Today is the type of day that I love. Winds are shifting, but it’s still warm. Dark clouds are gathering in the west, it’s got the look of gray foreboding. It’s Bronte weather. A storm is going to blow over the prairie soon.
Of course that meant first thing this morning I needed to leash up the dogs and head out into it. I think Tasha Tudor would approve. I imagine she went out and walked her corgis in all kinds of weather. She probably slipped on a beautiful cloak or something and went out into the wilds like a Bronte sister as well.
Then, I’m sure, she realized how perfect a good gray and stormy day is for painting and headed in to her work table. That’s my plan for today as well.
There is nothing, nothing more perfect, then cuddling up with a quilt, sleeping dogs at your feet, paint brush in hand as thunder rumbles in the distance. Rainy days make for good art.
I don’t know about you, but the world around me here in Oklahoma in late January is sort of brown. In the past I hated that. But as I get older, the more I like brown. Brown is the perfect mellow backdrop for all sorts of things. And, like white, there are all sorts of wonderful shades and depths to brown, from earthy dark to gentle pale. Just look at the tones of these gourds, hanging off the back fence just waiting for some adventurous wrens or chickadees to move in and devour last summer’s giant sunflower:
And while from all appearances the field just outside my back gate is all asleep, there is some life to it! little birds and hawks and even an evening owl are always flitting around in it. My bunnies have gotten quite spoiled and prefer the prairie grass (with some rosemary from the herb garden— it’s the only thing still green around here!) with their morning breakfast.
People are often surprised that I keep the bunnies outdoors in most weather (aside from when its 114 outside, a sweaty rabbit is quite a miserable sight!) but they love it. They have lived indoors as well and they get agitated and jumpy. Outside, they love to feel the breeze in their fur and smell the smells and hear the sounds. They are so laid back and happy outside. They are definitely outdoor creatures. Of course I do cover their hutch when it rains or gets very windy. And they’re latched in so they can’t get out (although they have escaped a time or two…one morning a while back I came outside to find the girls exhausting and lounging in the yard from a good pre-dawn romp around the yard! Mr. Darcy, of course, was waiting patiently in the hutch for them to return. He’s not the adventurous sort.)
As I’ve written to you the sky has darkened and it’s that quiet before the storm. I am off to wet my brush and get to work. I’m sure that Tasha would agree!~
~H
Sleightholm Folk Art 
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