tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-136492492024-03-13T10:13:43.556-06:00A Day in the Life...The art and musings of Victoria Wilson-Schultznaturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.comBlogger413125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-66490264442130702082015-08-28T06:01:00.000-06:002015-08-28T06:01:00.419-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_yjdDthzY_M/Vd2oKiuGpPI/AAAAAAAACIQ/fruvCHq0AG4/s1600/mick3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_yjdDthzY_M/Vd2oKiuGpPI/AAAAAAAACIQ/fruvCHq0AG4/s320/mick3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is with great sadness that we said goodbye to our sweet boy Mick Jaguar today. He had a condition known as Cushings and we just could not keep weight on him. The onset of cooler weather was going to be too difficult for him.</div>
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He was a real challenge when we first got him as he had been passed around from owner to owner, but he found a forever home with us. He finally learned to trust us and became what we affectionately called "big dog". He loved kisses, and scratches and his baths.</div>
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Our pasture is going to be empty without him and I will miss him.</div>
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He was a beauty with an attitude. </div>
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My favorite story of him was when a dear friend had a brain tumor come back for the third time decided to refuse treatment. She wanted to ride one last time so we put her on Mick. Remember, I said he had attitude...he loved to push your buttons until you showed him that he could not get away with his shenanigans. Not that day. He was quiet, still, waited for her to signal him, walked quietly and calmly. Because of her condition, she moved slowly, and he waited for her. He took care of her, and I hope she had a great last ride.</div>
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He was special and unique. </div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-31168018210456776102015-05-30T18:06:00.002-06:002015-05-30T18:08:36.237-06:00I decided that it was time for me to get a creative outlet other than the art. When I was in college I used to go to the piano practice rooms, bribe the security guy (I was not a music major) and play until the wee hours of the night. Mind you...I don't know how to play, but faked my way through it. So I decided on a whim to pull up craiglist and look at baby grand pianos. I found about 8 to look at, 4 were snatched up before I could get there, and that led me to Encinitas. I found my piano, and now I am happier than I can even tell you. I have no idea what I am going to do with it, how I am going to learn how to play, but I am going to recapture that feeling I had playing into the middle of the night at NEO junior college when the world looked so bleak all I had was my tattered music book and time in a 10x10 room. I can't wait.<br />
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So in celebration of my new baby...here is my favorite Billy Joel song...</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUNOmN3YVL0&feature=youtu.be">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUNOmN3YVL0&feature=youtu.be</a></div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-42799382437744000012015-05-30T17:48:00.001-06:002015-05-30T17:53:31.364-06:00<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;">It happens once or twice a year, I get plagued with insomnia to the point that I only sleep a few hours a night for a week or four. I am in the big fat middle of it right now. My clever husband said, stop fighting it and make it work for you. So instead of laying there and making myself try to sleep, I got up at 2 am, went into the studio, looked at some photos I took at a horse show my friend was in and drew this out. I was shocked how easy it came, and the clarity that I ha</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;">d at that hour. By 9 am I had put in a full 7 hours of work and came up with this. Mind you, it is a horrible camera phone picture, but it gave me a euphoric feeling that instead of fighting this, I could make it work for me and get something done. It is my largest painting to date at 24x36 (don't pish that, I am an 11x14 kinda gal) and I can't stop. This is Balance, oil on canvas, WIP. It has miles to go, but I thought I would share.</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;"><br /></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;">Almost done...here is where I put it aside and think about it...</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent-lax1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/11218966_10206879015560060_8549316455602014750_n.jpg?oh=890db6ea9c17cc57efc3e6951089d3a2&oe=55EC544E" width="262" /></span>naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-86178096781268763292015-01-14T19:26:00.001-06:002015-01-14T19:41:01.194-06:00The story of RooneyIt is funny how animals touch us and make our lives fuller and happier. Cadillac was my dream horse. He was kind, talented, easy going and the best teacher I ever had. Unfortunately he developed a degenerative hoof disease that ultimately was untreatable. Saying goodbye to him broke my heart.<br />
