and go to bed then here is the sole reason for this blog post.

Two days ago I made a little sort of funny video about the critter out in my yard waiting for me to take out all of my seedlings that are waiting for warmer temps here in Ontario Canada. So, they bide their time (chipmunks) looking inside of my patio door just sitting there waiting, wondering when their bounty of seedlings are coming out. I giggle at them and yes I still giggle like a school child even in my sixties. “Not until mid June little buddy I say out loud.”

So the other day I was weeding a part of the garden watching the wee chipmunk watching me from the fence. He or she would scurry along a little and poke its head back at me. This went on for a few minutes and I wondered if it was checking on if I was sowing any seeds they could dig up as soon as I’ve left the garden. This is the reason for seedlings, better chance to save them. Anyway I went to stand straight again after being bent over with the weeds when something flew by my head only inches away from me and it was the darn critter.

After being startled for a second, a natural born YouTuber will proclaim, “That’s a Video”

So I came indoors and made a little wee video and used some of my digital talents I’ve gathered over the past few years and created the video. Now let me tell you I rarely get over 20 views on most of my videos, except for a chosen few that have done well. But, this Critter video has 462 views in two days. What the Bloody Hell is going On ! !

But the day before I made that critter video and the chipmunk thinking it was a good idea to try and do a Olympic landing on the top of my head I was done with YouTube even if I didn’t know what I was going to fill my days with when my knees were hurting and I could get out there to garden yet. How on earth would I cope with the state of affairs of the world without my own YouTube Channel to be a daily distraction keeping me sane. What I ask.. ?

Well, something guided me back before I deleted my channel for the second time, weather it was a grand kick of the backside from above or perhaps they sent the critter to land on my head, but whatever stopped me in my tracks I 100% felt I was to not suppose delete the channel. And then the last video I created blew up well for my stats anyway. I’ve laughed for two days watching it grow and grow. So if you’re bored and need something different to watch over there, (not so shameless plug since I’ve only 121 subscribers at this point in time and I’ve got the welcome mat out just for you all here, since you feel like family.

Hugs and kisses across the world wide web, virtual that is..

#The Weary Traveler by: Laura Scott ~ Part Nine ~ The Finale

The Weary Traveler – Part Nine the Finale

Thank you to all that have followed along with my little short story.

#The Weary Traveler by: Laura Scott ~ Part Three ~ Every Friday

The Weary Traveler

Part Three

by: Laura Scott

Illustrations by: Laura Scott

The engine of the truck sounded like a marching band to me as we pulled out of the parking space, heading for Tennessee on our way to Richmond, Texas. My imagination on a scale of one to ten was without a doubt a ten.

No matter what situation I found myself in I always made the best of my circumstances. I mean really…what else was I suppose to do at this point in time? My fate was not held within my own hands, so I’d better make the lemonade taste as sweet as possible. In the grand scheme of things this trip I was on was going to be a magical ride as long as I could keep a positive attitude.

The driver stopped the truck just before we were out of the city limits of Independence and cut the engine off. Which, left me wondering if I’d fallen a sleep and we had arrived in Tennessee already?

Plop!  Went a paper bag of fruit and vegetables the driver threw into the truck just before he jumped back into his seat and re-ignited the engine, again with sounds of a marching band announcing we were on our way again.

The smell of the fruit and even the vegetables made me feel like eating everything in the paper bag, before we were even up to the speed limit on the highway.

To be continued next Friday, so stay tuned for Part Four….

#The Weary Traveler by: Laura Scott ~ Part Two ~ Every Friday

The Weary Traveler

Part Two

by: Laura Scott

Illustrations by: Laura Scott

I didn’t have a need for packing anything to take along with me on my adventure, but I did need to make sure my body was covered properly in case of rain during the week of September. Before, the truck ride to my final destination I stopped into our post office to say goodbye one last time.

I’ve heard so many good things about our post office where all of the letters and packages go to be processed and shuffled on their way toward their own destinations with fresh fancy stamps placed on their upper right corner and with a thud sound of the postage mark to the left of the stamps it was declared this parcel had begun its travels from Independence, Kentucky with a date of its departure clearly visible.

What an exciting time this was for me beginning my first adventure across the country, but first I would need to back track and travel to Richmond, Texas before my actual adventure traveling to Canada begins.

I was warned in a whisper by an elder that once I arrived in Richmond, Texas I would be placed up for inspection to make certain I was the proper one to travel the great distance to Canada. Only the bravest souls were allowed to leave Richmond after they were granted permission to embark on this quest across the country.

The layover in Richmond I was told could perhaps be a lengthy one, because this place had so much going on at any given time. So, my journey begins all safely tucked inside of the truck with a destination of Richmond, Texas on my horizon.

To be continued next Friday, so stay tuned for Part Three….

#The Weary Traveler by: Laura Scott ~ Part One ~ Every Friday

I’ve been working on a Pen tablet, shown below. I wanted to try my hand at illustrating a short story I’ve written. The journey began with playing around on the Pen Tablet and wound up drawing a sort of monster which I ran a naming contest with prizes to be won.

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The winner was a sweet young lady who gave my monster the name, ” Burger King.”

So, I brought in my finished picture to Sketch Book Pro and gave him a whopper hamburger to hold and of course the golden crown. I took the file into a printing shop and had a few prints made and sent to her a copy for her room. She was so excited to have been chosen in the draw that I just had to give to this winner a little bit extra. It makes me so happy to bring smiles to others and my goal is to never fail in this quest of mine. I take it very seriously and let life guide me to where I need to deliver the blue bird of happiness…

So, without further adieu here is Part One with my own illustrations done with the Pen Tablet in the program called, SketchBook Pro. I hope you enjoy the short story and the illustrations as much as I have creating them. I will release each part of the story, The Weary Traveler every Friday! So, stay tuned and I know you’ll be glad you did….

The Weary Traveler

Part One

by: Laura Scott

Illustrations by: Laura Scott

I was born on January 1, 2007 into an already crowded family of many. The exact number is unimportant at this time. In a few short months I will celebrate my 8th birthday, but already I’m feeling twice my age.

Since, my conception I’ve never left my home of Independence, Kentucky. But, my days were numbered living in the quaint city of Independence.

I am about to begin an adventure traveling clear across this country of ours to reside in another country far away from the only family I knew. The hardships that would haunt me during my travels were unknown to me in the beginning, but became clear to me after leaving the city of my conception, where I always felt safe and sound after hearing our local fire trucks speeding down the road with the sirens blazing to rescue someone or save a building in dire need of help.

To be continued next Friday, so stay tuned for Part Two….

Announcement from Wilson the Coconut

Wilson the coconut has been wanting me to make this post for a few day now. So, sit back and watch my YouTube Video… Many Thanks….