Finally. Christmas Tree Chair

 

Here it is as it is lit up and decorated. I have some ornaments on it. But really didn't put tons on it this year. I used up most of the red colored ornaments I had for some color. 

I also don't always hang my special ornaments, but use them on the chair seat like this:

I'll keep changing what is on the chair or around the chair almost daily. To keep the horses from falling over, I used the string of beads. This chair seat IS flat so they shouldn't fall over, but I liked adding color with beads and ribbons.

I finally got my North Pole Village out and as I arranged things, I started to 'play'. 

I mean, this time of the year gives me a great excuse for more play, right?

Our weather is unbelievable! We went from way below frozen to 50 F yesterday. It will last through the weekend through Monday. I still am contemplating doing a Charlie photo. You know, the one where I make the dog sit in front of the tree and pose. 

LOL. He hates it but will do it for cookies!

Enjoy.

Dreams...

Dreams...

The air grows crisp and the trees

release their leaves...

in colors of red and gold.

Barberries' sharp thorns

catch leaves like lost dreams.

~~Val 

 

It's Dandy Time

Some see a weed.

Some see a wish.

Who loves Dandelions?
Not everyone.

Those sneaky little yellow flowers turn white and then spread their fluff all over the place!

The flowers heads duck when you mow over them and then spring back up after you have passed. Those Dandelions are the bane of so many suburban yards. People fight like heck to rid their yards of these bright yellow spring flowers.

Of course, I don't care. Once spring is over, they aren't as noticeable and their foliage is green, just like the rest of the yard.

But for a couple of weeks, they are out there glowing in the morning light and their seeds of fluff blow everywhere.

Dandelions are just little weeds that want 

to be loved like other flowers ~~~
Heather Babcock

Be like a dandelion

Scatter dreams in the breezes.

Ponies and little girls

 Last week one of the ladies who is a coach and a friend from our CrossFit gym invited me out to visit with her and have lunch. She said the girls were excited for me to come out and see their pony.

The pony is supposedly only 20ish. The people that gave them the pony years ago gave him an estimated age back then. In my opinion, the pony is more closer to 30 than 20. However, he is a much loved animal by all the girls.

The oldest girl has dreams of becoming a barrel racer with a beautiful flaxen maned horse that would fly like the wind and carry her to victories. We all need our dreams.

We didn't have horses when I was a kid, but my Uncle and cousins did. Sometimes my sister and I spent overnights with my cousins and of course we played and rode the horses. 

We rode quite a bit at my Uncle's place. He raised and trained horses. During WWII he was in charge of mules and horses that transported equipment. His love and patience with all equine was amazing.

I'm on the left on Thunder, the cantankerous pony that was probably very misunderstood and very loved at the same time. My sister is on Charlie Brown, one of my Uncle's last horses that he raised before he died.

I think Thunder was a Shetland. We called him a "Sh-tland" pony because he always had tricks to play on his unsuspecting riders. The only rule we had was to stay on top. 

Of course this made me dream of having an incredibly beautiful horse with a long flowing mane and tail. Oh snap!

I ended up with mules, but what can I say? Riding them still makes me feel free and dreamy.

It really eases my mind and soul.

I want to be like these little girls and their pony...playing and dreaming without a worry in their heads.

Weird Dreams!

Do you ever have dreams that just do not make sense at all?

How about this? 

I was shopping in town and a storm was coming, when I got to the parking lot my youngest son was standing in the rain with his two young kids, a huge Jeep, and a motorcycle. 

He said to me, 'Mom, take the kids, I have to go to court!'

I just asked him why didn't he take his Jeep? [He doesn't have one] 

And he says the kids like the motorcycle better and the Jeep quit. [He doesn't have a motorcycle either]

For whatever reason, I got mad and slammed the drivers door shut hard.

And my car tipped over in the mud.

So yeah, I woke up then and wondered 

Where in the heck did that come from?

Unrealistic Expectations of

 the Perfect Hollyweird Hallmark Perception of the Perfect Family Christmas.

That is a mouthful and so unrealistic. 

The following is Satire and not meant to represent any real family.

There is no such thing as a perfect Christmas. There are no perfect Holidays. 

This time we hired Security Officers for a Family Get Together to make sure that the feuding families didn't bring weapons. Full body searches at the door pretty much took the fun out of getting inside to have a good knock

down

drag out

fight.

However, an MMA event was not out of the question.

Grandma Mildred smuggled in a Bowie Knife. I mean seriously, the officers missed that. Who on earth would search an old lady's Wet Depends?