Rooney was a god send. He came from a local rescue here in town and he came to comfort Cadillac and be his companion. Little did we know we would lose Caddy so quickly, we assumed that he and Rooney would be lifelong buddies.<br />
Rooney was one of many horses that are dumped for what ever reason the owners think makes it ok to abandon an animal. He was found in a riverbed in Riverside underweight and near death. Baker Rescue came to his aid and nursed him back to health. I brought him home and the rest is history.<br />
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This is the first day he came to the rescue. Broken body and broken soul.</div>
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After a few weeks of comfort, food, water, and patience he began to blossom.</div>
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He is very happy. </div>
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He came to us at a good weight and of good spirits, we added some workouts and training and look at him now! He proved to have some professional training and very likely show experience under his belt. He gave us no problems but just needy for attention. </div>
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He was Cadillac's best friend.</div>
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Never give up, you never know what diamond in the rough you will find in a lump of coal.</div>
<br />naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-74224121241382021322014-12-22T00:06:00.001-06:002014-12-22T00:06:30.140-06:00Happy Holidays!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-42725228857216388842014-12-15T12:42:00.002-06:002014-12-15T12:42:55.963-06:002015 Calendars now available.My calendars are now available through Calendars.com. Follow the link below if you want to get yours. They sell out every year so hurry!<br />
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<a href="http://www.calendars.com//Cowboy-Culture/Home-on-the-Range-2015-Wall-Calendar/prod201500005835/?categoryId=cat180002&seoCatId=cat180002">http://www.calendars.com//Cowboy-Culture/Home-on-the-Range-2015-Wall-Calendar/prod201500005835/?categoryId=cat180002&seoCatId=cat180002</a><br />
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<img src="http://www.calendars.com/img/p/400/201500005835.jpg" style="opacity: 0.009; position: absolute; z-index: 5;" />naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-44973857293283415622014-12-15T12:35:00.000-06:002014-12-15T12:35:19.943-06:00What Once Was Lost<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been negligent in my postings on this blog and my website. A New Year's resolution is to keep up more. In a Facebook and twitter world, I have been using them more as of late. I guess because the response is more immediate than any other media. But, not everyone has fallen into the Facebook black hole as deeply as some of us, so I will try to keep up.</div>
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This is my latest, What Was Once Lost, oil on board. A quick note about the making of this painting. As an artist, we all use more than one photo for a painting. This is a perfect example. The background is from my old home in Minnesota after a heavy snow, the cowboy is from a picture that I took in August 2009 in South Dakota. Finally, the calf was from a photo I took from the side of the road while I was in Utah looking for petroglyphs.</div>
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As you can see, it took a lot of sketching, adjusting, pushing values and adding snow. It was a time consuming, but well worth the time and effort.</div>
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Have a wonderful holiday season.</div>
<br />naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-34465919199912167332014-10-07T17:02:00.000-06:002014-10-07T17:02:35.536-06:00Ladyhawke's first day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These are for John because he can't be here to greet her. This is Ladyhawke.naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-32076823333345794492014-07-22T19:07:00.002-06:002014-07-22T19:07:23.736-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My new puppy Isabeau is wonderful and up for anything. I have never met such a brave little corgi in my life. Even though we did not actually go for a ride, we will try it someday.</div>
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This is my newest.</div>
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Back Seat Driver, oil on board, NFS</div>
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I am keeping this one. </div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-296196328546013132014-05-19T17:07:00.000-06:002014-05-19T17:07:44.426-06:00Flowers are Red<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I was a kid, I saw Harry Chapin in concert. This song "sang" to me as it said what I truly believed. We all see art in different venues. this was mine growing up. I hope that you see it the way I did and still do.naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-44902458494110747002014-04-30T10:31:00.001-06:002014-04-30T10:31:18.089-06:00The story of Herioco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We were on the lookout for a horse for my husband John. His trail horse developed RA and just could not do the trails anymore. We received an email from Ann Garcia about an andalusian that was up for adoption. Joyce, his owner, was not able to ride as much as she would like and was looking for a home for him where he would be ridden more. She loved him dearly enough to let him come to our house and be our dream horse. He was too. Rio was one of those horses that is once in a lifetime. A dream to ride, silly enough to make us laugh, and so beautiful that words could not describe him.</div>
