Mambo

sprained hand update: the palm of my hand is still a creepy shade of green. but i think green is the color of a bruise that is on its way out. still pretty painful and stiff but swelling is down (thank u advil) and i'm seeing new progress every day.

but really i want to compliment haiku ewe on her mambo today. she has done a great job with her crooning all week long. way to go, haiku ewe! if the bull doesn't notice u after all this then he is blind.

and i think it is pretty big of me to compliment u when u have been devoid of compassion for me with my wound. yes. i said it. devoid of compassion. i was filled with sympathy for u during ur cow tipping infirmary stay. i even brought u some purple flowers as a special snack.

Still Sprained

Haiku Ewe is impatient for my hand to heal as am I. Unfortunately, we just aren't there yet. The good news is that i'm getting faster and faster at typing with only my left hand.

Sprained!

It's sprained! My hand is sprained!! They took xrays yesterday and no break was visible to the naked eye (good) and they are sending xrays to lab for closer inspection to be certain. Did I mention it's my drawing hand that I sprained??

My hand is now in lock-down to ensure a quick full healthy recovery.

The sheep has been less than sympathetic (surprise).

It took me about 15 minutes to type this w/ only my left hand. I go now.

Crooning

I hurt my hand this weekend so I am just going to type (ouch) a short post and then sign off. This week is going to be Haiku Ewe's tribute to crooning. She is surprisingly good. She imagines herself all over the place and in all sorts of situations including, but not limited to, the great Ella Fitzgerald.

Hand hurts. Gotta go.

Hope you enjoy!

Naps

Some people can nap until the cows come home. Oops. Sorry. Haiku Ewe isn't a huge fan of cows and doesn't like cow references.

Anyway, I am not a napper. Naps stress me out. Am I the only person in the world who feels that way? When I lie down, I start thinking of all the stuff I should be getting done and then I get stressed out and my heart starts pounding and I realize I would have been better off had I jut kept running around getting stuff done.

My heart is actually pounding right now because I stillll have not gone to the post office to mail that stupid thing. Grr! I have to get that done today! Wow. Evidently, even the mere mention of naps stresses me out.

Fire!

I love bonfires. I love the smell and the excitement of being so close to a big ole fire. It feels a little dangerous while actually being totally safe. Unless you are covered in fleece. Is fleece flammable?

Speaking of the word "flammable," I mizpellld it on the strip today. BlueRaven noticed. Which makes me crazy. I double check (dictionary.com!) every word three times before I post it. Except "flammable" evidently. Yar!! I'm going to leave it for now. But soon, very soon, I expect I will break down and replace it with the corrected version.

- - - -
Ok. I googled and all I could find was information about the use of sheep to help prevent wildfires. Not a bad idea. I didn't find any info about whether or not their fleece in flammable. But why take a chance, right?

So, it's a good thing Haiku Ewe played it safe today. Well done, young sheep.

In ewe words:
"Sheep can help the world
One fire at a time munch munch
Fire prone brush tastes gooood"

Now.

It's a glorious California day and Haiku Ewe has found a little pond. Maybe it's just a puddle. I'm not sure. It's new to us anyway. I digress. Haiku Ewe found a pond and has been staring at her reflection.

The pond and the kind feedback we have been receiving from a few fans over the past couple of days led us to think about the ego. It's interesting how when we first see our beautiful face reflected or first read the flattering words, we feel ten feet tall. All suddenly becomes right with the world. The grass is greener, the sky is bluer, the cows are even a little less obnoxious. But then the good feeling fades and we begin to want more praise.

It's like a drug in two ways. First, it's addictive and we find ourselves always chasing after more. Second, paranoia sets in. Every time Haiku Ewe starts to say something she hesitates for a moment wondering if her statement will be "good enough."

So it becomes a vicious circle: wanting more praise, receiving it and becoming more paranoid and in need of more praise. Today Haiku Ewe and I are going to focus on the now.

We are going to become fully aware of the moment in which we currently find ourselves. Haiku Ewe won't let her thoughts wander to the delicious purple flowers in the back field and I won't let my thoughts wander to the trip I need to make to the post office to mail that stupid thing that should have gone out days and days ago and I wonder if there will be a line and will it be hot because it's always hot there. Oops.

The Love!!!

Haiku Ewe and I are both aware that self love and true joy are supposed to come from places that are not dependent on people. However, we haven't learned how to do that and so we are dancing around and giggling because of the following post on the gocomics site:

Haiku purple ewe
We love you so much that we
Write love poems too.
--Shikamoo MB

We love you too, Shikamoo MB!!!

How could we POSSIBLY have a bad day now? We can't!

To be truly loved
To be appreciated
Tis bliss for my soul

Ok, Haiku Ewe was a little over drama there. Yes you were and you know it. She's giving me this look like I just asked for some ketchup to put on my cruller. Whatever.

