Carrots and Sticks in the New Year

That's Crispin talking (straight) out of both sides of his mouth: "I will be a good horse", "I will be a bad horse". A fine way to begin the New Year!
As is typical of many a person, I begin the New Year utterly thankful that 2011 is done, over finito. And making lists... that's a traditional way to start off the new year. Here goes:
*I will eat more salad in the New Year.
*I will get more exercise. (How mundane can I be?!!???)
*I will be nicer to Republicans and Tea Baggers and Conservatives in the New Year. (Well, you have to  
  include a few things that you won't actually do, but they sound open-minded and possible!)
*I will spend more time making art this year. What with our moving (which seemed like it would never be
  completed) and my eye injury, I didn't get the studio time I needed and wanted. And I typically have such
  a good track record of studio application!
*I will try to worry less about money. I guess I could tie that to generating more money, but even worrying
  less would be a big step! And making more money is very problematic in this economy.
*I will prioritize even more effectively than I already do. (I think that sentence was guilty of some pretty 
  awful grammar but you get my drift.) I already spend plenty of time with my dog in the great out of doors, 
  but I'll spend more time... that good, well used time. I refuse to spend one second more than is absolutely
  essential on the phone arguing over bureaucratic details...
*I will cure cancer, eliminate prejudice and inequality, give everyone a raise, stop wars, pick up litter, feed
  the hungery and reverse global warming. And that's just the first week of January. (And so, we return to
  Janus, and that pesky habit of speaking out of both sides of the mouth).
That's it for now.

Seasonal Disconnects But Happy Endings

It has been a terribly mixed up holiday season thus far. Unfortunately, the matriarch of our clan (aka "Mommy") was in the hospital for Christmas. She was not up for visitors and was having a tough time of it. It was decided that as we had been elected to prepare the meat course of the main dinner, the feast would be moved to our humble domicile. As it was our first Xmas at home and our tree was especially dramatic we agreed that ours doors were open and the festivities would happen here.
The blurry photo above attests to the remarkably cheerful scene, despite Mommy's absence. (I think it's blurry as I was trying to hurry up and take a photo before everyone ducked or turned their heads away from the camera). Anyway, we all ate waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much and had a really nice time.
We spent the last several days visiting Mommy in the hospital and she seems in much better spirits today, as she is discharged to a convalescent facility for a few weeks. Let's hope she's on the mend!
To much food was the theme this year, as Bob and I staggered from groaning board to groaning board. Two good friends were gracious enough to invite us to Christmas Eve at their house where the fed us at least 23 courses of amazing diverse and delicious food stuffs (thanks to Byron and Dan!). Boxing Day saw us gathered at the home of another good friend (thanks John! Ever the host sublime... makes it look so easy, too!) So now I feel as if I need a month of fasting and pilates or Zumba (what is that anyway?)
And here's someone else who was charmed by Christmas. We gave Jules (our beloved doggy who is trying to climb on my lap even as I write this) a huge chew bone. I think he was scared of it initially. Now he's carrying it around and banging into tables and doorways.

And even better is that some Secret Santa left Jules (who is very good) a doggy bag with a chew toy and a stuffed animal on our doorstep- anonymously! Jules is VERY HAPPY!!!

Feels Like Spring! End of Year Bloggery

It's the Winter Solstice and it's 53 degrees... thank goodness for Climate Change and Global Warming! The funguses are all aglow and the grass hummocks in our swamp are gree. The horse is still grazing (in preference to hay) and friends report forsythia is in bloom. Egads! But I'll still take it over snow any day...

So I stumbled around our big and over to our "island" and snapped pictures in defiance of December. I know, I know; it could change tomorrow.

So could so many other things. Like Mommy is not in such great shape and she is 91 years old. I have been having sleeplessness and anxiety about her death. We all know it will happen sooner than later but you can still never be too prepared even if you are a follower of Nature and accept that everyone/ everything will die. Contemplating lovely saprovores (is that spelled correctly?) that help break down the dead things are a good place to consider life's cycles. Winter should be a tiime of sleeping beauty and there is a splndid confusion in these bright colors and almost "vernal awakening" images. But they're helping me get through these shortest days of the year...

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Last year, as Bob and Jules and I resided in a "borrowed" home for the holidays, it just never seemed like the Christmas season. Two things make Christmas seem like Christmas were missing- the tree and the Christmas cookies. The tree was missing as we were living in a temporary house that was full of the previous inhabitant's possessions and there really wasn't space for a tree and tragically, the oven on the stove didn't work. We were so deep in the delirious doldrums wondering if we'd ever get our house that Christmas seemed extraneous.
This year, however, we were blessed with the gift of a spruce tree top that was busted in that fluke October snow storm. Bob thought to put the tree- fully ten feet tall- in our stream and it survived just fine. Erected in my studio, which has the very tall ceiling, it looks really spectacular, entirely making up for the lack of tree last year.
I have yet to bake any cookies, but we had a small dinner party last night and we all gathered in my studio around the woodstove and the tree. It was quite magical!

Horse-y Hilton

This is an interior shot of our little horse barn. It's a very misleading barn as from the outside, it appears about half the size it really is. Bob did a bangup job of tearing up the floor and finishing the walls so that there are no edges or nails to get cut on. (Note the "handle with care" graffitti!) The addition of the chandelier was my touch!
Crispin has downright luxurious and commodious acommodations, seeing as he was living in a herd of seven or eight mixed ponies and horses with a run in shed and round bales of hay to squabble over. I was so afraid that he'd miss his pals.  But instead, I think he's sighing an equine sigh of relief. He seems so relaxed and nonchalant. Who knew? Maybe he wanted a home like this forever...