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He did come with advanced melanoma, a condition that plagues most white horses especially Andalusians. We had some removed, and the rest was chance. We knew when we brought him home we could have 6 days or 6 years with him. Yesterday, as a result of internal tumors that we suspected were there but did not know for sure, he colicked. It caused an inoperable tear in the colon and he was bleeding internally. We made the terrible decision to put him down.</div>
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Words can not describe the sorrow we feel. He was only in our life for 6 months but made an impact that will last a lifetime. His previous owner had him for years, and her pain at his loss is immeasurable.</div>
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Hug your loved ones, and never take one day for granted. God knows that when we went out to feed yesterday, we did not know what was in store for the day. As we dressed to go out we talked about where we were going to go this weekend for our trail ride.</div>
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Good bye sweet Rio. </div>
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Herioco 1995-2014</div>
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Thank you Joyce for giving us this joyful spirit, and your photographs of him.</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-30804534417169595322014-04-17T16:11:00.000-06:002014-04-17T16:11:01.176-06:00A little surprise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I had no idea that one of the top Arabian Horse ranches was right around the corner from me. I was invited to come visit this morning and it turned out to be one of the best "baby" shoots I have ever had!!! Thank you Tony for thinking of me and showing me this amazing place!</div>
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www.Northarabians.com</div>
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naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-24539602600742323462014-04-11T12:26:00.000-06:002014-04-11T12:26:00.251-06:00Singing for Supper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LKHdhp9B0Co/U0WQnAu7a0I/AAAAAAAAB38/-jr8uh2ZUik/s1600/Singing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LKHdhp9B0Co/U0WQnAu7a0I/AAAAAAAAB38/-jr8uh2ZUik/s1600/Singing.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
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Singing for Supper</div>
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Oil on board</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-57010927796985422302014-04-09T12:22:00.000-06:002014-04-09T12:22:00.364-06:00Quite the surprise!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pAJBTbOPtkw/U0WOy0DP-fI/AAAAAAAAB3w/s_X3X76PaRI/s1600/isabeau1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pAJBTbOPtkw/U0WOy0DP-fI/AAAAAAAAB3w/s_X3X76PaRI/s1600/isabeau1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well, we went and did it again. A neighbor had a litter of corgis and my husband and I firmly said that we were not interested. We have two now and a Bernese Mountain Dog. Well the gentleman dropped her off and asked me to watch her while he ran some errands and I was a goner.</div>
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This is Isabeau, our new corgi...owned by two suckers. Or better yet, we are owned by her!</div>
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She is 12 weeks old and one of the most precocious dogs I have ever had. This is going to be an interesting experience.</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-18448153275638008942014-04-08T17:47:00.004-06:002014-04-08T17:48:41.415-06:00Open Studio Tour<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">Hello everyone! The town of Ramona is hosting it's annual Open Studio Art Tour this Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">pm</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;"> and I am pleased to have my home studio included in the tour. I would love to see you if you have time to drop by and say hello. There will be a drawing for a limited edition signed print for you to take home. It is going to be a beautiful weekend!</span><br />
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Have a wonderful week and I hope you can make it.<br />
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Victoria Wilson-Schultz</div>
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Wildlife and Western Artist</div>
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www.foxrunstudio.com</div>
