Merry Christmas!

Robert Duncan painting

Wishing everyone a warm,safe and wonderful Christmas!
Feliz Navidad! God Jul!
And may 2009 soon bring us a year full, not only of promise, but of the realization of our hopes and dreams!

Festival of Lights

A Safe And Happy Hanukkah To All!







Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is the eight-day holiday, celebrating the Jewish victory over the Greeks in the mid-second century B.C.E. The word ''Hanukah'' means dedication, which refers to the re-dedication of the Holy Temple after the battle. As the Jews prepared to re-light the Temple menorah -- or seven-branched candelabra -- they found that there was only enough pure oil to last one day. The miracle of Hanukkah occurred when the oil lasted eight days.

Hanukkah 2008 Dates:
Secular Calendar:
December 21 (first candle) - December 28 (last candle)
Jewish Calendar:
25 Kislev - 2 Tevet

My Favorite Contemporary Artist

Robert Duncan is a brilliant and gifted artist who is able to capture the spirit and spark of his subjects in a way few other painters can match.
Please visit his website at www.robertduncanstudios.com and you just may become as captivated as I. {He's even a fellow Fjord fan and owner!}

Sheepish Dreams

I dream of one day looking out the window of my humble little home on a few secluded acres to see the sight of- not only my contented horses grazing peacefully- but also perhaps a few Scottish Blackface ewes and their lambs. I have always loved sheep and hope to one day be able to spin their wool and allow my inner artisan to be released as I endeavor to create something beautiful, wonderful and hopefully functional.

A Touch Of Divinity

"There are unknown worlds of knowledge in brutes; and whenever you mark a horse, or a dog, with a peculiarly mild, calm, deep-seated eye, be sure he is an Aristotle or a Kant, tranquilly speculating upon the mysteries in man. No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses. They see through us at a glance. And after all, what is a horse but a species of four-footed dumb man, in a leathern overall, who happens to live upon oats, and toils for his masters, half-requited or abused, like the biped hewers of wood and drawers of water? But there is a touch of divinity even in brutes, and a special halo about a horse, that should forever exempt him from indignities. As for those majestic, magisterial truck-horses of the docks, I would as soon think of striking a judge on the bench, as to lay violent hand upon their holy hides." ~Herman Melville, Redburn. His First Voyage, 1849

New Mexico

Chama, northern New Mexico


I was very young when I first fell in love with the idea of New Mexico as a place I would want to live. My Grandmother had just returned from a crosscountry trip, and had told me that she's never seen any place quite as beautiful or magical as New Mexico. There was something special about the Southwest, she said. It was just so different than anything she'd ever known here on the East Coast. She said she wished she could live there.
I could understand her need for change. Most of her life had been filled with great hardship, having grown up a child of the Depression. She also endured a very abusive father, who blamed her for the accidental death of her younger brother. They never let her live it down, and the cruelty that was inflicted upon her by her parents forever fractured the amazingly talented and gifted person into whom she was meant to blossom.
Just the other day I told my Mom that I had been thinking about New Mexico as a possible relocation spot when I graduate the R.N. program in 2010. She told me Grandma once bought property out there, but had to let it go when my Stepgrandfather became ill. I was floored! I never knew my Grandmother had actually
put her plan into action! I was so proud of her, even though she was not able to see it through. At least she dared to dream!
I am a dreamer, but also a realist. We will explore the options, yet keep an open mind. Maybe we will find ourselves in the Land of Enchantment...

You Are The Best Thing!

I just found this man's work and I love it! What a great voice!
This song is SO how I feel about my husband, Ian!
Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ3xTjvj9tw

Another Great Poem

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a horse"
or, "that's a lot of money for "just a horse". They don't
understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs
involved for "just a horse". Some of my proudest moments have come
about with "just a horse". Many hours have passed and my only
company was "just a horse", but I did not feel slighted. Some of my
saddest moments have been brought about by "just a horse" and in
those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a horse" gave me
comfort and reason to overcome the day. If you, too think
it's "just a horse" then you will probably understand phrases
like "just a friend", "just a sunrise" or "just a promise". "Just a
horse" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust and
pure unbridled joy. "Just a horse" brings out the compassion and
patience that make me a better person. Because of "just a horse" I
will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.
So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a horse" but an
embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond
memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. "Just a
horse" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away
from myself and the worries of the day. I hope that someday they
can understand that it's not "just a horse" but a thing that gives
me humanity and keeps me from being "just a woman". So the next
time you hear the phrase "just a horse" just smile, because
they "just" don't understand.
-Author unknown

One Of My Favorite Poems

AN OLD HORSEWOMAN
Trudy Hatfield

When I am an old horsewoman, I shall wear turquoise and diamonds and a straw hat that doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my Social Security on sugar cubes and carrots, and sit in the alleyway of my barn and listen to my horses breathe.

I will sneak out in the middle of a summer night and ride the old sorrel gelding across the moonstruck meadow if my old bones will allow it.

And when people come to call, I will smile and as I walk past the garden to the barn and show - instead of flowers growing - stalls freshened with straw. I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair as if it were jewels.

And I will be an embarrassment to all who will not yet have found the peace in being free to have a horse as a friend ... a friend who waits at the midnight hour with soft muzzle and a nicker and patient eyes for the kind of woman I will be when I am old!