Cows and Babies in Motion

Today's drawings are rubber block direct carvings of some of the cows and babies from earlier in the week.

Cow and Okra

I painted some of last summer's frozen okra before chopping it up to put it in the chicken gumbo that I was starting just as our power went out in this afternoon's gale-force wind.  This sentence sounds like a line from This Is the House That Jack Built. (Anybody remember that??). The little cow looks a bit surly.

Speed Drawing Cows and Babies

The big herd is hunkering down in the field near our house.  Cold rain is on its way.

Lots of up and down movement, hard to catch.

Bell Pepper as Carving

Here are three quick rubber carvings of Bell Pepper from yesterday 's drawings.

A Sheep Named Bell Pepper and Other River Trail News

The east river trail is full of wildflowers and is gearing up for the main event: honeysuckles and roses!

I looped around to the farm to check out the animals.

The steers and a few young cows were much more active than they were a few weeks ago when I drew them in sub-freezing weather.

But the sheep are foundered by their bales of wool!  This sheep could hardly bring her lips down to the grass. I was inside the pasture about ten feet away from the three sheep. Two farm workers walked past and I overheard one of them say, in reference to the black-faced sheep that I drew four times here,"Bell Pepper has been giving me a hard time lately!"  Who can blame here?  When will they shear her?

Here are all three of the wooly sheep, with Bell Pepper in front.

Pea Babies in Blackberry Winter

These babies have just poked through the soil, and we're expecting a freeze tonight and an even harder freeze later next week.  The kale has made it through the winter, so it should be fine.  I'm hoping the snow peas live up to their name! The lone spinach -- we shall see.

Inhabiting

No matter how many times Jesse bites my ankles or leaps onto the dinner table and stalks our forks, I have to admire the way he inhabits his body.

Unapologetically he adores his limbs as he tucks them pillow-like under his head.

I got so close to him that I could hear him breathing. He slitted open one eye then rolled over and went back to sleep, his sinuous spine perfectly curved.