From the outside, we erected a windbreak as the barn was positioned with the doorway to the north. We wanted Crispin to have 24/7 access so that he can stroll out at midnight and enjoy the full moon and a nightcap of hay and water, but still have protection from the wind. It seems to work just fine and he is savoring his freedom.

The electric fence seem to be working fine. Don't get me going on how complicated that was! Ten minutes before the horse was delivered, Bob and I were still not sure whether we had it rigged right. But no escapees means it's working, and Crispin doesn't seem to mind his incarceration in a glamourous prison system!

My Christmas Pony

In truly remarkable contrast to my greatest fears- that poor lonely only Crispin would spend his first TWO WEEKS running around the paddock like a pony with his head missing, trumpeting and pitifully whinnying for all of his absent friends- Crispin has out done himself in expressing poise and equine composure. He has been peacefully grazing and engaing in such horsey exercises as sleeping standing in the sun. I apologize for having doubted his "equine-nimity". Maybe he finally feels (correctly!) that it's a pleasure to not have to fight for every bit of grain, or every flake of hay. And he seems to be enjoying the company of Bob's sculpture, too.
He seems to like his new house; Bob spied Crispin with his head sticking out of the stall, watching for human activity early this morning. So far so good! Here's another picture of the contented and relaxed horse. He made funny little snuffle-y whuffle-y nickers at me this morning. Just in time for Christmas... what more could a girl want??

Musical Interlude Number 156788

At least someone is having a good time! The irrepressible Jules is all smiles as he has a favorite ball (or twenty) thrown into a freshly raked pile of leaves. He's so agreeable and willing to just get on and have a good time... something that has been in short supply lately as Bob and Rita have encountered especially tough times in the household project department. Nothing at all has worked or been easy.

But Jules is a charmer and doesn't let anything get him down.

Thank goodness for dogs!

The Wild Kingdom

The Gods of Completed Electrical Circuits and Bringing the Equine Home must be sour on Bob n' Rita as we have had nothing but really egregiously hard times since we embarked on this last major project of 2011. We spent several days stringing electric line (wires and tape) (and humming Glen Campbell's iconic rhapsody "I am a Line Man for the County...) and have yet to determine why we can't get a shock out of the system. The box clicks and the red light pulses. Bob got shocked (accidentally) when one of his smaller sculptures touched the postive and ground terminals so the box must be okay. I called Tractor Supply and received what seemed like good intelligence; we had neglected to complete a part of the system and still no go. Then I discovered a wire touching a post and we worked that out and it STILL didn't work. Baffled and defeated, we turned to ripping the floor boards out and finishing the stall. I'm outside and Bob is ripping the boards when he erupts from the building... turns out there's a skunk under the floor he just removed. I mean, we have been noisy as all get out. Skill saw running, we're moving wood and stomping around; you'd have to be deaf not to be disturbed and this partcular skunk is asleep? Just our luck.
We went next door and borrowed a HavaHeart trap and procured cat food to bait it and our older trap with. But we can't really complete our floor removal until skunk removal is done. This project is progressing too slowly! Bob actually turned to me and exploded wtih "Maybe we SHOULD eat the horse!!"
I know how he feels.

Unique Continuity of Jules in Space

Jules, who was asleep at the top of the stairs, didn't know I took his picture and fooled around with it on the computer. He was laying on our nasty stained carpet at the top of the stairs, so I gave him a more fanciful crash site. He's tired as he ran around all afternoon, chasing balls and barreling at full tilt into the carefully raked piles of leaves that I'd assembled, ready to cart off to mulch the blueberry plants.
Bob and I are really tired, too, as we spent all (of a rather lovely day for the third of December!) day outside, finishing the horse fence and erecting several serious metal gates that Bob constructed. Tomorrow we have to pull up the floor in half the small barn and make a suitable stall for Crispin. There are so many details and odd its of things to prepare for The Big Day, when Crispin is actually delivered and can begin a new chapter in his life. Crispin doesn't know that he is to be re-incarnated as an art project. Yes!! First the dog and now the horse! Is there no rest for the animals of the BobnRita ranch?? Pressed without consent into becoming fodder for oddball practises and projects! Secretly, I think animals enjoy this sort of thing. It takes them out of the humdrum existence that is the fate of most critters. Crispin will have his own chandelier in the barn... how's that for falling into the lap of luxury?
Life here is never dull. But we could use a million days off (with pay, thank you). I'm so tired I can't even blog. But stay tuned as The Big Day approaches and we (no doubt) encounter all sorts of interesting mishaps and adventures once the horse arrives.

Beige Bloggery

I never use these colors!! Or lack of color... sort of subdued beige and browns. But I liked the look of this chair (on the way to the dump) when it was seated on the fallen leaves. It gained a composure and dignity that it sure never had at our house.
Odds and bloggish ends: my eye was newly messed up by several doctors (no doubt well-intentioned!) attempts to fit me with a corrective contact lens. A mere three hours of wearing the lens one day and I swore I saw worse than I had previously. The next morning I called the office to complain of this and they had me re-insert the lens to see if the fogginess cleared. Well, it didn't so I had to high tail it back to Yale and have the lens evicted from my eye and life. I think we're supposed to try again with a different lens, but I'm sort of gun shy as my vision is worse (without the lens) than it was before. To be honest, I've been sort of excited that I could see the random thing with my left eye; very erratic but I'd be able to read the digital clock in the car, or see some lettering very clearly. I was starting to pick out individual leaves on the ground on my walks. And now? It's all sort of hazier than it was; almost like it was sanded with very fine sand paper so that it's blurry on a micro-level. I suppose that makes no sense to anyone. But it sucks!! I have two more eye appointments early this week; wish me luck.