I painted this scene at the Sunflower Hill Farm near Defiance, MO as part of the Augusta Plein Air 2023. As I was painting this piece, I became so engrossed in my work that I didn't notice the farm cat, Frankie, until he sprang up and landed on my palette full of wet oil paint! I shrieked from the surprise, which sent the poor cat scrambling for safety. He managed to get a smudge of bright blue paint on his back as a souvenir of the encounter. (Coincidentally, my sister has a female cat named Frankie...no relationship to the farm cat, Frankie.)