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.

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.

Our pasture is going to be empty without him and I will miss him.

He was a beauty with an attitude. 

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.

He was special and unique. 

I 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.

So in celebration of my new baby...here is my favorite Billy Joel song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUNOmN3YVL0&feature=youtu.be

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 had 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.


Almost done...here is where I put it aside and think about it...

The story of Rooney

It 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.
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.
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.

This is the first day he came to the rescue. Broken body and broken soul.

After a few weeks of comfort, food, water, and patience he began to blossom.

He is very happy. 

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. 

He was Cadillac's best friend.

Never give up, you never know what diamond in the rough you will find in a lump of coal.

Happy Holidays!!!