Coming Up For Air

I know I haven't been very good about keeping up with my blog here.  Heck, it's been kinda difficult just keeping up with life lately! 

Spring is the time for renewal and growth and our garden has certainly been testament to that.

But, this spring has also brought the loss of my beloved horse, Bonnie.  She always seemed so healthy and it was easy to forget that she was a "senior" because she really didn't look it.  But, she went down on the Saturday before Mother's Day and while she rallied for a bit after a shot from the vet, we ended up having to euthanize her the next morning.  Man!  That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do and I thank God that my dear husband was home.  He's so supportive and such a rock for me.  We buried her in the small pasture behind the barn and this wonderful man of mine planted the whole area in wildflower seeds!  I know seeing the flowers in bloom will be very bittersweet.

I did the drawing above through my tears.  It's not very good, I know.  It's charcoal and I don't have any experience with charcoal.  I also haven't drawn many horses.  But this was cathartic for me and I don't really care that it's not perfect.  I guess a wobbly little foal running through a meadow of wildflowers sort of symbolizes my wobbly steps back into my own life.  Sort of stepping into a new "normal" that doesn't include trips to the barn twice a day, or heavy feed bags or hay bales. 

However, I still find myself slipping into my barn boots twice a day and panicking when I see the open pasture gate - the habits of well over 20 years are awfully hard to break.

A Photo in a Million

I looked out the kitchen door this morning to see a hawk sitting on a fence post in Bonnie's pasture. I ran for my camera and it stayed still long enough to get a couple of shots with him and Bonnie alongside one another! This one is the best of them both together.

I think this is a Cooper's hawk but am not 100% sure. If anyone can verify, I'd appreciate it. The reason I'm unsure is because we have several varieties of hawks around here with the most common being the red-tailed hawk.

Anyway, I'm not a great birder and we so seldom see these magnificent creatures this close. He was eating a grub on that fence post. We've been exceedingly dry up until a few days ago and then have had rain nearly every day since. I guess the grubs are coming to the surface to keep from drowning and we have birds everywhere right now! BTW, that's why my Bon looks so dirty - she loves to be out in the rain and mud!

It's Freezing!

Window Indoor?Outdoor Thermometer

I imagine any readers in Canada and the Northern states of the US are laughing at my statement that it's freezing here but we just aren't used to these kind of temperatures! It's pretty rare that we get even temperatures at the freezing mark for any length of time during the winter. Of course, it does happen, it's not unheard of, but when we do get these temps, it's still a major shock to the system!

The thermometer above shows the temperature a few minutes ago when I went to the barn to take care of my horse. The figure that says the indoor temperature is only 54 is skewed by the fact that the little wire that allows the outdoor sensor to go outdoors also allows just enough cold air to come in that it messes up the indoor temperature. However, it is pretty cool inside also and the heat has barely stopped running all morning!

I feel for all of you who are having minus 45 degree temps and huge snowfalls. But, I'll bet you're a bit better prepared for them than we are here. Since I lack a sturdy, warm winter coat (a hooded sweatshirt is usually sufficient for outdoor wear), you should have seen me dressed for the barn this morning! I was wearing my husband's orange down emergency coat that is issued where he works and I looked like an orange Michelin Tire man!

And thank God that my Bonnie B wasn't her usual messy self as the newly bedded stall was CLEAN! Of course, any wet spots could have been easily lifted as they would surely be chunks of ice. As it was, I was done in the barn in record time!

All I can say is that I hope everyone is staying warm in this unusually cold weather. Don't do anything foolish outside and be prepared for any emergency when driving.

Or, better yet, just stay inside and paint!

Spirit Horse?

"Back to the Wind"
pastel on black stock
copyright Jan Gibson

I seem to have done several things in the past few days that are pretty much out of the norm for me. The first is the pastel painting of the horse shown above which just about painted itself. It also broke the artistic slump I've been in for some time for which I'm very grateful!

I posted this painting at one of my art forums and one responder said that it made her feel slightly disturbed because it looked ghost-like. I guess the translucent quality of the painting might give that impression but it was never intended to do so.

I think it came out this way because I'd been looking at photos trying to spark an interest in painting again and had found a bunch of carousel horse photos. None really moved me to paint them though.

Then, I've been spending a lot of time with my own horse as she evidently got tangled in a fence as her front legs are cut just above the hooves. She also was limping slightly on a rear leg probably as the result of the same incident. So, she's been receiving treatments to the cuts several times a day and I've also had to give her "horse aspirin" and a powdered antibiotic both of which she hates and refuses to take no matter how well hidden they are. As you can imagine, she's been on my mind a lot.

I think the carousel horse photos plus being with Bonnie so much merged in my mind to become the above painting. A blend of reality and fantasy. It's also similar to the painting of the dog, Lucky, that I posted here some time ago. Maybe that's the direction my art is supposed to take as both paintings came quickly and naturally to me. However, only certain subjects lend themselves well to this style and I think I'd get bored very quickly if it's all I ever painted!

Oh, well, enjoy the horse - perhaps there will be more in this style in the future (or maybe there won't)!