Happy New year!

That's snow cooling the champers!

New Years Eve morning

It's minus 22 degrees C (-8F) here in Wyoming right now. I think it's going to be a quiet New Years Eve for us but who knows. It was a busy year full of many changes challenges and delights. I'm not writing about the year gone by as it's all here in my blog for the finding. Just look to the right and click through previous blogs and months. It goes back to September o5 when i first entered into the world of blogging. Happy New Year. Ronnie.xxoo

reminder

Blog readers don't forget that you can click on images to make them larger, you can look to the right for previous months and click on comments to say something to me. Cheers. Ronnie.

Dec artwork

Only two pieces of artwork produced this month. I'm also working on some sketches for a horse portrait commission so I have actually spent some time in my studio this month in between shovelling manure and snow. Both paintings are modelled on a black mustang here at the ranch.
Above Kappa 11"x14" (unframed) oil pastel on hard paper and below Lumpa 17" x 14" (unframed) oil pastel on hard paper. Both will be on their way to artisan's gallery, 215 2nd street, Laramie, WY. next week to be framed and displayed. Call Brenda 307 745 3983.

looking out my back door

Quiet after the storm and so, so beautiful. A winter wonderland. This was taken without leaving the house. From left; Rosey, Flambeau and Lady.

moving snow

Its starting to look a bit like Xmas! We have drifts of a couple of feet high in places and the little truck, Max is moving through the snow like a weiner dog. Just as well we have a bigger one, Betty, that can at least get a little further when driven by a maniac taking run ups and flooring it.

Then of course there's the little tractor. We wish it was a 'big tractor' or a 'skidster' but it's the best we can do right now. It's still a weiner dog but one with a bit of power behind it at least.
The horses have food and water and doing just fine.Marvels of nature. Once they get their hay it's like...."What snow?"

Embassy, Amari, Merlin and Dewey

Here are some pics of some horses on the ranch up for sale or 'month to month' care lease. If interested email me ronnieroo@hotmail.com Embassy.Very gentle and lovable Polish Arab. Very nice to ride. About 5 months ago he was skin and bones. Now he has some condition on him he would benefit from light work to build him up gradually. He's an absolute doll! Up for negotiated lease.

Amari. Beautiful Arabian mare and she knows it! At 22 as lively as ever. Great for an experienced rider. Is more than ready to get back to work! Up for negotiated lease. Merlin. Another arab and a show off at that. A character and a lot of fun to ride. Has a bit of a limp but is up for light work. Who me? He says! Up for negotiated lease.


Dewey, one of the horses I'm working with that is for sale. Sweet, sweet boy. Right now he has no rudder or brakes but he's learning really quickly. Adorable!

belly dancin' at the ranch

Belly dancing at the ranch in my new leisure outfit given to me by my good friend Debby. It was such a treat to have her visit. The outfit is great but I just had to strip off with the workout. Check out that sexy Samsclub sports bra and on back to front what's more!
(Also a good pic of Mernie's lovely walnut floor.Just makes ya wanna dance up a storm!)

Cool Mule!

Horses come in all shapes, sizes and 'earlengths' here at On A String. Here is Ginger the mule with her proud owner Amy.

Nov artwork

Let's see, where are we up to in the Greek Alphabet. Oh yes eta, thita. Bit slack this month. Only two paintings. Few touches still needed but they should gallop on up to Artisan's Gallery to be framed before Xmas. Thita (white horse) 15" x11" Oil Pastel on hard paper
Eta (Little Donkey) 11 x 15" oil pastel on hard paper. Click on to enlarge.
They will of course frame up larger. These and the other may be viewed and purchased from Brenda at Artisan's Gallery, 215 So Second Street, Laramie Wyoming Ph. 307 745 3983

cold

Here I am ready for work. Its 2 degrees and that's in F degrees! Its expected to get colder minus: 7 tomorrow. I'll let you do the conversion to Celsius. It only scares me!It didn't take me long to realised I didn't have my gloves on Brrrrr!

Mom

Thanksgiving has come and gone leaving us still with so much to be thankful for. Mern's Mom visited us, arriving the day before her 81st birthday which also happened to be Mernie's 60th birthday.We celebrated with dinner at the Calvaryman Restaurant. See mom and I pictured above at dinner at the Calvaryman for the second time in two weeks.Doesn't she loook great for 81.

Who'd be a Turkey at Thanksgiving!!