Bulls. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

Today our dear sheep is in a tree. I have no idea how she managed to shimmy up there with hooves. Nor do I know how she'll get down. Does she? Oh boy.

Today, Haiku Ewe seems to be fully in love and also ready to move on . . . from the farm . . . but . . . she's a sheep. Where would she go?

Also, I hope she doesn't see my blog, but I don't see how a romance between a sheep and a bull could possibly work. Then, when I look a little closer at how arrogant and self absorbed this bull is, it makes me want to take Haiku Ewe by the shoulders and shake her. Why do women so often have such bad taste in men.

It seems to me that if a man thinks you have good taste simply because you are attracted to him, then you've fallen for a jerk. That should be your first clue to run away as fast as you can. I don't tell her what I think though. When I've tried in the past, she has looked at me with daggers in her eyes and then bleated in this weird way that I don't ever want to hear again. It was like a cross between a dying three legged cat and a can opener.

Fortuantely, she is in a good mood though. Perhaps that is the point. When we find ourselves in a good mood, we should cling to it and savor it. For soon a cow will sashay by and our bull will grow distracted and that good mood will shatter into a million pieces of heartache . . . like when you are taking a vitamin that is large and you gulp too much water and it feels like you are having a heart attack. Does that ever happen to anyone else or just me?

The Bull

It appears Haiku Ewe has a little crush on the bull. It's odd how women chose their men. He seems to me to be a giant flaky flirt, but to each their own. He also seems to be head over heals in love with himself. But, again, to each their own.

Haiku Ewe seems really distracted today. She keeps looking over at the bull and I think she even tried to talk to him once or twice already. Maybe the reason she hates cows so much is because they get all of the attention from the bull. I dread the day she learns what the bull is on the farm to do with the cows.

Hairless Humans

I think today is quite lovely but Haiku Ewe is already complaining. She claims I could never understand her heat issues unless I had fleece like "normal people." This was followed by a rant about how humans and hairless cats are freaks of nature and "nobody wants to look at that." Thanks.

Humans feel just fine
Those of us with fleece are HOT!

I am sweltering
Eighty degrees without fleece


P.S. I hope wndrwrthg checks this blog because I want this person to know I Haiku Ewe and I think their haikus are great. It's so fun to see them each and every day!

The April 14 Post

Today vs. April 14

As a birthday present to myself, I posted a week of sheering story line strips April 13-17. Except I didn't. Somehow I messed up. Why FTP confuses me so I will never understand. Anyway, the strip that posted today posted on April 14 before I realized I hadn't changed everything around. I fixed it and people can see a strip they haven't seen before by going to April 14.

Is this interesting to anyone? Because I am so bored. What a boring blog post. I told you yesterday I lead a quiet life.

Perhaps I should end this bloodbath of boredom now. I'll try to be more interesting tomorrow.

P.S. I live in downtown Los Angeles. I just looked out my window to see to people repelling off the side of a building to wash its windows. It looks so third world to me. Ironically, they are washing the windows of a very expensive and exclusive town club. Odd.

Straight Talk: Big Al, the gal

If I may be frank and detached regarding today's comic ... may I? This was a day when I was playing with words. "Tyrannosaurus" has 5 syllables and I found that exciting (I lead a quiet life). So, I built a bizarre haiku around it. I thought about not posting it because it's so odd, but then I decided why not. In addition, it was fun to play with Haiku Ewe herself in coming up with an illustration for the haiku.

The comic has bounced around a lot as far as subject matter goes. Things will begin to settle down in that area toward the end of May when week-long themes will reveal a deeper level of Haiku Ewe's personality. In June, these story lines will start to bleed into each other and the larger story arc will begin to emerge.

Sometimes . . . err . . . OFTEN, comic strips focus in on a story line and then drag it out and pound it into the ground until you feel like you want to take a pistol to someone's head . . . namely the creator's. However, I've found that avoiding story lines keeps the reader's relationship with Haiku Ewe superficial and is therefore distancing.

The comic is still new and it feels like a dog circling his spot a few times before he lies down. Hopefully fans will be patient or even curious as Haiku Ewe's personality reveals itself and as the grand story arc of the strip begins to crystalize.

I don't think it would have worked as well if I'd immediately jumped into the deep end of a story line without first slowly introducing readers to our little ewe. Also, it's taken time for people to sniff this comic's butt . . . if I may perpetuate the dog metaphor. The daily haiku is a different approach to a comic strip and people have had to get comfortable with it.

Actually, I thought it would take a lot longer for people to get on board (dog metaphor over), but the majority of the comments and fan mail I've gotten (yes! after only 2 months the strip is getting fan mail!!) have been in haiku. That is so. dang. awesome.

Hopefully this will be the first and last straight-talk-from-the-cartoonist blog post I will do. But I'm unpredictable, so one never can tell.

Thanks for sticking it out and reading the whole thing.
- Big Al (the gal)

P.S. From Haiku Ewe: "Sometimes our Big Al / Obsesses about small stuff / So just smile and nod"

3,000! Woohoo!

Woohoo! We broke 3,000 subscribers!! Every time Haiku Ewe breaks another 1K, I celebrate with yummy churros. There is a restaurant near where I live that makes GREAT churros! Is it wrong to celebrate with food?

Haiku Ewe is nodding that she thinks it is wrong to celebrate with food, but I think I see some purple flowers caught in the fur near her mouth. I seeeee.

We're 3,000 strong!
And growing bigger each day
Haiku Ewe matters

Happy Mother's Day!

Haiku Ewe and I (Big Al, the gal) hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day full of sugar and presents ... and purple flowers (to eat) (that wish if from the sheep).

Haiku Ewe is up to 99% in her recovery from the cow tipping incident. She spent the day sniffing around the farm b/c she thought she smelled something funky. She alerted the dog, but he's old and lazy and not really good for anything. She has not yet found the offending object, but hopes to soon.

Also, we have an important public service (sort of) announcement. The comic on May 13 will seem to be a repeat of April 14. Because it is. You see, I had to move some strips around for the week of April 13-17. I got mixed up (happens a lot) and the one that was supposed to post on May 13 posted on April 14. Then I fixed it. So the comic that was supposed to appear on April 14 now appears properly when you go back through the archives. My basic advice is this: on May 13 look at April 14 by clicking on the calendar.

Does that make sense? Perhaps not. But I'm a cartoonist, so you really shouldn't expect too much of me.

Feeling Better and Nearing 3K!

What a difference a day makes! Wow, Haiku Ewe is back in action and almost at 100%. She is finally out of the infirmary and ambling around the farm a little. She claims that the hay in the infirmary tastes different from the "hay of freedom." I don't really buy that since it all comes from the same place, but we'll let her imagine.

Today is our two month anniversary. Haiku Ewe went live on March 9 and here we are on May 9. We are 25 people away from 3,000 subscribers! Judging from the way the numbers have been increasing (yes, I have been watching them like a hawk for the whole two months), we will hit 3,000 by tomorrow or Monday (and that's being conservative). Wow! Wow!

I still haven't heard back from the gocomics.com people about yesterday's Haiku Ewe comic not loading. I will keep trying and hopefully all will be resolved Monday. However, here is the strip you missed yesterday.

One of Thooooose Days

What a day!

Haiku Ewe is on day 2 in the infirmary because of her injuries from her cow tipping jaunt. And, on top of that, the comic is not loading on gocomics.com. What the?!

The good news is 1. I'm pretty sure it's not my fault (Yay! I did it right!) and 2. People care!!

Oh wherefore art thou
Precious little purple ewe
Are you in a stew?
-- wndrwrthg

(Am I the only one who likes a little rhyme in my haiku every now and then? I just love that. Who's with me? Thank you, wndrwrthg!)

That SHOULD warm my heart and keep me floating all day, right? Well, I'm a cartoonist. And cartoonists see the glass as half empty ... or maybe as about to be totally empty (because we are a people who love food and drink). Well, some punk posted this:

Today’s strip did not load.
It’s been so lame I don’t care.
That sums it all up.
--Edcole1961

Sheesh. Are we cartoonists not human? When you prick us, do we not bleed, Edcole1961? Oh, and by the way, your first line has 6 syllables.

More importantly than the above, Haiku Ewe fans have thus far proven themselves to be exceptionally cool people. Haiku Ewe and I are LOVING all the haikus we see on the gocomics.com page and on Facebook.

Oh, and by the way, to get her to stop tapping me on my knee, I am going to post Haiku Ewe's latest statement:

"Cows are horrible
They are mean violent creatures
We should outlaw them"

Haiku Ewe in Infirmary

Somehow Haiku Ewe got the idea to go cow tipping last night. She is in the infirmary today resting and getting some wounds bandaged. A sheep is just too small to tip a cow over. And sleeping cows kick. -Big Al, the gal

Shaun the Sheep (what a hottie!)

Great Idea!

A friend's suggestion
A cow tipping I will go
Heehee! Thanks Tari!

Beauty

Rude

New cow adjusting
No "hello" no "my name is"
She seems abrasive

So What

What's so all-fired great
About big udders? I mean
They aren't Stealth Fighters

Small and Sour

'09 blueberries
Either a bad season or
Cows ate the good ones

TGIF

It's been a rough week
My favorite hay bale is gone
and there's a new cow