August 11 - Wish You Were Here

"Wish You Were Here"

3' x 5' acrylic on canvas

August 10 - Windows

I love going to the feed store. When I went today to get goat supplement an Ottmers cousin was working and we had a nice chat.

On the way home:

- Perfectly sunny on Ranch Road 1631 and also pouring rain

- A fox! On Ottmers Road

- Fed and curried the horses, who'd been rolling in mud

-  Found Clea down by the horses and dropped the tailgate to give her a lift back to Chuck's 

- Texas road block (goats)

- Fed the other goats and said hi to dogs

Chuck drove down while I was carrying groceries from the car to pick up the trap because he's got a squirrel eating Clea's food and peeing in her dish- I said "I thought you shot that one" and he replied "Well I shot a couple."*

Invited for dinner at Carrie's tonight; their son is visiting from college. Looking forward to it.

* I report these conversations with Chuck because they're so unlike conversations I'd have in the Bay Area. I sincerely hope they don't come off as disrespectful; I have upmost respect for Chuck, his awesome family, and what they've built here.

The Wikander family (I love these people)

  

Painting #4

"Windows"

3' x 5' acrylic on canvas

August 9 - Summer in Texas

The goats came thundering across the pasture to convene under - and on - a tree across the pond. The ones not climbing the tree are on their back legs chewing foliage. Welcome silly diversion from working on overworked paintings.

Today's painting:

"Summer in Texas"

3' x 5' acrylic on canvas

Painting #2

"Come  Back"
5' x 3' acrylic on canvas

August 8 - Except Me

Woke up twice in the middle of the night to bed being shaken by thunder. Definitely don't need to water today.

I'll be home in 2 weeks and 1 day! Excited, and also recognizing that being home is going to be as much an adjustment as being here. But there are friends to see and projects to get started and most of all some very important reconnecting to be enjoyed.

Meantime, first painting post on my page. Be gentle..

"Except Me" 5' x 3' acrylic on canvas

August 6

A myopic cashier at HEB carded me (thank you, it's been a while) and when she saw the CA DL she asked if I was just visiting. I said I was spending the summer and she asked if I was planning to move here, because California... /shakes head/... 

I absolutely love it here but am anxious to get home to my next life.

The cows are bellowing, which makes me wonder if they're being moved to new pasture. I asked Chuck how he moves them and he said "Open the gate. They love new pasture."

Have decided to check putrification of raccoon before I leave and see if it's sufficiently corroded for me to take the skull to a taxidermist for cleaning. Is that weird? I mean, taxidermists are thick on the ground around here, which makes me think it's not weird. Maybe in California it would be. I dunno. Seems like a pretty comprehensive/holistic reminder of this trip. (Will wear gloves, promise.)

Blissfully quiet day. Enjoying solitude after a relatively social week. Probably shouldn't speak so soon, but nothing's died, nothing's broken, no one has showed up at the house or sent text invite, no upsets at home. Peaceful.

Well, actually, except I TOUCHED A SCORPION by accident. Putting the cover back on the grill and looked toward my hand at the second my fingers brushed it. It was dormant, had been sleeping in folds of cover. Yikes.

August 5

I went to Luckenbach, Texas! It was perfect.

Thought it was going to be a quiet day but...

Unfortunately there was a raccoon in the trap this morning. Called Chuck and stayed in the house until after the gunshot. Felt worse this time; there is blood on my hands. Not literally, but it's my responsibility that both chickens and raccoons are dead.

Yoga, paintings discussion, a walk in the pasture.... found the dead raccoon where Chuck had driven it, and the vultures attending it, and felt worse.

Got a text from Michael inviting me down for fajitas with him and Chuck and enjoyed dinner with those guys, swapping life-threatening injury stories and talking about local poisonous snakes and spiders. Also very good fajitas.

Got a text from Carrie asking if I was up for going to Luckenbach with her and Paul (I asked them yesterday if they'd go with me before I leave) and we went and it was perfectly satisfying. The drive there, being a passenger for once, looking out the window at darkened fields under a near-full moon, chattering with the two of them. Middle of nowhere open-air dance hall strung with fairy lights, a good country band, couples two-stepping with remarkable style and skill, cold bottle of beer on a sweltering night... the band, on request from a group visiting from Czech Republic, even played the Luckenbach song. Perfect.

On the way home had to stop on the ranch road three times for armadillos crossing. You know you're with your people when: Paul stopped to let them waddle by, and Carrie rolled her window down to shout at them to stay out of the road and not get run over.

Tomorrow should be a quiet day.

  

August 4

This morning discovered a bat on the kitchen floor. Must have flown in when I opened the door to come inside last night. Poor thing barely moved when I picked it up with a towel and put it in a cardboard box. It's in the laundry room where it's darkish. Hope it recovers by twilight but suspect that I've just given it a relatively comfortable place to expire.

