The heavens overhead Golden Unicorn Farm are loudly rumbling; the gods must be angry. And I, for one, can't blame them for their anger. So far, as I write this blog, only a little rain has fallen but I'm certain a torrent shall soon come splattering down; I suspect they are tears of sadness because of what mankind has done and is continuing to do with our wee, fragile planet that spins precariously around the Sun. I haven't seen any lightning flashes as of yet, but most likely, they too will soon be visibly active. Yes, now the full brunt of the storm has arrived; the animals and chickens have taken refuge in the barn to escape its fury. I can hear the goats bleating disdainfully, not because of the pouring rain, the loud thunder or that it's become quite dark outside, but because they're proclaiming it's time to feed them their evening grain.
I guess Sarah and the girls must have heard the goats bleating because they suddenly came charging, giggling and yelling from the house to feed them. In the short distance between the house and the barn, they must have been soaked; impossible to dodge the large droplets of rain falling from the roiling, slate-grey clouds. The wind hasn't been blowing very hard, but occasionally I hear a gust driving the rain hard against the metal roof; sounding much like a tap-dance troupe rehearsing for a Broadway musical.
Since dusk has now arrived, the thunder storm abated, I took a stroll around the pasture, Luki, the Great Pyrenees at my side. Thought I'd check out the fence perimeter to make sure it wasn't in need of repair. Everything seemed fine as I made my way through the deep wet grass and the dripping trees that are growing at the far end of the pasture. As I looked around, I noticed that up to a height slightly above my head, the goats had eaten all the foliage; the tops of the trees looking much like summer, their lower portions appearing more like autumn.
Now that the exterior of the barn has been completed, except for the eave troughs, I was going to start painting it and the attached garage but the weather isn't going to be cooperative - the next few days calls for more rain. This summer seems like much of my life, instead of one step ahead and two steps backwards, it's one day of sun and then two days of rain. Hopefully it won't rain but if it does, there is still much to do inside the barn: build a separate stall for the goats, a room for hay and feed, a small chicken pen for chickens that are literally being hen-pecked to death and a place for the dog - it's going to be bloody freezing and deep in snow before too long. Also, the garage is in a state of chaos because of all the building I've been doing - I expect it will take me two or three days to put everything in order and then of course there's my studio; I have to install a new stove pipe and stop the chimney from leaking every time it rains. Somewhere on my to-do list, since the apples are ripe, I have to take a day to pick them and make enough juice to get us through the winter, plus save a large quantity of them for canning, baking and making apple sauce. The apples are very tasty; sweet yet tart; just the way I like them.
It is not late yet but it's already dark; the days are rapidly getting shorter. I'm looking forward to winter; picking up my paint brushes and splashing a little paint around on some canvases. I may join my friend George Probst and do some carving with him; he's carved some interesting gargoyles and I'm thinking of doing one as well - a unicorn with its mouth wide open for the end of a eave trough to allow the rain to gush through. I have some other art projects in mind as well; thinking about gearing up for the next Arts Festival to be held here on Golden Unicorn Farm. The one we held 2 weeks ago must have been quite a good success because other artists that didn't participate this year are planning to next year. Instead of bar-b-qing sausages and wieners during the next event; I'm going to take more interest in my art; have sort of a casual day and mix with the other artists and entertainers. You know what they say about all work and no play; time to enjoy myself a little more next summer instead of what seems like continually sawing boards and hammering nails.
The thunder storm appears to have blown over, it's very quiet outside. The barn is quiet too; the animals and chickens most likely sound to sleep. Think I'll make like them - end this blog - go to sleep too - cheers - eh!
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