Bosun didn't work out with the shop. While he was fine for about three weeks, as the novelty of new people and places wore off, he began to stress out again. I won't go into all the details (probably couldn't even remember them correctly!) but I do remember that he was driving everyone wild by yelling HELP! HELP! HEEEELLP! over and over again from morning till night.
While he was living at the shop I was offered a new living situation that sounded wonderful - and has turned out to be better than imagined... but didn't include a space for him so I was fretting about what to do to get him out of his crazies when, miracle of miracles, friends living only one and a half miles from my new home, said they would be glad to have him live at their farm. So he and I are both flourishing in our new lives. He has a family with two teenage sons and a grade school daughter, one elderly cat, a Peruvian Guinea Pig, three goats, five ducks, 10 chickens and two peacocks. Life is never boring and he is great friends with the peacocks - who fly up to the porch almost daily to exchange pleasantries. He spends a portion of the week with me and I am delighted to report that his feathers have grown back and he is back to his happy, singing, talking, self. He is also a great source of fun for his new family during get togethers as he loves being with them and since his cage is in the living room he gets to join in on family activities... like when during an action scene in a movie he mutters (or eclaims - it depends on the kind of action) "Oh My God!" or when the boys are playing video games he is "shooting" them with his own rendition of a lasergun, or when he suddenly joins them in laughter - which extends the laughing for several extra minutes because he has several different laughs and can really go on a tear with them all. When the group laughter begins to wind down he pulls out a different one and can really set a room into hysterics. I get to spend time with him out of his cage every week, and It is great to see him so happy again. My own new life is also full of pleasures of it's own... I now have 4 cats and two dogs in my care and a huge barn, studio, acres of woods, fields, and gardens, and terrific new people in my life. I have been introduced to the beautiful and unusual breed of Tervuran Belgian Shepherds, enjoyed our flock of mixed breed sheep, and spent my summer growing veggies and herbs to my heart's content. I have several lovely raised beds to work with and learned so much this year I am eager to get started on the next growing season.
I haven't been painting as much as I would have liked to think I would with all this beauty and time to enjoy it in... but have just been wonderfully busy with living... I imagine as the cold descends I will be pulling out the paints... I have painted a few things... mostly animals, as my life is filled with them.The image posted above is my favorite of my work from this April. It is an 11x14" oil portrait of one of the sheep here in his late Spring coat (which was shaved off two days later!) I am totally satisfied with this painting it so captures the beauty and gentle spirit of this fellow... and soon I expect I will begin creating my 2012 Christmas ornaments...
