Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Feeling Full of Promise

Canada Geese family 

My daughter has just left for home, and the house is eerily quiet. Although I miss her already, I’m looking forward to plunging back into the routines of everyday life and accomplishing half done tasks that had been put aside.

A gentle rain is falling to water the lilac bush that we moved yesterday, looking very comfortable in its new spot. It’s no longer hiding behind the maple tree but now has its own spot to shine on its own. The small lilac that I feared was destroyed by the drunk driver who crashed through our yard four years ago has grown and is full of blooms this year; the first time ever. 

All the flower beds are full of promise, but I’m behind in getting to them this season due to Winter overstaying its welcome and another ailing pet that has taken a lot of my attention for over a week. 

Our little cat, Molly, quit eating and developed a high fever two weeks ago. She spent almost three days in the vet hospital and then had daily trips back for treatment of a raging bladder infection. Most troubling was the fact that she refused to eat almost anything for four days; a very serious matter for a cat. She became quite weak, and we feared the worst. 

However, at last she rallied and began eating and has been ravenous since. Slowly, she’s regaining her strength and returning to her old self. 

Meanwhile, there was a house to clean and food to prepare for the holiday weekend. The weather was sunny but on the chilly side; just right for my son’s running in the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City. Otherwise, we didn’t do much but spend quality time together - and move that lilac bush.  

On Sunday morning, a family of Canada geese floated into our beach; five little goslings with Mom and Dad herding them along. They stayed long enough for me to get some really good photos which I’m now looking forward to painting. 

Heading into the woods on an evening trail ride
Meanwhile at the barn, Scottie and I have gone on some trail rides with our friends, and Scottie has done very well. He seems to have gotten his energy back and is able to go farther and longer than last year. That is a very good sign; something I hadn’t thought possible a few months ago. I am overjoyed. 

Now that the hubbub has calmed down, it’s time to get back to all the unfinished projects including those unfinished paintings hanging on the studio wall. I’ve already committed to being in  a local art exhibit in June/July, so that gives me incentive to break out the paints once again. 

Let the Fun Begin!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

"Naptime"; A Plein Air Sketch of Two Horses


"Naptime" 6x7 inch pencil sketch

Spring has been very slow in coming to our area of the country, but now the grass is green, the trees are starting to leaf out, and daffodils and forsythia are in bloom. At the barn, the barn swallows are back and are busy making and tending to nests. 

The other day, Scottie had his third appointment with the equine dentist, and it was a relief to hear that he’s doing very well. The deep pocket that had possibly been the source of the infection has now closed completely and shows nice pink tissue. 

Scottie has to be sedated for the dental exam and procedures, so I had some time to kill after the vet left until he recovered enough to be turned out again. I took my little camp stool and a sketch pad out into the pasture and sketched Elmer and Millie as they dozed in the warm sun. They stayed still long enough for me to get the drawings pretty well done, and I cleaned them up a bit later in the evening. 

Not only has the weather held up any gardening, but a very sore shoulder delayed it for another week. Never the less, I did get out for a couple of hours and have so far made good progress. That is, when warm weather returns again. 

One of the tasks that I tackled while laid up with a bum shoulder was to finally get around to updating my website. I’ve added newer works and just generally made needed changes to many pages. It’s not quite done yet but getting there. This will do until I can completely redesign the website with a new look and different structure. Take a peek here; http://www.equineartist.com .

Today it’s blustery outside and a bit of snow is in the air. Who knew that there would be snow on Mother’s Day? 

Having gotten a number of more urgent tasks out of the way, I’m now looking forward to doing some artwork again this coming week.