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naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-86427593962441442442014-03-06T15:49:00.000-06:002014-03-06T15:49:11.338-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_fRAd0weX8M/Uxjslwle4VI/AAAAAAAAB3c/8nilb4TZoy8/s1600/gold+and+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_fRAd0weX8M/Uxjslwle4VI/AAAAAAAAB3c/8nilb4TZoy8/s1600/gold+and+white.jpg" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was missing the birds from my old house in Minnesota yesterday. These are photos of two of them. I have been messing with this painting for a while, pulled it out and finished it yesterday. I glanced out my window and there were two goldfinches on my feeder hanging outside my studio.</div>
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Talk about karma.</div>
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Gold and White, Oil on board, 8x10</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-42997845832786172282014-01-21T11:57:00.000-06:002014-01-21T11:57:45.206-06:00That will wake you up...<div style="text-align: center;">
I don't like to get too personal on my blog, but this is important.</div>
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A few weeks ago my heart started beating very fast and did not slow down. I was rushed to the ER and carted back into rhythm. They kept me for observation for four days and I had every scan, xray, MRI, shot, needles...you name it.</div>
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I was sent home to wait and see what the cause was and the outcome. I did a stress test and wore a heart monitor over the weekend.</div>
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To make a long story short, I am just fine. No heart damage, no lasting problem, just a congenital issue that has stayed hidden until that day. It was truly a blessing in disguise. As it turns out, I had a vitamin deficiency that unchecked could have been a real problem, but my heart was smart enough to get me into the hospital to have it discovered and fixed.</div>
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I am fine, my heart is fine, my levels are normal, and I am back to painting and being stubborn.</div>
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That is all I have to say about that.</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-56467570115783044522014-01-06T11:55:00.000-06:002014-01-06T11:55:00.506-06:00Trail Riding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51RVxvDkINU/UsWwvZ2VweI/AAAAAAAAB2g/8V5h7QCzMBw/s1600/2013-12-29_11-02-45_78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51RVxvDkINU/UsWwvZ2VweI/AAAAAAAAB2g/8V5h7QCzMBw/s320/2013-12-29_11-02-45_78.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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God knows I have not learned how to really relax lately. With Christmas, New Years, deadlines, commitments, ranch duties, I never sit still from waking to bedtime. We decided to saddle up and go to the local trails and spend the afternoon with our boys. It was a gorgeous 78 degree day and the horses were raring to go. We have not gone on trail for almost two months so goodness knows we were sore for a few days. Our new horse, Rio, an Andalusian, proved on his first trail ride with us to be the perfect gentleman and a lot of fun to ride. We made the commitment to ride every weekend weather permitting, for us and for them and all of our mental health.</div>
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I bought a new saddle that should arrive any day now and maybe my tushie will thank me.</div>
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Cadillac takes a snooze after a busy day.</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-55179541526290375032014-01-02T11:54:00.001-06:002014-01-02T11:54:06.576-06:00Another Jake and Mulie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Giving Thanks, Pastel</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-80180994304117980782014-01-02T10:54:00.003-06:002014-01-02T10:54:45.362-06:00New winter image<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let it Snow, Pastel</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-7560027775498905822013-12-01T19:38:00.003-06:002013-12-01T19:42:21.119-06:00Crazy days!We were dead set on simplifying our lives...so what do we do? Get two new pets.<br />
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This is Pandora, our miniature (or I should say,MY miniature,as my husband can't understand the need for one) and she is adorable.<br />
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And in the never ending search for a horse that is quiet and perfect, we found Rio through a friend of a friend of a friend on facebook of all places about 15 minutes away from where we live. He is a 19 year old Andalusian and wonderful gentleman. My husband and he will be perfect partners. Our older horse, Mick, is too arthritic to do trails that are challenging as he was ridden far too hard in his early years. He can do light work, but mostly has become a pasture ornament and a sweet companion.<br />
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Life here at Rancho Pintado has become a little busier, but much more fun with each new addition. Expect to see many paintings of these beauties.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f_sZqti7jPI/Upvj_4JOKcI/AAAAAAAAB1k/9BdTSnQD47g/s1600/panda2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f_sZqti7jPI/Upvj_4JOKcI/AAAAAAAAB1k/9BdTSnQD47g/s320/panda2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Pandora, a sweet black and white with a perfect diamond on her back, and my corgi, zoe.<br />
