#0795 "My Lawn"

I was out standing beside the honey bee colonies on the front hill of Watershed Farm by 9 am. The water from the front hill trickled to Kinnifick Lake and eventually to Lake Simcoe via the Schomberg River and the Holland Marsh. The 12th Concession of King is a straight-as-an-arrow road except where if diverts around Kinnifick. Apparently the kettle lake is so deep that it was next to impossible to fill it in to allow the road to go straight through. At one time the road was indeed straight and crossed over the ice - until at least one horse and carriage broke through and sunk way out of sight. Meanwhile the water on the back hill drained through the Humber River system to Lake Ontario. That explains the name of the 25 acres of paradise that we discovered at the very crest of the Oak Ridges Moraine. Watershed Farm was in this suburb of Hammertown that Toronto had yet to discover.

My wife had wanted more flower paintings so I decided to paint "my lawn". The dandelions were opening up under the bright May sun. The bees were busy working the fresh blossoms of my pretty flowers.

One bee got trapped in my shirt and she started to get angry. I stripped off in a hurry and didn't get stung and I believe I saved the bee as well. The wind picked up and clouds of pollen were blown out of the spruce trees that I was standing beside. This is why I enjoy painting en plein air. It is as much for the experience as it is for the art. I write these stories down so that I do not forget even though they are also recorded in the strokes of the brush.

I have a lot of dandelions in the lawn. These spring flowers have an undeserved reputation as being a weed. Dandelions are flowers lacking in good public relations. They are a good first food for the bees. Pesticides and herbicides are misguided.

For this and much more art, click on Pixels. Thank you.