A Month Has Passed Already?

My goodness!  I didn't realize I hadn't posted here for over a month!  And I had determined to do so much better with this blog.  Actually, I'm not sure how many people actually read it but it's a good way for me to keep track of my artistic progress so I want to keep it up as best I can.

One reason I haven't posted for a while is that we took a trip to see my family in Kansas.  We actually didn't stay all that long but it takes two days to drive out there and two days to get back home.  When I was younger (a LOT younger), single and stupid, I would drive straight through which took anywhere from eighteen to twenty-two hours!!!!  As I said, I was young and really stupid so wouldn't dream of doing that now days!  Actually, all the driving is done by my husband as he won't let me drive on trips and that's ok with me.  I've really done all the driving I care to by now!

So that trip took a big bite out of April and I already told you that the Carolina Wrens nested in one of the houses that my DH built last year.  Well, the eggs hatched and I've been completely besotted with the babies to the point of spending way too much time watching them!  They finally left the nest yesterday though and I feel bereft!  I didn't even get to see them leave the nest but I heard the mama wren making a ruckus and saw the babies on our large porch with a small black snake coming up the steps after them!  I ran for a broom or something to stop the snake and got back just in time to see mama get two of the babies to fly away with her.  The other one hopped/flew around the corner of the porch while I went to distract the snake.  It disappeared so I grabbed my camera and took pictures of the remaining baby while frantically trying to signal my husband.  Of course he was mowing the back forty and paying absolutely no attention to me!  When he finally saw me and came running, the snake had once again started up the steps.  Fortunately, my husband was quick to take care of it.

I've also done some painting but not as much as I'd like to.  Here is a rabbit I recently completed and I'm working on a couple of other wildlife subjects.

The rabbit painting is in homage to all the rabbits on our farm (see THIS post) although we haven't seen as many in the past couple of years as we did when that post was made.  All the rabbits seem to 'hide in plain sight' and we can almost step on them before they move!

Anyway, the rabbit was painted with gouache on watercolor canvas.

Now that you're pretty much all caught up for the time being, I'll go back to work on a pastel painting that I just started.  Maybe, if you're really good, I'll even make a WIP out of it.