The Winter That Almost Wasn't

Winter Sunset 2012

Is it too late to wish everyone a Happy New Year? Perhaps Happy St. Patrick’s Day would be more appropriate. 

I’ve been quite busy since last posting in the Fall but didn’t want any more time to pass before returning to the blogosphere. So, here goes a short one. 

I spent quite a bit of time going through our Christmas decorations in December now that they are all conveniently accessible in the attic. As a result, we had more decorations around the house, and it did look nice if I do say so. Another big project I accomplished was organizing all of my Christmas village pieces and inventorying them. They are now also conveniently packed away for easy access. I did a major setup this year, and it also looked pretty smashing. We all really enjoyed it. Next year I will work on giving it a more appropriate background, but it was still lovely as it was. I’ve shared two views of it for you to enjoy, too. 

Christmas Village 2011

Christmas Village 2011 Note all the horses

We’ve had some spectacular sunsets in the past few months, and I’m sharing one of those, too. 

As for this winter, it was almost The Winter That Wasn’t. Until this past weekend when we got walloped by Mother Nature here in northern Michigan with a very wet snow that took down many power lines. We lost power for two and a half days but managed to survive thanks to our generator and wood stove. The generator gave out Sunday morning, so we went without power for 24 hours but thankfully all the contents of the freezer and frig survived. There are many people who still have no power, so we are very thankful not to be among them. 

After the big March storm, a wintery fairyland

I haven’t taken any photos at the barn lately because it’s usually getting dark by the time I get there. We have all been riding fairly regularly, and Scottie is doing well on his new supplements. That makes me very happy and relieved. Him, too, I’m sure. 

Since I’ve been working on taxes and so forth, no artwork has gotten done, but I hope that will change next week. I’ve signed up for a fundamentals of painting class at the arts council gallery in Bellaire and am very much looking forward to it. The instructor is a man who was classically trained in Florence, Italy years ago, so he will have much knowledge to impart. 

I’ve also signed up for a beginners class in acrylics and hope they get enough students to hold it. It’s been many years since I worked in that medium, and I have no memory of how to handle it. 

That’s it for today. I will try to get back on a weekly schedule of posting but must put priority on those pesky taxes for now. 

Last Gasp of Winter

“Forsythia”

Even though it’s snowing today, I thought I’d show you one of our forsythia bushes that is blooming right now. It’s about the only new image there is to share.

The saga of the lame horse continues. As I write, I’m awaiting a call from the vet for an appointment to have Scottie looked at again and some xrays taken. He’s no longer visibly limping at the walk, but the swelling behind the cannon bone is still there. Shelley is thinking he pulled a suspensory ligament, and I’m inclined to agree.

Scottie is thoroughly enjoying all this extra attention. He was so glad to see me on Tuesday that he gave me big wet kisses on the neck and cheek and tried to groom me as I worked on him. He’s very good about standing still while I hold the cold pack on his leg or use the ice cup and he enjoyed the cold pack on his neck after I finished massaging his lump. Going along with all of that has been some thorough grooming and hair removal, and at last we’re making progress. He doesn’t look quite so much like a pudgy Shetland pony anymore.

All this time together without the work of riding sessions has been good for our bonding. I’m ready and anxious to get back to riding, though, and start some trail rides early in the year this year. But first I have to clean the saddle and bridle which are waiting in the laundry/tack room.

On the art front, I’ve talked to my new mentor who has given me his fee for lessons which is very reasonable. That was a big relief. We’ll get together one more time to sort of plan things out, and then the lessons will begin. I can hardly wait!

In the meantime, I’ve also been going to doctor appointments and dealing with yet another computer problem. At this moment I can’t send emails and can’t post much on online forums and am trying to figure out what’s wrong. Sometimes the letters type in reverse order which is very disconcerting. So far everything off line is working. If I owe you an email, be patient with me while I work to resolve this issue.

On Monday I’ll be getting an MRI of my head ( my daughter says it’s about time I got my head examined! Cheeky one that. ) Well, actually it will be four MRI’s that the ear, nose and throat doctor prescribed. I hope they will reveal why I can’t shake these sinus infections, what’s causing the dizziness and head aches and ear aches and why I’m hearing my pulse in my ears 24/7. Not that I’m obsessing or anything, but I would like some answers and preferably some cures.

Oh, all right! You twisted my arm so here’s another photo of my handsome boy. Isn’t he cute?!

Whatever Happened to Spring??

Our snow was pretty much all gone until last night. That's when the Winter Storm Warning began for us, and now we have plenty of the white stuff again, along with high winds and drifting. It's a good thing my husband hadn't taken the snow blower off the tractor yet.

I've worked a little more on the Belgian painting the past two days and have made a little more progress. Most notably, the inside of the trailer has been painted, and this has given the painting more depth. Later I'll give some tone to that interior so that it isn't such a dark hole, but it's an improvement for now. I also painted the chrome strip on the roof, added more highlights and put in the reflections of the horses and the grass. I may need to add more grass color to make the reflections more believable later on, and after that, the whole trailer will be glazed over with a darker blue.

Now that the trailer is well under way, I can turn my attention to the horses again; the part I've been anxiously waiting for. In the next step, the left hand horse will be painted and made darker as was my plan from the beginning. The painting should really come alive with this step.

Since it's tax season, I've also been working on taxes, and they will be my focus until today's paint is dry. I can't wait to get the taxes done and to the accountant so that I can spend more time on art again. That should be enough incentive to keep going and not procrastinate any longer, like I've been doing along with just about every other American.