Argos gets his portrait done

[altivo]

Really cool preliminary sketch by Lightstep here.

She's making him into a tag badge that can be worn on a chain or a collar. ;D

Thursday night it rained. A lot. We think we got three inches all in a brief gully washer. This is weird for February here.

I went out to feed the horses and turn them out, and Asher was standing in two inches of icy water in his stall. He's such a sweetheart, he never complains. I didn't even notice until after I'd given him his carrot and grain. Seems the water had overflowed the sills and concrete footings of the barn and run into his stall. I must say his hooves were really clean. ;p

Anyway, I ended up taking the day off from work so I could get the water out of there. Gary had classes in Dekalb and was already gone. The outside temperature had dropped to 21F and everything outside was frozen hard. The barn was at 31F but would certainly cool off during the day, so it had to be drained right now to keep it from freezing in place.

It wouldn't drain the usual way, all the drainage routes were blocked by ice. I had to shovel the water and muck into a wheelbarrow and take it out to dump in the woodlot. Six or seven trips (I lost count) using one of those big grain shovels that has a wide end and a narrow, deeper bowl near the handle. I could pick up about a half gallon with each scoop if I was careful. I must have removed a couple hundred gallons in the end. Anyway, Asher got new dry bedding and I'm really sore today. Fortunately it's going to be a quiet weekend.

REMINDER: Today is the last day for submitting Ursa Major Award nominations.

Comments

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Awww... that sketch is looking lovely already. :) She really brought your description (from the comment you posted there) to life perfectly. ^^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, she did a great job. I can't wait to see the final result.

I have to tell her she's underpricing herself too.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

*noddles* Out of curiosity, how much does she charge?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Here's her FA page: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/info/lightstep/

She's in Canada, but I assume those are meant to be US dollars.

ewwwwwwwwww

[bladehorse.livejournal.com]

And not as in sheeples either:p
Sounds like ya need hydronic heating in the slab. or at least a higher stem wall. Thats gotta realy bite. Way too much work. Huggs.

Re: ewwwwwwwwww

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, this hasn't happened from rain since 1999. Back then, the barn floor was lower. We raised it a good three inches right afterward. It's not concrete, but packed ag lime with rubber matting over it.

Then last winter, with record-breaking snowfall, we had flooding twice caused by roof melt and snow dams. Both times, the water just ran through the barn, in one side and out the other. This time it was a cloudburst followed by a 20 degree temperature drop. Freakish, I hope, and not something that's going to start happening regularly, but with climate change apparently coming on faster than predicted, who knows?

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

D'awwww, a younger Argos. He looks quite puppyish. I want to protect him. Therefore, I'd say your artist has done a fine job.

Hope your muscles recover. Mucking out water - sounds strange, but makes sense, of course...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It was the only way to get the water out of there in time before it froze.

Yes, Lightstep's Argos does look kinda young, doesn't he? But then, Argos often acts younger than he actually is.

[saythename.livejournal.com]

The temp has dropped lots here too and I'm not happy
about that, I've been planning my escape to work
on my bike, but I'm not prepped for 20 or 15 degree
temps...yet.

That pic is very "doggy".

*feeds Argos snax till he's plump!*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, Argos is a very domesticated wolf, so he does look doggy. The collie-like ears, the wide eyes, and the expression are all correct. He does have wolfish teeth and a wolf's determination (pursues goals MORE than just "doggedly".)

*peers at the label on your snax to make sure they are vegan or at least limited to poultry and fish before he accepts one*

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

You've had a terribly nasty winter this year by the sounds of it o.O

Argos looks like a collie :D

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes. Argos is supposed to look like a collie, a little bit. It's the ears. I wanted him to look a bit less wolfish, and that seemed like a simple way to do it. I made the ears droop when I built his fursuit, a little more than originally intended, but anyway, that was the idea. Lightstep has it right.