Got a couple o' big ones there Mern!

reminder

Don't forget when reading the blog you can click on images to enlarge them, send me a comment and look back through the previous months by going to the right and clicking on previous months and blogs. Whew! What a long winded sentence. Cheers. Ronnie.

Tiny truck

Tiny cleaning up the back of 'Max', our hay truck. Tiny makes the truck look tiny!

Artwork for sept/oct 2006

Alpha : oil stick (cattle marker) on canvas board, 14 x11" unframed
Beta: oilstick on canvas board, 11"x 14"
Gamma: oil stick on hard paper, approx 20" x 16"



Delta:(two horses) oil stick on hard paper, approx 10" x 12"
Epsilon:(three horses) oil stick on hard paper, 16" x 18"
Some sizes are approximate as I have sent them off to Brenda at Artisan's Gallery to be framed.They willl naturally frame up larger.
Brenda now handles all of my sales. Call her on 1 307 745 3983.( She is a lovely lady and knows her stuff!)
Artisan's Gallery, 215 So Second St, Laramie, Wyoming.

horsicles!

All that stuff is ice. Still they're brighted eyed and bushy tailed.Any stressed animals are brought into the barn and 'defrosted'. This is sort of rare. Unless they're sick, they adapted beautifully given the chance. And the horse in the middle, Merlin, he's originally from sunny California! Ain't nature marvelous!

Eli, work and play

Eleanora dressed for the horse chores, then party time!

Potluck for Eli

Eleanora and her charming partner Guido visited from Germany this week so on Friday we had a potluck party here at the ranch. Lots of friends attended but it seems they must have all been chatting in the kitchen as the camera was on us silly ones belly dancing in the living room.

whiskercles!

This is Rod's beautiful mare Lady. Picture's a little dark but click on image to see ice on whiskers.

snow

Mernie has left for a week and the snow is flying and water freezing; and the phone is dead. Still I love it!Went riding today in 30 degree F temperature. That's just below zero for you centergradarians.

Laramie, a great place!

Just to let all the folks back home know what a fun place Laramie is here is a pic of an accordion group some friends of ours put together for the home coming parade. I was asked to play the largerphone but duties on the ranch forbade it this time. Laramie is a dynamic university town with an eclectic, culturally rich community. I love it! Thanks Doug for this terrific photo.
This is a great photo so click on it to make it large.( The guy on the left hiding in the back with the red cowboy hat is a fellow Aussie, Paul Taylor, or Chub as I call him!)

horse in hog heaven!

Now there's a feast fit for a horse.

Sabrino at work

The Rodent Control Officer hard at work already.Scroll down for more on Sabrino.

embassy

Here is Embassy again. If you go back to August 06 (maybe July) and look at the blog 'Geris' you will see a pic of is him all skin and bones. He still has a few ribs to be covered but he's chubbed up pretty good. Now his jaws are aching from eating so much.!

The new RCO

Wow! Look at the size of that litterbox!! And look, it comes with a toy! (Click on images to make bigger.)

Checkin' in all out!


Met Sabrino the new cheap employee at the ranch. He's filling the position of Rodent Control Officer and already he is taking his job seriously. See him here checking out the place. He's in heaven.

Brrrrrr!

20 F. That's about 5 below for those Down Under. Burrrrrrrr!

Gamma

This is my third painting since being back. Gamma cattle marker on canvas board 19 x 17".
The model was the big fella draught horse, Tiny. Fun huh!
Artisan's Gallery in Laramie has my exclusive agent right now.

Alpha

First completed painting since returning to Wyoming. See how it has changed from the 'underpainting' a few blogs back. I'm so sick of trying to think of names for my paintings so I'm just going to use the greek alphabet this time around. Hence the title

Alpha .....cattle marker on canvas board 18" x 16" ish.

Manure by any other name is still ****

It was big 'clean up week-end' at the ranch. It was also my birthday week-end and what a way to celebrate turning fifty! The manure has been getting packed down for the passed four years. See above the cheap help and below the help working for board for his big ole belgium draft horse Tiny. You can see a picture of Tiny a few blogs back. Y'know how people look like their dogs, well it works for horses too. Both horse and owner are great big, beautiful, gentle giants.Click on the image to see why when 'Roger' came into the house and sat down with a beer the chair collapsed from underneathe him.
The image of Jackie (above) may be a little blurred as Jackie is a real mover and a shaker.




That is one big pile of **it.