Prairie - before and after

This week we finally finished up the last 12 acres of prairie planting!  We now have 50 acres planted, it feels great to be done with the planting stage.  Now it will be some management for a few years and then its on its own, with a burn sometime in the next 5 years.  Today I went for a walk in our first snow and saw a Northern Shrike - they summer in Canada and come down here for the winter.  I also saw "our" Screech owl up in her usual hole;  she has been a winter regular since 2005.  I am assuming its the same one, although I'm not sure.  I have been trying to get a photo of her but so far no success. 

On the painting front:  I need to figure out a way of painting in my studio that makes me as happy as painting outside.  Subject, set-up, lighting, etc.  all are being considered and experimented with;  I have been painting but feel like keeping my work to myself for a bit until I'm comfortable with what I'm doing.  I went to the down-town library last week and felt like a kid in a candy store;  I have been looking at a wide variety of artists and just read a Fairfield Porter biography which was inspiring.