Written by When I was a kid, I loved enjoyed having a Popsicle in the summer months. They were a welcome thing indeed as the hot sun blistered down on me, threatening to melt me into molten lava. My mom always had the kind in plastic called freezer pops that were just a neon-colored frozen liquid that you pushed out of a tube. The really fancy popsicles were acquired only by chasing the dinging bell of an ice cream truck like a pack of wild dogs. This required quick thinking as I first had to run inside to get a couple quarters from mom and then dash back out again into the street. There I would meet back up with my other pack animals, panting and drooling, as we screamed our way in the direction we thought the truck was heading. Looking back, had it not been such a crazy and gleeful event, I’m not sure we would have bothered. We might have stayed indoors simply building things out of popsicle sticks. That was an equally thrilling experience for me. Like when little kids ignore the main gift and would rather just play with the box.
I would build amazing things out of popsicle sticks! Well, made amazing almost entirely due to my imagination. To those I showed my creations, I’m sure they were just being polite and commenting on what still looked very much to be just a bunch of sticks. Popsicle sticks have a maddening inability to bend, which makes creating organic shapes a bit of a challenge. Showing a square lump of sticks to an adult and calling it “cute puppy” is indeed cute, but for entirely different reasons. Even as a very little kid I knew when I was being humored and I didn’t like it. I quickly switched to chairs, houses, stairs, bridges and lots of other far more geometric structures. And I would often get so engrossed in making things, I could sometimes barely be broken out of my trance by the dinging ice cream truck and start my frantic primal pursuit. This “zone” that I was in, is the same zone I finally found again as an adult, now painting with watercolor each and every day.
My friends are amazed at my commitment of doing something, anything really, on a daily basis. Particularly since they’re well aware of my notoriously short attention span. But for me, it’s as simple as choosing to always make a tiny bit of time to go into that wonderful zone. It’s refreshing and makes my entire day better having taken just a few minutes to disconnect and relax a bit while sketching and painting. Sure, there are many other things I could or “should” be doing, and lots of shiny distractions in my path as I head to my kitchen counter each and every day to sketch. But no matter how sweet the proposed treat may seem to me, I know that making something new is the greatest treat of all. Results may vary, but the results aren’t really the point. The point is in the making and taking the time to make. So, that’s what I do each day now, finding that I’ve actually managed to still have all of life’s other little treats while I also make a bit of time to paint. So, I guess it’s not really a question after all. It’s quite possible to enjoy both the popsicle and the stick.
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The rocket lolly looks great! It’s been years since I’ve had one! We’re experiencing something of a heatwave right now, so we could do with all the lollies we can get. I can’t say I used to run for the ice cream van 😉 but remember having fun with the lolly sticks, not least because they used to have jokes on them! Double the fun after finishing your frozen treat 😉
Thanks, Jacob! 😃💕 Yeah, seriously, if we can’t at least agree on a rocket lolly our friendship is definitely going to be a challenge! LOL But you KNOW when we finally meet, we’ll be having ice cream to celebrate the event right? 😉
Ha! Hmm… well, it’d be a small price to pay, and would certainly leave you with a special (and rare) memory of our encounter! So yes, why not? I wouldn’t hold it against you for life or anything 😉
haha! You probably would, but that’s okay… I’d simply buy you a zonkey and all would be repaired. 😉
Haha, oh, it so would!
I love your passion and commitment to your art. Thank you for the inspiration ❤️
Thanks so much, Jodi! 😃💕And back at you my friend! Thank YOU for all you do to inspire others. It’s wonderful!
Love your popsicle – but I’d definitely rather have the popsicle sticks. The popsicle is here then gone while the sticks are useful on and on.
Thanks, Sandra! 😃💕So true!! Long those lasting popsicle sticks… hehe… so many wonderful possibilities!!
Good memories and nice Popsicle!
I had a popsicle about an hour ago😄!! Yours look like the real thing. There is nothing like being in the zone!
Thanks, Lisa! 😃💕 The zone is everything!! And yeah, I’m just a wee bit jealous that you actually had a popsicle! lol
Thanks so much, Mary!! 😃💕
I’m officially addicted to sugar, so absolutely the popsicle!! 🙂
hehe!! Doesn’t get much more sugary than that for sure!! Yum! 😃💕
Wow! Amazing rocket-pop detail. Glad to know of your popsicle stick building adventures. I want to give Little Charlie a hug for his enthusiasm, creativity, and joie de vivre!
Aww thanks, Sharon! 😃💕 Little Charlie would return your hug… was always a bit of a hugger. 😉 And cheers to never losing that creative spirit!
Amazing memories and refreshing Popsicles !! 😁🌼
Thanks so much, Nandini! 😃💕 So happy you enjoyed this!
Nice popsicle painting and interesting story…Reminded me of my childhood days of buying popsicles during summer vacations…
Thanks, Anita! 😃💕 Yeah, those popsicle memories are the best! Always takes me back to childhood!
Popsicles are a huge thing in my house. My twin boys are always asking for them. We too have the “neon” liquid in the plastic sleeve, but we also enjoy the variety of “bomb” pops from time to time. We have even made our own yogurt pops in the past. Popsicles are definitely a cherished summertime treat!
Yum!! 😃💕 That all makes me hungry my friend! hehe… and yogurt pops are wonderful as well… far healthier I’m sure, but those bomb pops were seriously the bomb! 😉
Simply beautiful! The painting and the story 🙂
robert
Thanks so much, Robert! 😃💕 I’m so happy you enjoyed both! Appreciate it!
We used to make log cabins out of popsicle sticks.
And we had those rocket pops even back in my day.
Wow…the memories! Many thanks!!
Glad this brought back great memories, Sarah! 😃💕 Yeah, I passed a freezer at the grocery filled with these rocket pops and yet… didn’t think I would enjoy them as much as I did. So we got some all-fruit pops instead. I’m about to have one in a moment actually! hehe
Love the Rocket pop. A fun popsicle to paint. There is a bright pink ice cream truck that comes to our neighborhood each summer. I remember so well waiting for the ice cream truck when I was a kid. Sadly, I have yet to see a child wait for it here, but the truck still slowly drives through the neighborhood with the music playing in hopes that they sell a popsickle or two.
Thanks, June! 😃💕 Yeah, it’s the same here… no crowds of kids chasing the truck, just a solitary bell. It makes me kind of sad to see them. What have we given up?
Lovely post.
Thanks so much! 😃💕