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Pandora, photo credit to April Meckes.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1bvawaf8BRA/Upvj_qDFcAI/AAAAAAAAB1g/TQ0aVcE5N-c/s1600/rio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1bvawaf8BRA/Upvj_qDFcAI/AAAAAAAAB1g/TQ0aVcE5N-c/s320/rio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Rio, or registered name, Hericio, an Andalusian. Sweet face and spirit, he makes my heart swell. Photo credit to Joyce Johnston.naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-66740894122399443152013-10-23T19:06:00.000-06:002013-10-23T19:06:11.879-06:00Found Inspiration <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Seems lately I have been in a slump. I have 5,000 ideas for paintings but nothing hits me that I really want to paint.</div>
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I went out to feed the horses and found the dark feather in my driveway. I looked at it laying there and the way the light hit it, and there you go. You never know where inspiration will hit you. I brought it in. I taped it to my table and went to town on it. I had such a good time painting this, I did another. The first feather is a feather from one of my chickens, the second, found in the driveway is an owl feather.</div>
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My husband came in to my studio and looked at them and said, what are you doing? I said that I was finishing up a couple of paintings. He looked and asked me where they were, and I told him that these were the paintings. He laughed and said to me that he thought I had taped feathers to a board.</div>
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I guess I did it right.</div>
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By the way, I returned the owl feather to our field. I know that it is illegal to keep feathers from wild birds. We have hundreds of them out there. We have redtails that nest in a tree in our North field, owl boxes all over, bald and golden eagles, and hundreds of turkey vultures in the trees across the street. There is no shortage of feathers that are on our property.</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-77396557410188882462013-10-11T13:24:00.000-06:002013-10-11T13:24:43.067-06:00Just a thought...I do not like to get political in any circumstance but this HAS to be said.<br />
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Did you know that over 75,000 cows and horses were killed last week in South Dakota by the blizzard? I am shocked that I am not seeing this in the news. Miley Cyrus made the news again about her haircut this morning...REALLY?<br />
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Write a letter, make a call, tell Congress to get off their butts and put aside their differences and do something. Please take a moment and send 1.00 or what ever you can to help these farmers. The very food we put on our plate depends on these people. I know many farmers in South Dakota who may lose everything they have worked generations for. My heart is truly broken.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/10/a-record-setting-blizzard-killed-75000-cows-and-you-might-not-have-even-heard-about-it/">http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/10/a-record-setting-blizzard-killed-75000-cows-and-you-might-not-have-even-heard-about-it/</a>naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-49394238438407521842013-10-11T10:52:00.001-06:002013-10-11T11:34:09.521-06:00On a side note...<span style="font-size: large;">Someone once asked me what impression did I want to leave on the world. Most people say to be remembered as kind, or a great artist, or what ever...My answer was, "I want to be that person that someone talks about over dinner." Odd answer, I know. But it came from an evening in Cardiff By The Sea, CA. It was my last night in CA after one of the best summer sessions in college I had ever had. I was sad to go. I was walking on the boardwalk with some classmates and a VERY drunk man stumbled out of a tavern with a water gun and started shooting people. I turned to my friends and said, "Watch this". They moaned and rolled their eyes because they knew me too well. He shot me with the water gun and I went into a huge death scene, right there on the sidewalk. I stumbled into traffic, stopped cars, and collapsed in the street. This guy straddled me, pointed the gun at my forehead and said "Give up the secret plans or DIE!" I shouted, NEVER! and died. He laughed and gave me a hand up and hugged me. He told me that I was the coolest person he had ever met and he was going to talk about me over dinner with his family for years to come.