"Rising Moon"
4.5"x4.5" Oil and Cold Wax on Paper
Challenge Painting Thirty-One
by Ruth Andre
Today's painting, "Rising Moon", brings back memories of a long cold night watching and praying my head mare, Angel, would survive the night and be back to her old self. The vet was called late in the afternoon and she left with instructions to watch Angel through the night. It was a moon filled night but it was cold so my husband and I watched from the truck's front seat and then would go out and walk Angel every hour doing our best to keep her on her feet. Angel was a proud mare and took her position as the head mare seriously. The other mares all took a wide birth when Angel showed her disapproval. She was my dream horse and the one that I loved to ride through the back country of Missouri. We spent many miles together and she treated me as her equal. When I brushed Angel she would rest her nose on my arm as if to say, Thank-You. She and I had a communication that made us close. The night ended with the morning bringing the vet and finally I had to let her go. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It hurt then and it hurts now just to remember that night. When the moon is full my memories go back to that night, a night of loss of a good friend, my horse Angel.