Cousin LeRoy attacked Cousin Raymond with a plastic Spork after they both went for the same piece of nasty Fruitcake.

Great Grandma Jolene went after Grandma Mildred. Jolene is an expert at wheeling that old chair of hers. Hair was pulled and Grandma Mildred lost her wig. Mildred whipped her Rollator around and nearly took off Jolene's head.

With shots and beers in hand, the rest of the family hung out at the bar and watched the entertainment. The Grandma Fight was scored and after 3 rounds, they broke it up and handed the Champion Necklace to Mildred. Her Bowie Knife won her extra points.

So clever of Mildred to outwit and outfight a 90 year old!

The little ones went around the rented room to tear down decorations. They decided to pile it up in the corner and see if they could start a fire.

Some of us were impressed that these two and four year old's could be so handy with matches and lighters.

Serious bets were placed on who would start the next fight when the presents were opened. We'd drawn names for this large get together.

We'd hired a Santa to pass out gifts. He was the same Santa we'd used a year ago. Instead of a big pillow under his suit, he was wearing a Kevlar Vest. Impressive!

We had to separate the grandmothers one more time. Great Grandma Jolene had held the Family Feud Champion Necklace for years and wasn't about to give it up that easily.

Gifts were passed out just before the Santa passed out. Apparently he had been hiding out at the bar for quite a while.

All was merry especially when the fire department arrived to put out the fire the kids started.

We all left the building and admired the pretty flashing lights.

