Life lately has been happening. 

Let me say that again. 

I apologize for the lack of activity. Two weeks of no Artist of the Week and I've had some folks ask me if I'd stopped already, which I suddenly and painfully remembered my forgotten blog at the moment. 

I haven't stopped whatsoever, in fact, I'm determined to march on. The last 3 weeks for myself has been chaotic to the point there's almost no painting going on. Commissions, BF sale pieces, and my BCC horses slid to a halt. I mentally could not hold a brush after everything that was going on. But I'm working on changing that, one step at a time.

First off, my colt was moved to his new home and I stayed a few days to watch over him to help him settle in, which went real well actually, until I had started working with him again in the new place. We hit a very large bump with our training and it/he knocked me off my feet, quite literally. I have now to seek some professional help with his newfound aggression response before things escalate too far with him as I can no longer handle it alone. I'm an extremely independent person and have a hard time asking for help for anything, so that was a big chunk to chew on, and the realization how serious things had become with Chance and what I must do to save us both. 

And then when I was over where he was boarded one nice spring day, feeling hopeful with my decision and my good friend and neighbour who is such a kind person who was helping me, we discovered a sudden rush of water coming down from the path from the arena that was slightly uphill. I raced past the fast moving stream, bewildered at what this was when I saw the arena completely underwater! Cindy and I panicked, where she called emergency services and her husband. But within a few short hours, the "bowl" in the meadow was overbrimming with water raging down the incline. A helicopter was called in which landed twice in the high rise of the meadow, just a few hundred yards from the horse pens (Chance was a very very brave pony!!!) and had surveyed the extensive area.  A large lake and swamp had burst its banks from 3 km away and was directly headed to their place. There was no way to stop the water as it had breached its dam of the railroad tracks behind the arena. They left us a diesel pump for the night, and I stayed as a hand on deck to clear basements, help keep an eye on the frighteningly fast water rise, and help haul the pump more than once in the bush in the middle of the night with a 4 wheeler and tractor. (that was a go around and a story in its own) By 5 am with maybe 40 min. of doze time, we were back at it and the driveway coming up to the house was underwater. The hay shed was also just above water level. We decided it was time to evacuate the horses while we still could, and an amazing friend and neighbour in minutes arrived with her trailer to haul 2 loads of horses to her place where they are staying till it is safe to come back home. It was a feat and a huge relief, and by the next day with heavy machinery, the hay was also saved and put on higher ground. Emergency teams and firefighters had arrived by then, and brought pumps and hundreds of sandbags for the house and surrounding buildings ~ so for over a week I was there every day helping with anything and checking on my friends who were having such a rough time of it. By day 4 or 5 I think, a trench was dug on the other side of the tracks to a low laying area that is diverting TONS of water and has helped stop the ever increasing rise in their yard. It still isn't over, and the water is just sitting there with not much movement in either up or down so its a rather painful process still of waiting it out and watching. 

And last Saturday night, my father was rushed to the hospital after a fall where he fell back into a vehicle bumper square on a bad spot in his back where it was previously broken/damaged and could not move in terrible pain. He was taken by ambulance and my mother rushed my two younger brothers to the house where I was at with my sister that evening. They were terribly upset (maybe an understatement but will keep it simple) and we were afraid paralysis had happened. Praise the Lord he was not, and he is now at home recovering slowly. He seems to have a ruptured or dislocated disc in his back from where it was hit but the chiropractor has yet to see him so we don't know exactly. It took a toll on our family however and all entailed has been emotionally draining for everyone. 

So its really been one thing after another, like it raining every single day this week, and I am working on recovering my creative mindset and get back into things. So I thank everyone for their concern, support, and patience. Its been a rough May. 

Oh yeah, the HOUR I got my Meteor by Melanie Miller he got paint. Leftover oils from a commission horse comes in handy when the moment hits. XD Future BF sales piece .... 

Big hugs friends. Till next time I pop up (hopefully soon)