Naming of Parts — Odds Are
I was going to link to this poem today — it is one of my favorites and I try to read it every spring. But it is gray and rainy here, so I thought we needed something more upbeat. In my family, I am notorious for becoming infatuated with a song and playing it obsessively,…
Riding (And Revising) With Ghosts
I’ve been riding horses, off and on, since I got my first paycheck out of college. One of the reasons I can still get on and (kind of) giddyup after years away from the barn is because I had great instructors. No matter how high my rent was, or what odd expenses came my way, I…
Peas and Publishing
Last week I was sitting on Rory, listening to my instructor correct some point or other in my riding, and another person in the class commented on what a lovely head set Rory had as he stood there. His head and spine were perfectly rounded, he was mouthing the bit, and he looked like a…
Nostalgia
I went to the preschool today and remembered how much I loved this quote when my children went there, so I thought I’d share it with you. “The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.” Plato I wish all the children of the world were so fortunate.
Pick One Thing
Lately when riding, I am a hot mess. (That’s the technical term. The actual term used by my instructor is unprintable here.) There are so many things going on — my seat isn’t balanced, my legs slide forward, my knees are jammed up against the knee roll, my reins get floppy — hence, the hot…
Hiding in Plain Sight
Last week, after one of the constant snow storms, the Slobbering Beast and I were lucky enough to be the first ones on the trail. No car tracks at the main entrance, no boot marks anywhere. Bliss. We hiked in silence, the only noise the creaking of the trees, the crash of ice and of…
Space
I’ve finished a project. It feels odd to type those words, because I’ve been working on it for so long. And of course it’s not really finished — it’s just resting with someone else for a bit. I’m nervous and anxious and a bit at a loss for what to do with all this mental…
A Day Late and a Post Short
It’s Wednesday, isn’t it, which means this post is a day late. But I really wasn’t slacking off — I was working on a post for Writer Unboxed. What’s that, you say? You don’t know about this terrific resource for writers? Then hie thee over there now and check it out. (Feel free to leave…
Oh, Tuesday, How Do You Appear So Quickly?
So yesterday was a holiday here in the states. Which means my children had the day off. They are mostly very good at entertaining me — they build snowmen, they make up crazy dances, they try and explain their electronic games to me — the upshot of which is that I have a hard time…
Burn Brightly
There are days when I wake up and turn on the news and think, How did we come to this? When I watch people interact with each other, when I see what passes for entertainment, and know that we are following in the footsteps of Rome, a long slow sad decline. The last few days…
For Best
My daughter is blessed to have people in her life who love her and enjoy sending her beautiful things to wear. We spent lots of the holiday at home on the couch, reading and watching movies. I mostly did that in jeans (sometimes pajamas) but my daughter often chose to wear her new clothes. She…