Written by Today’s Doodlewash prompt of “pears,” which actually works rather well for the Inktober prompt of “swollen,” was fun to ink and paint. That said, having to now write something about pears, my mind is at a loss. I think I’ve already told all of my good pear stories I have in previous posts, so if any of you have any great pear stories to share please add them to the comments below. My most recent pear encounter involves the smoothies that Philippe makes for us each morning. While we were at Trader Joe’s I saw him buy pears, but he has never sliced up one to eat whole. Instead, they’re pulverized as part of our morning concoction that comes in shades of green, red, purple, and an odd purple gray. Each smoothie is perfectly delicious, but it strikes me now that I’ve absolutely no clue what’s in them. I’m assuming kiwi fruit makes an appearance as we’ve been buying those lately as well and they disappear in the same mysterious fashion. It’s rather fun to enjoy a smoothie as it’s rather like eating baby food as an adult. All of the ingredients are mashed beyond recognition and only their colors remain. Carrots and sweet potatoes are no longer visually discernible and simply become foodstuffs. I guess, in away, a good smoothie is the perfect opportunity to release my inner child.
Philippe and I typically eat very healthy foods, though we do have a penchant for desserts. Another apple crumble appeared this week and we’ll be enjoying a little sampling once again this evening. Despite our healthy eating habits, we have still managed to add a few pounds here and there. Nothing crazy, but just a little bit of extra padding. Today in the mail, there was a package from Philippe’s brother and sister-in-law from Paris. It was a gift for his birthday in the form of a cookbook, which, since I don’t cook, always feels like I’m getting a present as well. It was the title that made me ponder and giggle. It’s called Zéro Gras, which translates to Zero Fat, so I can only imagine that our little added pounds are apparently still visible from Europe. The book is gorgeous and the recipes look amazing so I’m quite thankful for what’s coming in the future. Tis the season for lots of food and fabulous recipes, so I’m rather thankful actually that many will now come with a bit less padding. I just love great tasting food in whatever form it comes.
I’ve actually failed to schedule our annual doctor’s appointments. On the visit last year, the doctor told me I should lose 10 pounds and this hasn’t happened yet. So, I’ve been delaying things a bit. This would put me back at my goal weight from a couple of years ago, which my American mother reacted to with a, “you look sickly, you should eat more.” But, I know that I’ve still slightly overweight so I hope the new recipes and a bit more restraint will sort things out. In truth, when you’re as tall as I am, 10 pounds can be absorbed rather easily and even clothes fit very much the same. But, I fully realize that I should probably make a more concerted effort with regard to my diet, so I welcome those mysterious smoothies each morning. I’ve no idea why I’m sharing all of this really except to say, goals are a wonderful thing, even when we don’t reach them. The pursuit of something perfect is a fabulous experience, whether you achieve that perfection, or not. I always strive to be the best me that I can be in the moment. And when that fails to produce the most amazing version of me, I still embrace it. I know that my little faults are just part of who I am, and some can even be corrected by just a bit of pear.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Aureolin, Vermilion, and Indigo (my “Vintage” Trio!). Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop! |
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Are you sure your mother isn’t Italian? In our culture, you’re always “too thin,” and at no meal have you ever eaten enough. When I started dating, and a young man would come over for dinner, he would make the mistake of thinking that a cleaned plate was a good thing. For my father, a clean plate signaled that you wanted more, or worse, that he was a bad host. Additional helpings would be piled on the unknowing man’s plate. (Also, Italians will typically refuse a second helping to be polite, with all parties knowing that ‘no” means “yes.”) Lot’s of confusion due to culture clash! Beautiful job on the healthy pear, especially the inside surface.
Thanks, Sharon! 😃💕I’m not Italian that I’m aware of, just Irish and English. I love that story!! hehe… yeah, I bet it was a culture clash for sure!
I loved the pear that you have created using only three colours – your vintage trio. The shadow of the pear also looks good. Recently, I have tried a portion of your marble mixing chart and painted a balloon, a kite and a leaf. I really loved your marble mixing chart.
Thanks, Anita! 😃💕Yeah, my vintage trio is addictive! lol I can’t stop using it… it really can be used to paint just about anything! And thrilled you enjoyed my marble mixing chart… it’s a weird and different approach, to be sure, but I think it’s really helpful in quickly understanding color mixes!
Tasty looking pear. They are delicious in a smoothie or alone and are so good this time of year. I wish I had a pear story to tell but none I can think of. I know they make a wonderful.Christmas present. I was fortunate enough to have been on the receiving end a couple of times.