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Hence, my answer explained. (quite frankly, I don't think he would ever remember that night because of his level of intoxication, but I digress) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My reason for posting this was, a dear friend of mine, who is a storyteller, yes, they do exist, was reviewed in a newspaper article I just read. They said about her...She parks diagonally in a parallel world. What a great description. I was so envious of this that I have adopted it and it will be framed and on the wall of my studio. Angela is a true original and an amazing talent. She was the lead in my very first play, A Runner Stumbles, and she hypnotized me. I was a wee little thing at 18 and she introduced me to a world of street poets, art, literature, opening your eyes and drinking in life. She was the mom I was missing at that time of my life, and I mean that in the best of ways. We would sit for hours on the roof of her Tulsa apartment building and eat mangos and talk of the world and philosophy. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">She has no idea that I look back on those days as my formative years and I am what I am partly due to those talks. But that doesn't matter. Why do we need to know how we affect people? Not knowing is the coolest thing about being "that guy". You touch people and then you are gone.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Go make a difference in someone's life and don't ask why or how did that make you feel. Help someone across the street, help fix a flat tire, pay for someone's coffee behind you...and just pray that they say, "I met the coolest person today" over dinner.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To see Angela telling a wonderful story about her growing up click on the following link.</span><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-J_tsff-x2w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-J_tsff-x2w</a>naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13649249.post-42482756351088413102013-10-09T04:25:00.000-06:002013-10-09T04:25:15.925-06:00What 'cha been up to?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, this...</div>
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I have been getting ready for a show and finishing up my three (Yes, three) calendars for 2015.</div>
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This is what I have so far and 7 more on the easel.</div>
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As for sleep, what is that? Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining at all. I plug in a movie, put on the headphones, turn off the computer and phone and go at it. I just love it when I get into this mode.</div>
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Dinner Time? Pastel</div>
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Holding Fast, Oil</div>
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Keeping Him Close, Pastel</div>
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Pasture Pals, Pastel</div>
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On a personal note, things around the house are going well. Despite the fact that my husband has 4 ruptured discs in his back, we have a new horse in the pasture, and the chores seem to keep mounting up. I start my day, happily I might add, at 4 am. Horses fed and pasture cleaned, dogs, birds, cat, and chickens all fed and cared for. Breakfast cooked, laundry going, then by 8-9 get into the studio. Sometimes a little later if something goes awry...which always does. </div>
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We have had Santa Ana winds and the fires have kicked up. We lost power all day on Sunday and the internet all day yesterday from various small fires around us.</div>
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It seems of late I have become somewhat of an insomniac. I really stressed out about this at first, but then realized I could lay in bed and stress about not sleeping or, embrace it, and get work done. Choosing the latter has become a very good thing. I get more done before sunrise than I used to all day. Don't get me wrong, I still get a good 7-8 hours a day sleep, I am just in bed by 8 pm sometimes. Does that mean that I am getting old???</div>
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The weather is turning chillier and it gets down into the 40's at night. The pool is solar heated so it has gone from 88 degrees to 70. I am sad that I can not swim every day, it became my main source of exercise. With the cold, the horses are starting to "hair" up, and I am in the process of winter proofing the chicken coop. The rattlesnakes are finally gone for the year, so clearing out the underbrush is not so scary anymore. It is funny how your perception of season changes alters when you move from Minnesota to California. About now the pool would be drained, caulking and weatherproofing would be done, horse blankets would be cleaned and ready and winter coats and sweaters would be out. What are we doing? Planting grass. Our courtyard in back suffered a serious blow with three dogs who discovered how fun digging for moles is and the damage caused by...well, you know, that thing that dogs do. So our helpmate, Hugo, is laying down landscape hardware to stop the dogs from digging in and the moles from digging out. Then planting grass to grow through it.</div>
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I have pumpkins on the porch and we are Halloween ready. Our sugar maples are the most beautiful color right now, and Fall has fallen here.</div>
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Have a great October and I will update soon.</div>
naturegirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04848516900504719353noreply@blogger.com2