Wisconsin Watercolor Way: Week of January 1, 1998

There is a frog in my spring and that's a good omen! So now I need toexplain.

Last year is a year I do not wish to repeat. The fourth family deathin a little over a year--that of my brother Jerry--occurred just beforeChristmas. This year has also seen a quarrel over an estate, a divorce,and my separation from my husband. I've begun to wonder just what will happennext. The cumulative effect of all of this is why I haven't been paintingand putting up web pages for some months.

But a good thing happened too. Last January a friend of mine told me abouta piece of land he had--a secret quarry with a small pond--a magical placewhere one could slip away from all of ones troubles. I went to look at theland, and it helped. My friend indicated that I might be able to buy thispiece of land. So ever since January of 1997 I have slipped away to thatpond and dreamed. I've seen a fox drinking there and a blue heron, a greenheron, and a kingfisher. Hawks have circled overhead and owls hooted. Allsummer the pond was full of frogs and blue and red dragonflies have cruisedback and forth.

Arranging to buy the land, having it surveyed, and having the finaldocuments drawn up took all summer. There were times when the success ofthe project was in doubt. But at the end of September the deed was madeout in my name. My friend had already told me to consider the property mineand go ahead and work on it, so I'd been busy clearing out some of the lessdesirable brush like honeysuckle and buck thorn. In doing so I discovereddifferent kinds of trees being choked by the brush--oak, cherry, basswood,sumac, elm, and maple. I also planted many daffodil, squill, hyacinth, andcrocus bulbs on the ridge sloping down to the pond. This work kept me goingthrough the unhappy times.

Over a year ago, when all of the family troubles were just beginning, Ihad an experience that caused me to look upon the frog as sort of my totemanimal. I had discovered this about frogs when having a vision of them playingand cavorting in a circular woodland pool that was surrounded by tall treesand approached down a slope. The frogs were signifying learning to havemore fun and enjoying things more. That happened before I even knew theexistence of the pond I now own. Imagine my surprise and delight when Ifirst saw the pond.

When the old year of 1997 had passed away with its sadness, I went overto the pond on New Year's morning and looked down into the open pool ofa spring feeding the pond--and into the eyes of a frog. When it saw me itswam and went under a rock--so I knew it was alive and active. Now, I knowwe are warm because of El Nino--but a frog swimming in a pool on January1st in Wisconsin?!

I know its telling me that things will be better and there are happytimes ahead.

And I am painting again some.

email me if you wish to purchase my artwork.
jjmck@mhtc.net
I can be reached by mail at:
Jennifer Sharp
207 Commerce St.
Mineral Point, WI 53565
USA
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Last modified January 12, 1998 by Jennifer Sharp