It's made it hard to get started on the day.

* * *

The bat has crossed the rainbow bridge. RIP, tiny vector.

Drove into town today for ice, Tito's, and goat food; Lochte Feed doesn't carry Purina Noble Goat so mission was only partially accomplished. Stopped on the way out to feed the goats and give the dogs some love.

Out here, one tries to combine all errands into one trip. Sometimes a girl forgets the trash (never leave shrimp shells overnight, yuck) and the remainder of coconut cream pie that she's promised to deliver to neighbors.

So, turned around after dropping off groceries and delivered pie to the Wickander's, which was great fun. Had a couple of glasses of wine and good conversation. I really like them (have I said that already?).

Home for a few minutes and Chuck comes down with the trap... ugh. Ranch life. He checked that I'd locked the chickens down (never again failing to lock the chickens down). We had a short conversation about what time he might be available in the morning to come back and shoot whatever's in the trap (if you're following, it will be a rangy raccoon).

Big day.

Probably the most important part of it though was photographing the paintings that I like so far... 10... looking at them as a series, and considering a wider view than "I hope I can paint something I like today."  I'm not practiced at a longer view and am thankful for the suggestion to gain perspective. 

Whew. This year has been a learning curve like no other. Grateful.

August 3

Dinner with the artists was fine.

Chuck came up early to ask me to put the horses inside the fence, while he put his goat herd in their enclosure, so no animals would be in the road.

He came back with most of dinner fixings, and peeled shrimp and started the grill while I put veggies on kabobs and finished lemon squares. A domestic scene.

They arrived right on time with a huge coconut cream pie from (of course) the pie store in Fredericksburg. Really nice folks. They looked at paintings and Kathy was very complimentary; she was impressed that I'd done so much work in 2 months. We ate outside on the porch and they left soon after, with a promise to call me to come up and see their studio.

I really appreciate the effort Chuck went to to make the connection. He thought we'd talk about art; most of the conversation was about the families in the area and some local politics, which was fine. I love the rich history of this place.

Other highlights of the day... 

- Josephine watching the swallows from the windowsill of the upstairs master bath

-Goats galloping around the pond (Chuck explained why the littlest babies were in the enclosure until this week: when the nannies have more than one kid, the "extra" kids sometimes get left behind when they're too little to keep up, 'cause the nannies can't count; they have one kid and don't realize they've left another behind)

- Central vacuuming is amazing

- Seven chickens tucked into bed _with the lock on_

- Chuck coming back with the trap tomorrow (my least favorite part of all of this, even over those pernicious nettles)

Two weeks and one blank canvas left to go.

August 2

One of the hens has been hunkered in the nesting box for two days. K says she's trying to hatch eggs.

Overcast and much cooler today, thunderstorms forecast for later this week. Bats. Renald snuggled up and kneading pinpricks into my thigh.

The paintings are stacked against the window and the light shining through them makes them beautiful... one blue one is propped in front of a red one and the reflection adds a dimension of color that I wish I could replicate. Like layers of stained glass.

Paralyzed by anxiety (the free floating variety, yay) for most of today but managed the minimum adulting, yoga, and eating. Saved by Star Trek: Beyond, and texting with home planet. Ending the day with big smiles and laughter.

July 31

The farrier, Brad, came out to trim the horses' hooves today. Super sweet guy. Horses were nodding off with their chins aquiver (sure sign of contentment) while he worked on them. He's goood. Every 7-8 weeks.

    

* * *

Chuck drove up to tell me that he's invited an artist friend and his wife to dinner - here - on Thursday. And offered some suggestions for what to prepare. Should be fun, and reason to sweep chicken poop off porch and vacuum the house.

Today, otherwise:

Threw scratch for the chickens, replenished their protein feeder, cleaned water, fed cats, fed geese

Two days of yoga challenge in a row because anxious about goings-on at home that have thankfully been shelved

Mowed the lawn in a flat 75 minutes, including adding gas without spilling

Hung out with Randy, Willow, and horses while farrier worked on hooves (highlight)

Dropped trash in dumpster on way into town for calamine lotion (maybe 2 dozen itchy bites)

FINALLY had someone return my one-index-finger-lifted-from-steering-wheel gesture while passing on ranch road at 60 mph, learned from Chuck (bucket list) (timing is everything)

Got to town in 20 minutes because I'm finally confident enough to reach the speed limit

Stopped to feed goats and say hi to dogs. Dogs miss Katherine. Arms scratched from offering pets over fence. Will go down in long sleeves and jeans to say hi tomorrow.

Good FT with my lovely parents in their new home, equally happy commute-time phone call with Erin

Half-moon. Will be home hopefully in time for eclipse.