Thanks so much, June! 😃💕 Yeah, pear stories are not a common thing.. hehe… though I would agree they make a wonderful gift!
Looks fresh and ripe to me!
Thanks so much!! 😃💕
Nice pears! Joe just brought me some home from the store today. I love them. Smoothies on the other hand kind of confuse me. Baby food for grownups just isn’t a selling point. I’ll eat my fruit and vegetables with texture please.
Thanks, Lisa! 😃💕 lol… yeah, I didn’t really sell smoothies very well in this post. hehe… they are actually delicious, but I do still prefer whole fruit!
“goals are a wonderful thing”
That is true indeed, but so are luscious desserts…
Food has a way of creeping most deliciously into your
posts. I have learned to pour a cup of rich, freshly ground
hazelnut before I begin reading. It just goes well with the
sumptuous meal you always provide with your art and wit.
Thanks, Sarah! 😃💕 Yeah, food is a wonderful thing for the soul! Calories be damned at times. Life is all about balance.
I don’t like pears. Gritty. LoL. However, I love the look of them. Always pretty colors and such an odd shape. Yours are beautiful. Eat your fruit and vegies whole. When you pre chop/mash them up, they don’t do their job and you can put on weight. 😉
Thanks! 😃💕hehe… yeah, I hear on the gritty part. Some are super gritty and I don’t care for them at all! And yes, chewing is definitely a preferred behavior. Most of my extra weight, though, comes from eating out. 😉
Then don’t eat out…….bahawaaha!
Wonderful painting. I have tasted pears only a few time and I must say that I am not a big fan. But your painting reminded me that it has been a long time since I last tasted it…may be this time I will enjoy it more! 🙂 (trying smoothie is on my list now!)
Thanks so much, Jui! 😃💕hehe… yeah, I’ve found food is always worth a second taste. Our tastes change so much over time that it’s surprising what we might enjoy today!
Totally agree with you on this! 🙂
Beautiful pears. There is one sitting on my kitchen counter that will be part of today’s lunch!
Thanks, Mary! 😃💕 And yum to that lunch! Sounds delicious!
I’ve missed reading your posts and tonight i needed a little pick me up and your post was just “pearfect”. I always say to my kids, reach for the moon, if you miss it, you’ll fall into the stars. Have a great evening.
Aww I’m so thrilled you came back for this post, Gwendolyn! 😃💕So happy you enjoyed it! And that’s a perfectly wonderful thing to tell kids… and remind adults.
I love your pears painting and ramble! You asked for our pear stories. I don’t know if you’re aware that I’ve been writing short stories to make my animal postcards fit the Inktober and October Doodlewash prompts. My story to make this line & wash fit Inktober prompts: #Inktober2018 Prompt Swollen #doodlewashOctober2018 prompt Pears: Now, it is known that Guinea Pig likes fruit, and he was especially fond of pears.
“Don’t eat too many pears,” his mother told him. “You’ll have bad dreams if you eat too many pears.”
Despite this good advice, when Guinea Pig found a tree surrounded by fallen pears, he began to eat them. Gobble, gobble, he ate and he ate, and soon he’d eaten every one of them!
Tired after this prodigious feat, he yawned and found a nice bush to nap under.
It wasn’t long before he woke, feeling strange. His stomach hurt and when he looked, he saw it was swollen. And still swelling, larger and larger! It swelled until it burst!
And that’s when he really woke up. His tummy was swollen, as you might imagine, from eating too many pears, but it was only a dream that it burst. “I’ll never eat a pear, again!” he vowed.
And he never did … until he came upon the next tree with fallen pears.
Thanks, Sandra! 😃💕I love that story! A fabulous fable that should be in print! Which begs the question… when are you publishing your children’s book? 😉
Lol! People have been asking that for a long time. One of these days, I just wake up and decide to do it. Until then, I won’t. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Yep.. that’s pretty much how I approach life! LOL And probably why we’re good friends! ;-)💕
And the weight gain only seems to get worse during the winter. At least for me anyway. 😉 I’ll lose 5 or 10 lbs in the summer and gain it all back in the winter. Such a vicious cycle! Lol… Love the pears, makes me want one now. 😉
hehe… I count on that vicious cycle! LOL I only hope I can lose the pounds in the summer to make up for the gluttony of winter. 😉 This year… I’m about 5 pounds behind. 😊
Oh gosh, me too! I’m about 6 behind. But the cold weather started a few weeks ago, so maybe I’m just getting a head start! Lol… 😉
haha! You and me both! We’re just overachievers! 😉
Lol… I love how you put that! 😉