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Thursday, December 31, 2009

My Featured Blog of the Week


http://eventing-a-gogo.blogspot.com/2009/12/does-this-saddle-come-with-seatbelt.html

If I was about 25 years younger, this would be Dancer and I. If you take a moment to read this gal's bio, you will notice striking similarities...Dancer is 8, and she's a mare, lol. While not a Holsteiner like Go-Go, I personally feel she can hold her own with those gorgeous thoroughbred features and beautiful strides.

I'm just an old lady who enjoys living out her life long dream of owning her own little piece of heaven-hence, a horse called Dancer who comes by that name honestly.

A Simple New Year Resolution

Something to Look Forward To

Well, its been a while since I've posted about her, so I might as well do some catching up!


Jackie as a book editor, many of them at Doubleday, will be the subject of a Doubleday book coming out in 2011.

Historian William Kuhn, who has written about British royalty and politics, is writing a biography, currently untitled, about the years that Kennedy worked in the publishing business, starting in 1975 with a brief time at Viking Press and then her 16 years at Doubleday, right up to her death in 1994.

Kennedy's authors ranged from celebrities Michael Jackson and Carly Simon to Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, the Egyptian novelist
“Her books were a way of revealing the experiences, recollections and passions of a lifetime; in the end she told her own story — her journey as a wife, a mother, ... armchair intellectual ....” Kuhn said in a statement issued .... by Doubleday.

“My book will mine this critical period in her life, the one in which she became the woman she'd always intended to be.”

Such a lovely way of putting things, don't you think?

It Sure is Pretty.....

A beautiful sight on the battlefield, but I am all ready looking forward to Spring.....
The Louisiana State Monument located on Seminary Ridge.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

The Past Two Weeks of My Life As a Poem

This is what happens when you listen to Garrison Keillor and The Writer's Almanac every day. I just love his voice. I thought it would be fun to write a post as if he would be reading it out loud. Here is my untrained attempt at poetry and prose, (don't forget-this is best read/interpreted using a "Garrison" voice):

As I Grow Older, I Realize the Importance of Savoring Moments

Time with my friends, spent on a chilly weekday afternoon in early December,
Eating gourmet sandwiches from a local deli
Chasing them down with lemonade followed by a square of home made maple nut fudge.
We talk about kitchen remodeling ,our pets, our horses and our children.

I am happy.

The weekend begins with Martha Stewart and crafting some pinecone elves,we bake scottish cookies and decorate the house for the holidays.

We unwrap the ornaments, some handmade, some fancy imported glass, all stored away for almost a year, hidden from the hustle and bustle of daily activities of all the time that has passed; the humid heat of the summer,that lovely trip to the beach,stolen moments toe dipping poolside at Mrs. Hauser's, leaf crunching in the autumn with the sun at our backs, all is now replaced with the chilled air and biting wind.

The next week arrives filled with the usual tasks at hand, things that must be completed for my job, deadlines that need to be met by 2:30pm on Friday afternoons. There always seems to be problems that must be solved,and in the middle of tests and grades, passing scores and phone conferences, I am reminded of what gifts I should be getting for loved ones and family....

Somehow, mid week, I find time to indulge in a lesson at the barn with a retired Peruvian Dressage Master named Fernando.
He tells me in a thick accent that if my mare was human she would be a party girl. I smile to myself; she was so reserved and quiet when I first got her. I remember reading somewhere that a person seems to gravitate towards animals that are a mirror image of themselves. I'm sure not a party girl, but

I am happy.

The snow comes on Saturday; steady, fluffy flakes that quickly accumulate to 24" of whiteness in our little corner of the world. My husband and I are blessed to be together that day, not separated by work. We snuggle together with our children and the dogs for a quiet afternoon of good movies and food.

In a rare moment of relaxation a sickening sound not unlike a freight train breaks our concentration.

It seems our normally unassuming furnace which is almost thirty years old has decided to protest, and coughs up various coils and metal springs, spewing water and God knows what-we are forced to deal quickly with this unwelcomed situation.

For a brief moment in time, we had been drawn in to a false sense of security, watching a movie about someone else's life, someone else's dreams. The harsh reality rushes in to remind me of my life here and now. In a moment I am reminded of how quickly things can change from good to bad, and vice versa..... I am reminded of how everything in this world is fleeting and temporary and that I need to focus what is for sure-and the only answer of course is

God.

