Pearl’s Weekend Newsletter for Saturday, February 8, 2025

What a week it has been!

With the cold weather with rain and snow this week in Coastal Virginia, it’s been a rough one for us. One of the most difficult things for me has been going out and checking on Pearl throughout the night to make sure that she is not too cold (from the weather) or too hot (from her heater).

With a schedule like that, having old movies to watch is always a good idea!Not only is there the weather to worry about but people going around and stealing chickens because eggs are so expensive! Should I put up a sign that says “Pearl Has Retired From Laying Eggs”? This is something I think about every time I leave home and drive anywhere. But there is likely someone out there who would grab Pearl and take her just to see if the sign was true because they could always turn her into a crispy, finger-lickin’ good meal.

But honestly, if anything was to happen to Pearl, I’m unsure what I would do. And so I do what I can do right now to keep going. I illustrate, write, and pray. And I occasionally watch an old “classic” movie since Pearl is such a “classic” herself!

The Mysterious Watcher Showing His Notes

Recently we put forth some story and illustration work using Carrds.com. Traffic was not particularly good. And so Pearl and I put our heads together. We worked on a “bad guy” for our story we started sharing here on Substack recently. We are calling him “The Watcher” because he seems quite fascinated with what happens in and around our Backyard Garden even though Pearl is the only chicken there.

The banditry of chickadees encircled The Mysterious Watcher and examined what he had been holding so guardedly. It was a collection of notes he had made to help himself recover and heal. There was no telling what horrors were hidden by the sand-colored wrappings.

Side Note: It occurred to me this week that what makes a character threatening and scary is not always what is drawn in an illustration. Often what the viewer imagines is far scarier than what can be drawn.

Bonus Side Note: Pearl and I are using the Pages function of Wordpress to be able to display an entire book’s illustration and text in a single scrolling visit. Just use the “three-bar” or “hamburger” menu in the upper right corner of SpotforPearl.com! Happy reading!!!

Beehiive.com—What a Waste of Time!

This past week, we had wanted to get a firm start on a fresh start with a website on Beehiive.com. Although Beehive offers some advantages over other platforms, it did have a considerable learning curve, but honestly the appearance online and in email could not compare with Pearl’s WordPress website with it’s black background that beautifully framed the illustrations and white text that really stood out so well. Look below, and see what I mean?!? (It feels almost like being in a darkened theater, and always makes Pearl ask for popcorn!)

Best Advice: This spot right here is where you want to visit. It will be our One Spot for all of our work while it’s still fresh and new! If you signup to follow, you should get an automatic email notification anytime we post there!

Thanks for reading!

And if mentioning movies and popcorn has you wanting more, try this out from Hats Off Entertainment on YouTube:

This true classic made the phrase “My Little Chickadee” famously popular and features a masked bandit, like the banditry of chickadees in our illustration above). By the way, check out the hat worn by Mae West! Definitely a hat and costume for our girl, Pearl! You’ll also see Margaret Hamilton, the original Wicked Witch of the West before she appeared in Maxwell House Coffee commercials.

Until Next Time…

Thank you for valuing what we do, and thank you for reading and keeping us in your prayers! No matter what, Pearl and I always include our family, friends, and fans in our evening prayers.

Sincerely,

John and Pearl, Gracie and Bessie, Amelia and Emily, and Blanche along with all of our Backyard Garden Songbird Friends