diorama

With family out of town, I've come down from the garret to do revisions in a new location. I looked up and over the laptop screen this morning to see this lovely sight.





Sun, light, shadow, and lace, illuminated.

Alchemy.

evensong

I don't often do the evening feed at the barn, but when I do, like tonight, I am reminded of the first evening we spent here preparing for the arrival of our horses.

Bedding the stalls that first time made me realize it was really happening - my dream to have my horses with us at home.

We heard a bobcat that night too, singing in the darkness.

Tonight when I went out Keil Bay was waiting. The other horses hadn't come up to the barn yet, so we had a few moments to visit before the line-up for dinner began.



Keil Bay and I sing to one another every morning when I feed, but our evening song is quiet, an elegant ending to the day.

Friday's big excitement

My diatomaceous earth arrived!

Diatomaceous earth, also known as DE, diatomite, diahydro, kieselguhr, kieselgur and Celite, is a naturally occurring, soft, chalk-like sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. This powder has an abrasive feel, similar to pumice powder, and is very light, due to its high porosity. The typical chemical composition of diatomaceous earth is 86% silica, 5% sodium, 3% magnesium and 2% iron.

Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. It is used as a filtration aid, as a mild abrasive, as a mechanical insecticide, as an absorbent for liquids, as cat litter, as an activator in blood clotting studies, and as a component of dynamite. As it is also heat-resistant, it can be used as a thermal insulator.

My plans for this food-grade DE have to do with keeping ticks and fleas off dogs, cats, and horses, as well as controlling fire ants and kitchen ants.

I've read so many good things about it - can't wait to see if it can do a good job here without using poisons.

P/S: I resisted the temptation to find a metaphor for DE and novel revisions. Feel free to take a shot at it if you like. :)

charmed

I usually work on my book(s) for an hour or so in the mornings, before the day gets going. It's become a special time of day for me. Today I was sitting here as usual when I heard an owl right outside my window.

It called three times, and then another one started singing. Four verses and now silence.

The owl has to do with mystery, magic, omens, silent wisdom, and vision in the night, according to a favorite book of mine, Ted Andrew's Animal Speak. He says the owl brings gifts of clairvoyance and clairaudience.

Both my second and third books, the two I'm working on, feature all of these elements.

Yesterday, I felt drained and in need of replenishment.

This morning's owl song fills me up.

holding it together

Yesterday our four horses had dental exams and flotations, which involves anesthesia and a lot of noise/smell. Think of the dentist drilling away on one small human tooth and then think of a horse's head cranked up on a pulley with a long loud instrument disappearing into his long jaw.

I was absolutely drained by the end of it.

On top of that, Keil Bay had a twig jammed into his neck so deep we couldn't even see where it went in anymore, and this had to be lidocained, incised, and then stapled back together.

There's something about the metal staples in his neck - I feel like I am using my psychic energy to keep them in place, as though any lapse on my part and they will pop out, split open, rip apart.

There are a number of other things, albeit minor, adding to this stress. I realized this morning there are a lot of days between now and May 1st, when his staples come out.

As I often do, I went looking for a quote or passage to bolster my spirit.


Chinese inscription cited by Thoreau in Walden:

Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again.


This is so simple, but soothing to read. It made me think of a container that constantly releases energy, in a wonderful, present, dynamic way. The key is not to hoard the energy, or stop it up, but to replenish it regularly.

I don't know why this simple concept is so easily forgotten or set aside.

The first thing I'm going to do, right now, is find a new image for those metal staples.

(I was going to post a photo of them, but when it came down to it, I couldn't bring myself to even center them in the viewfinder, much less click the shutter!)