Morning at Dancing Ewe Farm

As I walk toward Joanne's old farmhouse at Dancing Ewe Farm a small flock of gentle grey- brown morning doves flies away from their bird seed treat that Joanne sets out daily. The whole farm has been buried under the plentiful snow we've had and the temperature has remained steadily cold, keeping every fallen flake.
The lambs, which are now as large as their Moms, need feeding and watering and the large herd of dry ewes, over one hundred, awaits their new feeding of haylage ( silage made from grasses and legumes). The beautiful Marema dogs which guard the sheep have been playing happily in the early sun of the day. These are specially bred dogs from Italy which are bred to guard sheep and keep predators away.
The sheep have lots of warmth now with their heavy wool coats and will be shorn when they lamb and begin milking again in March. We all look forward to the spring pasture of late April and May. It seems like a long time away.............
See pictures of Vanilla, the ewe, Faith the female guard dog and Sartucci the male. Also view of the farm covered with snow.

Gift from Mother Nature

Last night I felt the cold winter rain as I came back home. It was still very cold and it was surprising to have the wet drops falling into the snow. Thunder and lightning rumbled and flashed to our west letting my husband and I know something unusual was happening.

This morning I awoke to a winter wonderland! Looking out the studio window to the northwest was a breathtaking sight. I was drawn outdoors by this beauty and the fact that it was twenty degrees, instead of zero or below, and strapping on snowshoes proceeded to plow through the snow which had a wet crust over the abundance of snow beneath. Very slowly I plodded out short distances from our home with my tiny camera.

Every where was so beautiful, I took a lot of pictures and managed to stay on my feet through most of it.

Looking up brilliant, looking west a bit dark and foreboding. The little birdhouse on the old tree by the house had icicles hanging from it. I walked on and the great pine tree in the field to our south was covered and bent but taking it well. The snow and needles made a great textural pattern. A little farther on was an old apple tree that had some small shriveled apples still on it. This tree had been feeding deer since November.

I plowed slowly on through the deep snow enjoying all I saw and taking more and more photos, when once again, tripped by the crust, down I went, snowshoes stuck underneath. Finally I freed myself from the drift and headed home looking like a snow woman of old.

More Sun!!!!!!!

I like to wake up with the sun. In the winter it doesn't wake very early. I look out the window to a dim dark view of the day and turn on lights to feel perky. Finally the sun peeks over the hill behind our house and shines through the Rhododendrons next to our home. It is a welcome sight! I find myself craving the sun this time of year and take a walk enjoying the atmospheric mist that has attached to everything, but all remains a cloudy haze.

In my studio I find the sun as the subject of my work today: see two examples of silk painting. I think back to summer days when I would hope for some clouds to ease the sun's glare and can hardly believe I would wish such a thing. At the day's end, which didn't take that long to reach, I peak at the sun, bright red until it dips below the mountains and briefly casts a pink glow to the evening sky.

Cold, cold mornings

The cold mornings of January are now here. Ten below zero again and again. I look out of my chilly studio window and looking north see a drifted white field that leads to a low hedgerow lining a brook. The sun brightly highlights the steep bank on the other side and my eyes follow up and across an unmowed field that has sprigs of brown - gold grasses pushing up through the snow. On the far side of the field is another strip of large trees before a layer of long white field which is capped by a high tree covered hill, puffy in the early morning frost. The trees to the east are highlighted golden in the early sun. I am humbled by nature's beauty.
I think back to those mornings on the farm when I would go out and see the hutch calves with frosted faces, heifers with muzzles and ears tinged in white, and my two Morgan mares with their long manes spilling over with the devil frost They would all be frisy, happily diving into their food. The milking cows would be in their stalls until late morning when they too would go outdoors, to romp in the snow and eat until the time came for the evening milking.

Winter Storm Effects

After the Storm

Today I awoke to an overcast day, but the snow had stopped. It will be a relief to have shoveling over and maybe sneak up the hill on snow shoes to look off at the snow drifted fields and the Adirondacks. The sun is workong its way through the clouds making everything brilliant. I'm going to go up the hill and be refreshed before heading up to my studio to try and organize it for some new batik work.

Time to Reflect

New Years Day and I walk up the hill behind my home. It is warm and hazy, the mountains not visible. There are patches of fields that do not have snow here and there. The trees stand out before me, with the oak and beech tree leaves making their gentle vibrating sounds in the slow breeze. As I walk uphill next to the brook the quiet and soothing water sounds echo in the foggy air. The sounds of nature on this day are so soothing and I feel fortunate to be able hear them on this day. Crows caw happily up the hill in the woodland and there are other birds that also join in. A train passes in the unseen distance and the sound is somewhat lonely as it snakes it's way through the unseen distance along the canal.

At home I sit at my desk pondering the year to come. One of my cats, Pretty Paws Grey sits looking out the window next to me. She is pondering too. I think she is grateful to be here after many years outdoors. Now she is safe, warm and well feed, I'm glad she's here.

I'm hoping I'll be able to get out and meet other artists and customers in the coming year. I enjoy spending time with my animals and the sheep and calves that I help feed and milk. Getting to Art Festivals and galleries does mean time away. Online markets are new to me but there are two sites that are available.

My work can be seen online now at http://carol-conklin.artistwebsites.com/ and is available on fineartamerica.