So much for spring!

After one of the snowiest winters on record here, we've had a lovely reprieve for the last week or so---temps above freezing, rain rather than snow, and even some sunshine.

Until today.

It's snowing again. And blowing. It's really pretty nasty for the second day of spring. Mother Nature does like her little joke. Hopefully the forecast of sun and a little warm up for tomorrow will hold. I'm ready for green grass and flowers already! :-)

As some of you probably know, I came down with a weird viral condition in February called Bell's Palsy. Long story short, a virus attacked the main facial nerve on the right side of face, causing temporary paralysis on that side. My mouth was slack on the right, my cheek and forehead were completely immobile, my eye watered constantly, my sense of taste was off, and many sounds seemed overly loud in my right ear. After about two weeks, my eye was mostly normal again, allowing me to go back to work as well as start painting again. Nothing like two weeks of forced inactivity to get a girl's creative juices flowing! So lately, I've been painting like mad, finishing up a lot of pieces that were nearly done before the Bell's hit and starting a few new ones, too. The following are all commissions:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/lancelot_darkbay1.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/lancelot_darkbay2.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/lancelot_darkbay3.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/mini_nahar_flaxen_chestnut2.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/mini_nahar_flaxen_chestnut4.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/mini_optime_fleabit1.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/mini_optime_fleabit2.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/enviado_black_silver1.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/enviado_black_silver2.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/spinny_buckskin1.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/spinny_buckskin2.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/dinky_duke_bay_tobiano1.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/dinky_duke_bay_tobiano2.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/vincent_bay1.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/whitehorsepro/new/claire_buckskin1.jpg

I'm now six weeks out from the onset of Bell's, and I'm doing quite well. My eye still doesn't close all the way, but it's much better than it was. My hearing and sense of taste seem to have returned to normal, and I'm able to wiggle my right eyebrow a bit now. I noticed last night that I can move my cheek a smidge, too. My mouth is still mostly unmoving on the right side, but hopefully this progress will continue. I feel fine, and I look normal unless I smile, so I'm grateful that of all the weird things a person can catch that I didn't get anything worse. :-)

I hope you guys are all doing well and having a warmer start to spring than me! I'm hoping to post here more regularly now that I'm nearly normal again (as normal as I ever get, anyway)---lots of projects in the offing---spring cleaning (I've actually reached a point where I have too many horses), my NAN auction piece, and several china restoration projects. Stay tuned!