Two Trips to the Barn

I went out to the barn twice yesterday. It was not a casual visit however. When Jerry got home from work, he said Rembrandt was pawing and looking at his sides. Of course I went into hyperactive, protective, doctor mode. I told Jerry to lunge him, which he did. He came back about a half an hour later and reported that Rudy had passed some gas and manure and was feeling much better. A half an hour later, my dad came in and said that he had gone out to check on him and my beloved horse was laying flat out in his stall. Dad said that Jerry had gotten him up and was lunging him again. I knew that he had colic and I had to get out to the barn to see him right away!

Rembrandt and I at the shore in 1991.

My dad brought his car around to the front of the house. Using my walker and crutches, I got into the car and he drove me around to the back. When we got there, Jerry was lunging Rudy in his paddock, but my dear 32 year old horse was barely moving. 

"We've got to take him out to the riding arena where he has more room and can move out", I said. Again I hobbled from the barn back into the car and my dad drove me around to the edge of the arena. We positioned the passenger side window so I could bark out my orders to Jerry and my precious horse. It was raining now. "Take his blanket off. Move in closer. Keep your line neatly coiled. You'll need to walk small circles so you can keep your whip close enough that you can tap him with it. Keep him trotting! Tell him he's a good boy. Don't let him walk. Keep going!!" After about 40 minutes, some more gas was passed and a small bit of manure. The horse seemed relieved, so we put him back in his paddock and went back to the house to eat dinner. At 9:00 we all went back out to the barn to find a very hungry, alert pony. I gave him a few small pieces of a banana which he inhaled. "No dinner for you tonight, my love", I said. We got his blanket back on and locked him out for the night. I wanted him to move around and didn't want to take a chance of him laying down in his stall again.

The morning reports were that Rudy was very alert and hungry. They say he's sore from all the exercise, but seems to be doing very well otherwise. (Big sigh of relief here. . . ) Jerry closed the gates to the pastures last night to keep both horses off the new grass and has agreed to lunge my old buddy for at least twenty minutes this afternoon.

Thank goodness my parents are here to help! What a blessing they and all my friends and family have been! They came last Wednesday night in their motor home and have been a big help with caring for a one legged invalid, the house and the horses. If my dad hadn't found Rudy in the stall when he did, the situation could have easily gotten a lot worse.

I love this picture of my mom and dad, having a beer in Nova Scotia in the summer of 2010.

Welcome to my world. Here is where I spend most of my time now. My butt is so sore!

The studio has been made more handicap accessible. I have a couple of tables that Jerry modified so I can fit the wheelchair under them. (This table has origami projects on it. :-))

More and more hummingbirds are arriving here everyday. I really don't know the numbers, but we have six feeders out now!

If you want to find out how to attract your own hummingbirds, go here.

Again, many many thanks to you, my friends! Your comments, emails and get well wishes really brighten my days!

HUMMINGBIRDS!!

Yes folks, they are finally back!! 

Bobbie is here and we were chatting when I saw our first little traveler. He came right up to the studio doors, stopped, hovered for about ten seconds and looked right in at me.

I shrieked, "It's A HUMMINGBIRD"!

I got into my wheelchair and we went out and sat on the screened in porch for a while. I saw two small males zoom by several times while we were out there. Bobbie never laid eyes on them herself, but after seeing my enthusiasm, has no doubt that they ARE finally here. Add joy and enthusiasm into your space and your life with my Hummingbird Prints! They make great gifts too!

It's Very Hot And Humid Here in NJ

The heat index here today was 115 degrees. It was so humid that my eyeballs were fogging up when I went outside from the air conditioning into the soup. The black flies have been torture on the horses and I am spraying them with fly spray 3 or 4 times a day. I use OFF on their legs which is the only thing that seems to give them any relief for more than a few minutes. Jerry set up six fans out there, so they are getting hot air blown on them from all angles. We also have a large cooler of cantaloupe and watermelon, seconds from the local farmer, that they get four or five times a day along with a bath or two to cool them down.  The extreme heat is especially tough on my old guy, Rembrandt. 

Photo taken here at the Sandarosa.

Even though we've had very few rain storms, they say we're not having a drought here. This is due to some severe thunderstorms we have been having about every ten days or so. The last two dumped a lot of rain in a very short amount of time. I am very thankful for them, even though we had to get a new TV cable box and go out and buy all new phones for the house, workshop and the barn. They all got fried from a close lightning strike. I was on the back porch watching the hummingbirds going crazy when it hit the transformer 300 feet up the road from us. I felt the charge go through my arm and let out a scream. We were only without electricity for five hours, Thank God! Now if I hear even distant rumbling, I unplug everything of value from the wall. The weather is so strange these days. There was no real warning of the last hit. I would be happy to see it happen again, the rain that is, without the lightning strike. I hope some of the other folks across the country that are suffering with record breaking heat and drought, will get relief real soon too.