Grandpa Leo toddled out with his walker and waved it around announcing that he just loved a parade with Fire Trucks!

~~~~~~~

Oh ... and then I woke up.

Dreams

"Hi mom person." 

Okay, that was weird. For whatever reason, I heard those words.

"What?" I asked, not sure that I just heard that. And in the dream Sunshine's face was right there.

"You heard me, don't be so dense. Mom person. You are my human mom well, birth mom. Not that biological thing of course. You could never have such a beautiful child as me," Sunshine said. She continued, "Horse Mom had her short comings, I mean little ears and all. But you have almost no ear at all. I suppose you are lucky in a way, your ears don't attract flies and bite..ey things."

An image of Cheyanne, her mom kind of came to mind for a moment.

"Your mom was my very first equine that I truly loved. She was stunning."

Sunshine dipped her head in my dream and closed her eyes, then opened them. "Oh yes, my mom who dumped you so many times? Her? That scatter brained mom? Thank goodness my father was a sensible donkey. She was an excellent mom though. The best."

Sunshine leaned in close and looked me in the eye.

"I have a secret," she whispered. 

"Do you remember when I was injured for a whole year? The doctor man said I might not ever recover. And you came in every day and hugged me and talked to me? 

You probably didn't even know back then that we mules understand every single word you say. Most of the time we just ignore you."

"Well," I replied a bit weirded out, "um okay."

Sunshine winked.

"I get you. I know you. Deep in this heart of mine, I am with you."

"Um. You get me." I stated.

"Oh yes, I know you. Just like Badger did. My heart, your heart, we are connected. Truly we are." Sunshine breathed into my face softly so I could smell her breath.

"I know you."

I woke up with a start and tossed on some clothes. I walked outside and down to the front pasture. 
I flicked on a flash light. There was Sunshine staring at me curiously by the gate.

Her head nodded slightly and then she turned and walked away.

Yeah.

That was totally weird.

What is your dream?

I've been thinking about this for a while. I had all sorts of visions years ago while I was still working about what I wanted to do when I retired or semi retired. The thought was I'd work part time for quite a while. It suited me.

I was going to travel around our state and camp/stay in motels and have a photographic adventure of all the cool waterfalls and neat state parks. I was going to be able to wander aimlessly about. After that, I would look into some of the longer trips. Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Bad Lands, and lesser known areas. I'd go back to the Big Island and be able visit areas I wanted to ... and take my time taking it all in.

Well. Then 2015 happened. That led to a different path. By 2017 I had to stay home from work and become a CareGiver. I'm not officially recognized as a full caregiver by the VA, but I am told by them that I am one. Confused? Nah, don't be. 

I'd gotten a message the other day asking if I'd like to see my grand kids this summer if it could be arranged. If it all worked out, they'd be staying with my ex husband and his wife for a week. The drive to go see them would be a rather long one. My eldest son pointed out that I could sleep in the Subaru and I laughed. Indeed I could.

So of course I started 'dreaming' again about how fun it would be to take off on a trip. 

I haven't been on a trip in 11 years. But who is counting? I love travelling. I haven't taken a trip for any length of time since 2017 when Morris and I took a road trip three weeks later Rich had a stroke.
I did go for a quick visit in 2019 to see my eldest son's house. It was a whirlwind trip. I went Friday afternoon and was back by Sunday morning.

The arrangements were complicated. I had to arrange for chores to be done and meals for Rich. 

A summer trip would be easier. The mules could be out on pasture and the meals could be prepped ahead of time.  I'd ask his daughter to stay but she has her own family and there is this whole vaccination, pandemic, thing going on. I know my neighbor would help but gosh, I sure hate imposing on her.

So I can dream about what I'd pack for a camping trip and where I'd go. How nice would it be for once not to have to be so responsible? 

Dream trips.
I am a gypsy at heart and the open road keeps whispering to me each time I get in the Subaru and go for groceries or to the feed store.

So I am going to go do some daydreaming now and have some coffee. That world awaits just at the end of my driveway.

Just thinking

Just thinking.

Yep

I shouldn't do that right? I mean come on. It might cause a brain short [brain fart] or some such thing.
I was daydreaming about things I'd like to do if I ever get the time for it. I was told that my life is a piece of cake by some who thought that my 'retirement' from the work force was a road to Easy Peasy. 

Ahhh...she said, "Nice to not have to work any more right? You just do what you want!" Apparently CareGiving was never in her vocabulary.

My retirement was supposed to be filled with long days in the saddle exploring places. Or hiking exotic trails that would require me to spend two or three days in the wilderness. Another day dream was to toss Charlie [or Morris at one time] into my car and drive off to explore waterfalls and state parks. 

Though Travels with Charlie would make a better title for a good read, Travels with Morris would have worked too.

In my Day Dream I have my camera and Time.
Time. 

Time to explore. Time to sit on a log and inspect my inner thoughts. Time to spend a whole day exploring one trail and not being a slave to Time.

I could spend all day exploring light and all night exploring the stars. 

Pfft. 
My other daydream was to become a Big Hotshot Photographer! And then I realized that this wasn't a dream but a ball and chain. 

I would need THE best equipment, have lighting, have a studio and lots and lots of Stuff. Stuff!

Instead. I have a backpack. No studio. 

Some days I can even get out for a couple of hours and explore the nearby Reserve or County Parks.

I did finally save up and invest in a nice Olympus DSLR. They are super light cameras with some incredible features. Best thing? The camera doesn't mind going out in damp weather.

I have studied Fine Art Photography and wish that I were moving along in those lines. My photos seem more of a record of daily existence than of any artistic nature.  

But I would like to be Artistic. 

I have resolved that I won't find perfect but I will find everyday and real sights.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have some of those absolute perfect shots in a portfolio.
However.

I get sidetracked while walking in the woods and sit in the snow to look at the little things. Like the roots of a Buckthorn sapling that I'd pulled this fall. I thought the stark twisted black roots were stunning against the snow. 

Twisted

