Easter Eggs For Christmas

I came up with a plan for the Christmas card early in the year.  It was something cute and fun with the horses and sheep and I was excited about trying to draw and paint it.  Just before I started to work on it, B. Willard got into a bucket of greenery I'd cut and ate just enough off each branch that I could no longer really use any of them and would have to start cutting all over.  

I was laughing with Auntie Reg about that and we agreed it was 2020 in a nutshell and that should be the card design this year.

I sketched it out, had my yearly conference with my favorite art teacher, started painting...and I didn't love it.  It wasn't terrible...but it wasn't great.  There were good parts...and parts that I just didn't feel  were working out at all.  There were several things I wished I had done differently and I considered just starting all over.

It's been a sad, sentimental sort of year.  The thought of painting over the top of naughty Cheeto and Willard or the horses running around the yard or Salt sleeping under her favorite tree made me...sad and sentimental.  Those were good stories.  Good times.  

Tilly digging in the bucket to see if there was anything to eat, Possum, so happy on "her" porch, Maisie standing watch over the flock...and wearing a Santa hat, no less!  Rocky and Jared grazing in the yard and the chickens...the chickens... ;-)

There's probably too much focus on the Wool House porch, but sitting in those chairs with Kate and Tilly, watching the sun come up and Willard hobble out to "make the donuts" each morning meant a lot to me.  I hope we aren't the only ones still sitting out there somehow.

Maisie floating around by herself out in "left field"...is, well, kind of Maisie.  I added her red hat to try to draw some attention away from the heaviness of the porch and it became a nice reminder of the fun we had dressing her up this year. 

Oh wait, I did paint out one character - Betsy (said like "Newman" from Seinfeld).  I'd originally had her looking out of the window of the Wool House, but after yet another vicious attack on sweet little Possum, I replaced her with a potted plant.  It's a special plant though.  Every year Stella gives me a beautiful poinsettia and it made me happy to include it.  

So...while I might not love the overall design of the card, when I notice all the little stories behind the big story I have to admit it's still a pretty good card. Sure, there are good parts and not as good parts and things I wish I'd done differently and stories I wished had ended differently, but...that's probably 2020 in a nutshell.

Merry Christmas!