Winter Rust

Artist: Sande Elkins
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Winter Rust

I wrote about this in my responses to both Antanas and Sylvia but there is more to tell about this. The old farm house that goes with this farm is gorgeous and is right out of frame. There is a reason it is not pictured….also right out of frame, on the left, some folks cleared that entire hillside of trees leaving this muddy, mucky mess. They’ve put a house there that is not terribly attractive but that is not the problem…they also have decided they are going to raise donkeys. They’ve put these poor creatures in these cages that look like large dog pens and they have them all over that grassless hill. When it rains all of the muck runs off the hill, across the road and into Bill and Leslie’s(who live on the farm shown here) front yard. It’s a mess and I wanted to tell you so that you wouldn’t think the entire area was this lovely and bucolic….just a few yards away are those poor imprisoned donkeys.

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vonne

Gorgeous!
Sande Elkins replied

You’re so kind, Yvonne. Thank you so much!!
Antanas

great capture, amazing scene
Sande Elkins replied

Thank you, Antanas! It is usually so overcast and gloomy here in the winter and the light is so dull…so I decided to warm this one up a bit. Glad you like it, thank you so much!
SylviaHardy

This is such a beautiful place Sande! What an amazing countryside!
Sande Elkins replied

This is actually my neighbor’s farm. I can see this from the field in front of my house if I turn to my left…this since I’m always facing the horse pasture which I consider front-ha…It was so cloudy this morning and I hoped to get a few decent shots but didn’t know if I could because the light is just so gloomy here in winter…so I gave Mother Nature a boost…hope she doesn’t mind:)
Sande Elkins replied

Forgot to say, Thank You!!
kcranmer

Like a perfect painting, bravo Sande!
Sande Elkins replied

Thanks, Kellie! Read the notes that I’ve added for the rest of the story and picture which isn’t so attractive.
cherylc1

WOW just gorgeous- the colors and tones are awesome
Sande Elkins replied

Thank you so much, Cheryl! Actually a dull and cloudy day here today and I warmed this up a lot. Again, thank you!
kcranmer

That is a sad story, what a shame!! At least you got a piece of what little beauty it has!
Sande Elkins replied

I’m just upset about the poor donkeys. They do have only a few now probably thanks to the draught and lack of hay in this area. We’ve all tried to get the humane society to do something about it but they say that they aren’t breaking any laws. Well, it should be unlawful to force a creature to live its life in a cage where it can barely turn around and with only a tarp for protection from the weather. Sorry venting but aaaargh! it makes me so mad.
Gene Praag

That is very sad. Hard to believe with such a beautiful picture as this!
Sande Elkins replied

Thanks, Gene! As I replied to Kellie above, it is getting better and there are fewer donkeys. Either, like so many horse and donkey owners in the area this year, they can’t afford hay and food at the post draught prices or they’ve discovered that raising donkeys isn’t as lucrative as they’d once thought.
Nikki Trexel

i love this image, even if it’s illustrating a sad scene. it has a melancholy feel to it, which is quite fitting. great work.
Sande Elkins replied

Thanks, Nikki! Actually the horse and mule shown here(mother and son) are well cared for. It’s the lot across the road that is filled with caged donkeys. I do think they are being forced to sell them off now. I drove by last week and only saw a few left. Hope they went to good homes where they’ve got room to run free.
phil1950

Great shot Sande, love the colours and tones
Sande Elkins replied

Thanks so much, Phil! Took a bit of work to warm this up. Winters here are actually quite dreary.
~ Ademac

Charming image…................well done.
Sande Elkins replied

Thanks so much, Adrian!
PICMART

Veary Sad About Donkeys! :-( Hope some thing will be done soon to help the poor animals! I hate cruelty to animals!!!

You have captured a great shot here & made the colours & tones fantastic! :-)
Sande Elkins replied

Thanks, Martin! I do think that they are selling them all now, probably at auction because it is getting too expensive for them to keep them. Thanks for the comments on the photo. It took a lot of work to get those colors, although I’m sure they were hiding in there somewhere:)...if you’ve ever been in East Tennessee in the winter, everything is dull and gloomy most days. Sunshine is a rare appearance although it did slip through the cloud cover for a few minutes today. Honestly, I was surprised that I was able to warm this image up this much. Thank goodness for PShop!
mieclarke

Love this atmosphere….great colors & tones!!
Sande Elkins replied

Thanks so much, Mie!!
Nikki Trexel

sorry sande, didn’t read it well the first time! :) thanks for the correction. i still like the moody colors though!
Barbara Sparhawk

All that buccolic spot with the tragic donkeys behind it. If the local humane society won’t budge, I bet you can find some active pro-donkey people. I know there are rescue groups devoted to breeds of dogs, probably donkeys too, and they may have the wherefore and clout to uncage the poor things. In so many cases, ‘follow the money’ applies. Somebody may be getting paid off because chances are there are laws on the books in Tennessee about housing farm animals, or domestic pets, and they are breaking laws.
You can probably get the attention of a local legislator. I suggest a letter to your Congressman, with cc’s to every body you can think of, like veterinary associations, the sheriff, the DA, the governor , the White House, that’s visible on each letter. The end effect being they don’t want to be the one agency on your list that didn’t respond. Use that skill for a journalistic shot if you can get close enough, and send them copies of the picture of the donkeys. (Do it without trespassing). Very disturbing. I wish you luck. There’s no reason for the poor things to not be treated decently.
paulevelin

splendid colours
very beautiful
Sande Elkins replied

Thank you so much!
Sean Farragher

beautiful scene,,,,,,,,,
micmac

I ‘m sure you’ll find a way to solve that terrible problem .I’m so mad ,I picture myself going there and hide with my camera and give the pic to the local news papers but then again you have to stay in good terms with neighbors.This composition is fantastic ,you did an amazing work.
Kurt Tutschek

love the colors – and thanks for the quite sad story about the donkeys.
Per Ole Hagen

I really like your landcape, Sande. You have your own very special way with colors, and I like what you do there. And this one is no exception!
Sande Elkins replied

You’re very kind Per because I never feel comfortable doing landscapes. It’s hard for me to do something unique with them especially the ones I look at every day, hard to see that through fresh eyes. If I managed to, its a miracle:) and I truly appreciate that you like it.
ferndesign

wow how beautiful love it well done
Sande Elkins replied

Thank you so much, Fern!
Per Ole Hagen

But you do that little extra with the colors that set them out from the average landscape. Both you and I have seen many ok landscape photos, but that never moved us. The ones I have seen from you here, have that extra tough that makes them different.
angelandspot

Beautiful scene. I feel sorry for the donkeys. I saw some horrid scenes when I lived in Kansas but so far I have not seen any in Iowa. There was one lady that would go buy the $30-$100 auction horses and then not feed them enough so they were very skinny but she said she was saving them from slaughter. I watched these rescue horses get worse in her care instead of better. Finally I turned her into the humane society.
SharonAHenson

Amazing !
Louise Cooke

this image is oozing with charm, and then I read the sad story! Hope the donkeys have moved on to better homes…as for the treeless hillside, pitiful.
Sande Elkins replied

Thank you so much Louise! The donkeys have moved on but I’m not certain if it’s to greener pastures. My horse’s vet told me that they have been moved to another farm..probably because of all of the neighbors’ complaints. I just hope that they are treated more humanely at their new home. Since it is an actual farm, maybe they are allowed more room to move around and a place to graze. Again, thanks for your kind comments and concern.