I wander the same scenery every day while taking Charlie for his walk. I look at the same scenes in different light and different weather. I still am floored by how it changes with the sun/rain/fog/snow/ or cold.

Morning Frost

And then I realize something. I've been documenting or photographing places that I can just walk or ride to and take a photo. And I've been doing it for years.

Below is the old Riley Farm. Note that in 2006 it had a barn! 

I don't recall what happened to it.

2006

2014

2018

2020

Sometimes I think I am on a fool's errand. After all, who cares? Who cares about the Blue Ice or the ice caves. Who cares about my ridge. Of course right now the ridge and the valleys around our house are the only places I am wandering at the moment.

But I love embracing the moment. Capturing something that catches my eye. So what if I've shot this scene before. It is never the same. It is never perfect, because we do not live in a perfect world.

The whole point for me is just to explore and 'see' interesting things.

Bittersweet in Hoar Frost

Through the Frost to the

Forest

So I'll keep practicing and trying to learn new things. Fine Art Photography and Still Life. This summer I hope to try some Astrophotography. 

Just thinkin'.

Why not? After all, I am retired and have all the time in the world [she says with a sideways smirk on her face].

The CareGiving Reverse Gift List

What a wonderful idea for people who spend and expend so much energy in caring for someone in their family like a spouse or a parent.
The idea is to ask for some help to make the Holidays and winter [or even just everyday life] a bit easier.

The CareGiver gets out a piece of paper and ....makes out a Reverse Gift List.
The idea is that the caregiver asks for some things that would help them and in the future they can pay it back when their time is not fully occupied by being a CareGiver.
Most people enjoy helping.
Things that are simple like a visit.
Maybe a visit so the CareGiver can have a part of a day off.

So the idea is...


On one side of the piece of paper make a list of people you trust.

On the other side of the paper make a list of Things They Can Do.
Uh oh.
My paper is getting nowhere fast.

I need to set it aside and think about it.
First the needs of the day.
Chores
Meal prep
Visit MIL in the Nursing Home
Errands
Bills
Laundry

And dream about the days when I complained about going to work.

When I ride...

I am like the kid who rides a dragon.
The magic of the world opens up to me.

My spirit is suddenly free.

Something wild calls me...

Home...
Home...

And we can fly with unbounded joy

until I have to return to

reality...

Once upon a time...

This is a story of a memory which may or may not be very accurate.

When I was very young I seem to recall going to Art Class and the teacher asked us to draw a scene.
Being a typical kindergartner [or first grader?] I took the beautiful array of colorful crayons and began to make my picture.

I colored grasses and trees, skies and clouds with a flourish of colors. The world would be as I deemed it in my child's eye. The clouds would be purple, the sky would be orange, the leaves would be wild colors of green, yellow, blue, ...anything my heart desired.

I put the sun in the upper right corner with multicolored rays emitting from it.

The Art Teacher came around and told me that the sky was blue. The grass is green and so were leaves on the trees. I was told to do my picture over.

I recall telling this to my father. I was very heartbroken that I had to color things the way the teacher saw it. My world was brilliant and imaginative [I didn't have the vocabulary at the time to express this to her] and her world was dull and unexciting.

I want to believe that my father talked to the teacher. But I do know that he did talk to me about it. He told me it was perfectly okay to draw the world in any color I wished, and if I wanted to the sky to be orange or purple, that was fine.

And so I bring you to my next photography experimentation. The Infared Converted camera.

It allows me to giggle and smile at a world not seen by many.

Magical.

Wild.
Where skies can be odd colored, where trees can be white or pink at my choosing.

Infrared photography is best done in the summer, but being who I am, I couldn't help but try it out in the brilliant snow.

And if I want purple clouds?

I sure can have them!

Who says dreams don't come true?

Fifteen

I had a lot of other things to write about. One of those things of course was photography and my trip to the east coast of Wisconsin....

However as soon as I returned I was tossed into 12 hr night/day shifts and time got lost somewhere.

Hubby decided to go to an auction. He and I had discussed at length the prospect of getting a pony. I didn't want to go through raising a foal and training it again. I've done that so many times over the past um... well, I've had something 'in' training since I was 36.
We discussed the fact that the neighbor kids had expressed an interest in learning to ride. [The older grand kids learned last summer on Fred and he was so perfect.]

Fred the mule is our perfect teacher. He is pony sized and ultra patient. However he is also aged and even though he shows no ill health, being 30ish is sort of old.
He has given so many people their very first rides that I've lost count.


I wanted a horse pony since I was a little kid. Not the fancy Welsh pony or the Shetland kind. Just a small horse.
I am a small person.

I've also been going over the idea of getting back into 4H as a leader. I enjoyed it so much when my kids were in it. Having a pony/small horse would fit right in to my plans.

We did quite a bit of searching and found some nice pony sized horses. Nothing quite fit the bill. I wasn't looking for a fancy show pony but something I'd use as well as be able to teach with.

Hubby went to an Amish horse auction. I stayed home to recover from some 12 hr shifts and take a hike. I know Rich is very particular when looking at animals, I was pretty sure that he'd come home soon.

I went hiking and found some false morels as well as 3 small greys.

Rich came home and stated that he'd bought a pony and had his eye on another one.
I was surprised.

I went back with him and found #115. That was the sticker on her rear end.

When we got her home the neighbors came down for a look see. She stepped off the trailer and looked around. She quietly surveyed the area and all of the commotion from the honking donkeys to Little Richard's shrill whinney.
There was a new kid on the block and everyone had a voice in it.

"What are you going to call her?" Everyone asked, "What's her name?"
Well I'd thought about that.
I looked her over and ran my hand down her back. It stopped at the sticker.

"Her name is 115 or Fifteen for short." Rich nodded, he was used to me giving animals strange names.

And Fifteen has been home for two days now. She has shown us a very high degree of smarts. It takes a lot to impress a mule man.

Fifteen is doing just that.

I can't wait to work with her.

Welcome home Fifteen!