Catching Up

I’m sorry that I’ve been slow in responding to some awards and invitations that I received this week. It’s been a mixed bag of blessings and curses around here. We were fortunate not to have to endure the ice storm that swept through the upper part of New England on Thursday and Friday.

We did get about 6 inches of rain, and Silk’s stall flooded. I bailed it and filled it with horse bedding wood pellets. This morning, poor Silk was hiding along the back wall when I came out to feed her because the bubbling ooze had come up again. At 6:30 am, I was out there shoveling and adding more wood pellets. Good thinking on my part yesterday that I didn’t use all the bags since I had a feeling that the ground had more water
it would share with us. The temperature dropped into the teens last night, so everything froze. There’s a very thin layer of ice on the puddles in the corral, which makes it really unpleasant for horses and people to come and go from the barn.

On the good news front, Siete has lost about 60 pounds -- only 40 more to go. I’m looking forward to ending the daily dose of thyroid meds, but Siete actually considers it her “dessert”. She waits eagerly for me to appear with a syringe of vanilla yogurt and medicine after her dinner every night. It’s strange that she won’t lap the stuff up from a bowl, but she loves the syringe. A good lesson since she used to hate even the sight of a syringe and now, she’s happy to see one.

So, on with the awards, etc:



I really really appreciate the “Share the Light” award from Arlene at Grey Horse Matters, and thank her for the kind words explaining why she gave it to me. “This award was created to share the light and inspire others. Sharing the light is simple and costs nothing and by inspiring others, it adds goodness in this world and encourages others on their journeys.
So share this award, as I will with the people who inspire those around them and Share the Light.”

I am passing it along to four blogs that I read on a regular basis:

Janet Roper’s blog about talking to animals and her experiences as an animal communicator.

Tree’s blog, “Decadent Tranquility”, which is an amazing Sci Fi love story driven by his gorgeous artwork.

Bill Evertson’s “Under Construction/Art Contemplations”, exploring his journey as an artist.

“Unseen Dharamsala”, a beautiful blog written and illustrated by Tibetan refugees living in the Indian city where the Dalai Lama is in exile.

Next, I’ve been asked by Kim at Enlightened Horsemanship to tell you 6 things about myself. Here are the rules of this meme: Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Write six random things about yourself. Tag six people at the end of the post. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Let the tagger know your entry is published. Since I’ve been reading this meme on lots of blogs, I’m just going to play and ask anyone who wants to join in to participate.

Here are six things about me:

1. My favorite time of the day is the hour before the sun rises. It’s the only time in my day when I’m alone with just my animals. There’s nothing that quiets my anxieties better than sitting in front of the fire with my kitties and my dog before I go out to feed the horses.

2. I love to spend time with my 13-year old daughter just talking about her life. We find a quiet moment every day where she can just tell me what’s going on and I listen. My mother has never really listened to me, so I know how important it is to really know and accept my child for the remarkable person that she is.

3. Our house is always full of music. We have very eclectic taste. Over the years, my husband and I have collected a really fun, wide range of holiday music - blues, Cajun, old Swing versions, jazz, classical. Right now, you can hear everyone from Yo-Yo Ma to Beau Soleil to Ella and Louie to Taylor Swift, the Pretenders and the Jonas Brothers singing about sleigh rides and Santa Baby and all that Christmas joy. My husband’s family plays many instruments, and we love to have jam sessions and drum circles.

4. As I breathe, so I have the need to write. I also enjoy painting and playing with color and light. If I don’t find time in my life to do these things, everything else starts to fall apart.

5. Kindness is really important to me. The world has become so harsh and a “bully mentality” has flourished over the past decade. I am optimistic that this aggressive, selfish period of time is finally changing and that we are moving into a more considerate, generous era that is united for the common good of our entire world.

6. My horses continue to be a spiritual grounding rod for me, always presenting me with new lessons and ways to face my fears and move forward with greater understanding.

The other game that has been floating around the blogosphere is to pick the sixth photo out of your library. I had to show you what came up for me when I did it. I love this picture. This was taken when Siete was 3 months old and my daughter was 7 years old. A little girl with her little horse - or a little horse with her little girl?