A New Belgian Painting And More

As I sit at my drawing board now I can not only look up and see my back gardens..but I can also look up and see my purple orchid sitting on the window sill. And not only am I happy in the new studio space, but I am joined by my orchid that is so happy it is blossoming and throwing out new buds. The casein on the drawing board is done...two big Belgians....I loved the lighting and shadows in this piece and the tails swishing. It was one of those painting that 'painted it's self". I love it when that happens. I will be putting up on my website.

With my mulch spread, and with the lovely spring weather we have been having, we got the veggie garden tilled and ready to start some seeds in....lettuce and spinach..the curly garlic are already up and green! I so enjoy having the gardens to work in...a quick break from painting and easily accessible now. Gardening is good exercise...stretching and bending!  The pups are loving the gardening time too. An excuse for playtime outside! 

And basking in the spring sunshine...the two black geldings.........muddy black Tennessee Walkers....we are ALL enjoying the coming of spring on the farm. Winters last a long time in Maine.

Trevallion Victoria , our Welsh Cob mare, imported from Great Britain as a yearling, is 22 years old now. It is hard to realize that some many years have gone by...I first met Ms Vicky when she was a 3 year old, fresh and not very well behaved. She and her sister, Trevallion Fergie, where paired and then put together in a four in hand driven by Mr Stacy Lloyd of Berryville, VA. I groomed for the Lloyd's each summer as they drove their Cobs on the Carriage Roads of Acadia National Park. The horses were boarded at Wildwood Stable. We drove every day...and Stacy [as he asked me to call him] taught me the intricacies of carriage driving and Auchenbach.....the German discipline of handling the reins of driving horses. That era is past.

Victoria now lives on our small Maine farm and teaches her daughter, Thistle Mead Margaret, how to behave.......in her queenly manner. For me lately , the ages of our horses [ one at 28 yrs, two at 22 years and the youngster coming 5] have made me sad. Time goes so fast..too quickly... but oh, the good memories we have!

When I haven't been thinking so much about the past, I have been busy in the studio...working on updating my website and trying to get an email newsletter written. I have new works done, but haven't uploaded them to my site........... I have started another watercolor of our Ms Maggie. She always inspires me to paint!

Today was cold and windy out..clouds raced across the dark sky and the sun peeked in and out....a taste of what is to come....winter in full gear.....and I spent time painting our barn doors. I know I should have done it earlier when the weather was warm and sunny. The story of my life I guess!!!