Here's one of our young "yard dogs" after the last downpour. During the storms, the hummers just have a ball, getting blown around while they bathe and play tag, all the while cheeping  and flying around wildly. It's very entertaining to say the least. Notice this youngster's single red feather on his gorget.


See more hummingbirds this week on my SketchingEveryday blog.

More Paintings From Hummerland!

Ok, I repainted this hummingbird for the third time! Although I'm STILL not 100% satisfied, I guess it's close enough to what I wanted that I can move on now though. In addition, I decided that doing it over four times was getting just a wee bit too obsessive. :-D

This little resting hummingbird painting is from another one of the sketches I posted this summer on SketchingEveryday.com. You can see another perched hummer painting posted there today with the sketch I did it from.

I now have ten feeders out and we are going through more than a gallon of nectar everyday. I have never had this many birds this early in the season before. I think it's going to be a banner year!  Be sure to check out my 5 Steps To Happy Hummingbirds for in-depth information and tips on attracting your own birds.

Oh Where, Oh Where Can My Hummingbirds Be?!

OK, they're late. I'm beginning to worry. The first males have been arriving here around the 19th or twentieth of April for several years. (I write it on my calendar.) We did have a very cold winter here, but according to hummingbirds.net, they've been spotted as far north as Canada. Oh dear . . . I put up another feeder today by my studio window. Maybe I'm just missing them. I'm on edge and everything that goes by my window catches my eye. I'm even dreaming about the little cuties. Oh well, I'll try to be patient. Today's sketch is one I did in preparation for my studio drawing classes that I did in Florida last week. (And, I have been informed that the course was a huge hit with all the students.) :-D

The Hummers Are Here!

I looked at Hummingbirds.net's hummingbird migration map and quickly got a hummingbird feeder out this past weekend. The little travelers have been spotted in my area and as far north as Massachusetts! No need to put out more than a single feeder just yet though. When you see one bird, you can then put up another. Once your spot is established, you can be certain within a day or two you'll be seeing more. Be sure to check out my Five Steps To Happy Hummers site to get your hummingbird season started off with a bang! I'll keep you posted on our arrivals here. Good Luck and Happy Humming!

Happy Hummers Still Hanging Out

Although things are winding down here in Southern New Jersey and most of my hummingbirds have left on their fall journey, we still have a dozen or so hanging out here. They are probably transients, but several have gotten quite accustomed to me, so I'm sure they have been here for at least a couple of weeks.

We also have some hummingbird enthusiasts, Nancy Hinds and Frank Goff, who have been coming every Saturday to spend time with our little treasures. I call them the Hummer Hounds. It's fun to share my enthusiasm and joy with them. It's Saturday, so I expect their call to say they are coming over soon. This photo was taken by Hummer hound, Nancy Hinds.

Male Hummingbird

Here's a picture of one of our "Yard Dogs". He's got a busy job guarding his feeder and does a good job of keeping rivals away.

Female Hummingbird

Although this photo is a little blurry, I was impressed with the detail of the tail feathers. I'm not 100% sure if this is a female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird or an immature. It is often hard to tell them apart.

PRETTY IN GREEN!

The Hummingbirds Are Returning!!

YA HOO! I was sitting here at my computer this morning and I just saw Yard Dog come to the feeder for a snack. Or perhaps it was a Yard Dog Jr.! He's the patriarch of our huge colony and is always the first to arrive here in Mid April. I mark his arrival on my calendar. Each year he comes a day or two earlier than the previous year. He's one day earlier this year. Be sure to Keep Your Hummers Happy and check out all my hummingbird information on line.
I am just so thrilled to see him!

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds

In the East, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is wide ranging, from southern Canada to Florida. Most hummers winter in Mexico and Central America although it has been thought that a few winter in the the very southeast. These could be Black-chinned hummingbirds however, as the females and immatures of these two species are virtually indistinquishable. Hummingbirds have been known to travel over 2500 miles on their biannual migrations.


Because of this, they are symbols of accomplishing that which seems impossible. Their playful aerial displays and squeaky cheeps remind us to seek joy as we drink from the abundant nectars of life. See more photos and my original hummingbird art on my web site, www.sandysandy.com and www.spiritart.us.
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is Published Twice-Weekly on my Spirit Art Blog