I drove down country roads and looked for nice things to paint today. It’s been a bright pink and green kind of spring day, with redbuds in explosive bloom and floaty scrims of chartreuse across the gray windbreaks. The grass looked juicy. A herd of hump-shouldered cattle cropped away on foot, or rested on their chests and elbows, processing cud.

A sweetly bovid scene, and I parked two tires on the road’s thin shoulder to sketch it, thus learning what a great way this is to meet ranchers. They rolled up out of nowhere, one after the other, driving extended-cab trucks and inquiring who I might be. But they were kind and welcoming once they saw I was a small female artist, strictly there to sketch. Not even my paper was rustling.

That’s a joke.

What is it about hoofed beasts and spring? I’ll chew that one over and get back to you.

Happy Friday.