It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, has January. Ups and downs, with a lot of snow, torrential rains and flooding, extremely cold weather, and occasional bright days when I have gratefully taken hundreds of photographs.
My workaday world has been one of entirely treacherous footing, which changes nothing about the daily chores except that they take longer. It's a relief when there is snow to walk on instead of ice! I think Moxie agrees, as it makes her commute to the barn much more pleasant:
Piper has been spending a lot of time in recent weeks sensibly snoozing on her couch. She usually accompanies me on the short penguin-walk to the letterbox, but must wait for reasonably safe conditions before we go walking in the woods. We've made the most of it whenever possible!
The biggest January news in Goat World - apart from the ongoing hoof-trimming which always results in heating pads and icepacks for the trimmer - is that the handsome buck returned for a brief visit on Sunday. Now both Vinca AND Azalea may become mamagoats in June! I haven't gotten a good picture of either one this month, so here instead to represent the entire Cloud Harvest Cashmere herd is a January portrait of LeShodu, my Matriarch doe who turned 13 last May:
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| "And STILL the Boss!" |
What I've really wanted to write about all through January - and in December, actually - is the wrapping up of the final "mystery" phase of the 3-part construction project. But I haven't, because it isn't. Wrapped up. In fact, there has been a series of absurd delays - not caused by me or by the carpenter, I hasten to say - beginning in November. November! And I don't want to say anything more about it, partly because it might give away the "mystery" and partly because my head might explode. So...
...moving on to a very different project, my Daily Markmaking effort of 2018 has progressed nicely. I've drawn or painted a little sketch every night in January. Here are a couple you haven't seen:
Something I really enjoy about watercolor is the way it looks close up. For example, here is a "detail" view of the above:
(I just enjoy this.)
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It snowed again last night, so February is starting off as February often does.
And on we go!
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You always take such nice photos. Can't wait for babygoats! Your sketches have such smoothness - I can see why you like the leaves so much!
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you, Sally! And yes, fingers crossed for happy healthy kids flying around in June :)
DeleteI envy your ability to draw. I have always wanted to but have no talent in that area. So I will just enjoy yours! Good luck with the baby goats, and with the ice and snow. February has drawn the bolt on January, and put it in cold storage. Now we shall see what this month will bring.
ReplyDeleteWell, so far it has brought more snow and ice, and tomorrow another 8 inches of snow is predicted, followed by a couple of hours of sleet... ;)
DeleteReally looking forward to the grand reveal of the mysterious construction project! And the prospect of baby goats...of course there will be pictures. We're heading into another stretch of very cold and, by all reports, a rather abundant dumping of the white stuff. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteYup. We had a preview snowfall of a couple of inches today, with the "real" storm expected tomorrow. Stay warm!
DeleteTwo mama goats! That will be a thrill! I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if you've had a rough winter so far. Ours has been so absurdly warm and dry that I actually rooted for Phil to see his shadow. He did, and so did our local marmot... so perhaps our winter will turn around.
I love your watercolors, Quinn. I love the closeup look too. The texture is beautiful. The red boots made me smile!
Pats to Piper. She is a good dog.
She is :) And Piper, for one, will be very disappointed to see the end of the construction project as there has been an intermittent stream of "guests" visiting her!
DeleteGreat pictures. LeShodu and Jingles are the same age. She will be 14 in April. :) Here's to warmer days and more wandering with Piper. Take care.
ReplyDeleteWarmer or more snow would be good. The ice is really tricky for Piper - she just seems to think she can outrun it!
DeleteMoxie is a Beautiful cat! I can hardly believe Jan is gone, before I know it, Feb will follow. Quinn, you've a wonderful talent, thanks for letting us see your drawings.
ReplyDeleteI agree about Moxie and the speedy passing of time - January was a blur! Thanks for the kind words about my drawings. I don't know about talent, really, but I'm having a lot of fun at very little expense :)
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