I am reminded of what my ultimate priority is in life, and, as if to reinforce this lesson, when I call a neighbor to ask for a recommendation on a good heating contractor, he interrupts me and asks what the manufacturer of the boiler is. He arrives in ten minutes with something in his hands.

It is the exact part for my furnace.

We usher him in, unaware that we are witnessing a miracle-not truly comprehending what is happening, but hoping, wishing everything will be okay. He navigates his way down the narrow wooden steps to the basement, and he kneels down and surveys the boiler, asking for an adjustable wrench. On the cold concrete floor he sets to work quietly. For over an hour, he busily twists off bolts and drains the radiators in my hundred year old home, a man on a mission. His dad is a plumber, and he grew up helping his father on many jobs.

My best friend had rushed over earlier when she heard the news with space heaters to set up in the basement to ensure our water pipes wouldn't freeze. We hang back, holding our breath, our heads slightly bent over because of the low ceilings in our damp, cold cellar,looking on.

He is focused, and knows exactly how to accomplish the daunting task at hand. Watching him, my mind is swimming with thoughts-the cost of a new furnace, that Christmas is next week, how we have nothing yet to give my daughters on Christmas morning; my husband's health, my parent's relocating to South Carolina next year, and my grandmother, who has not been feeling well off and on for over a year. I think about how wonderful our Christmases used to be, when I was growing up, filled with laughter, accordian music and scottish jokes. We used to have so much fun. I think about how things are now, how much has changed, and how I long for the way things were. There's too much to do, too much to think about, sometimes my head just hurts thinking about it all.

My neighbor rises up from where he has been busy working, and with a smile on his face tells us that our furnace should be okay for a while.

Relief and gratitude wash over me as I whisper a thank you to God for watching over me and my family,taking care of us yet one more time.

And I am happy.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Brought to You by the Letter "C"

I must admit winter is not my favorite time of the year. The combination of weather and short days have a sneaky way of wreaking mental havoc on me; fortunately, this year the holidays have offered a much needed diversion.
My little sister always seems to know what inspires me and what to do to help me through the rough spots-she recently sent me one of those home decorating magazines filled with freshly painted rooms in bright, cheery colors, and fun ways to reinvent spaces in your home. It was from this source that I decided to tackle my china cabinet yesterday-a beautiful piece that my lovely little grandmother presented to me upon purchasing my first home; it's first home had been the Australian Embassy in Washington DC.
Pretty amazing when you think about it! (The treasures one can aquire during remodeling sessions!)

I rested on a page showcasing vignettes. Here is my most recent interpretation:
I just love the plates-thanks Ebay!
(I fell in love with these because they reminded me of my wedding invitation-I will have to dig out one to share-check back for this in a future posting.)
I love the idea of combining cherished objects and pictures to create a story. This ended up taking on a life of its own-it became sort of a "blue, silver, vintage Christmas story!"
I also finished up a painting for my dear little sister, who lives in Hilton Head. She had seen a painting in a gallery in Savannah she had fallen in love with; I wanted to try my hand at something similar-I have always leaned toward horses and the not-so-conventional paintings-(think Marc Chagall).I love the abstract and impressionism,but thought, "Why not?"
I suppose you could say my day had a theme-if you're into Sesame Street, it was brought to you by the letter "C". C for China Cabinets, Christmas and Crabs!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Morning Ritual

And I wake
It is dark and quiet
I tiptoe down the steps
to the kitchen
prepare my morning cup of coffee, let the dogs out
and I sit here in the silence
thinking about my life
what I have accomplished and where I am going
I reach up to the ceiling, hands outstretched
my eyes searching the white swirl pattern
and I silently whisper to God
please help me to be a good mother, I whisper
please help me to be a good wife
please bless my grandmother who is going to the doctors today
fill us with peace, Lord and forgive me.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Holy Cow!

A calf with a white marking on its forehead in the approximate shape of a cross was born last week at a dairy farm in Sterling, a small rustic town on the Rhode Island border. Owner Brad Davis tells a local television station he thinks the marking may be a message from above, though he's still trying to figure out what that message might be.

The mostly brown calf is half Jersey, half Holstein. Neighborhood children have named it Moses.



Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Quote of the Day

As always, Just Beautiful Things delivers: