I just realized this morning that we're drawing close to Imbolc, the Celtic festival that marks the time of year when winter begins to loosen its grip. It's a time of lustration, purification, and cleansing, when the goddess Brighid brings energy and light.
Brighid is the goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft - all magical arts of transformation. She's also a guardian of farm animals.
She teaches the power of committed action, and the awareness of what's possible in our lives. She offers the courage to act on one's dreams.
I've been thinking the past few days that February, for me, will be a month of settling in with words and horses and children, and committing to some actions with each.
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tagged! Seven Things You Probably Don't Know About Me
Thanks, Victoria, for tagging! Go see her lovely blog, Teachings of the Horse, one of my new favorites.
And now, the seven things:
1. My favorite TV show when I was little was Lost In Space.
2. My favorite show now is Firefly.
3. We haven't had TV in about 8 years but we do have Netflix.
4. I was an English major in undergrad school and swooped around the English department dressed all in black drinking bad coffee.
5. When I was little I had to pick between ballet and riding lessons. The rest is history!
6. I love big old houses and my office is in the upstairs of a house built in 1904.
7. When I was in high school two of my best friends and I regularly dressed in dark clothing, sneaked out in the middle of the night defying our tiny town's curfew, and threw eggs at houses of boys we liked. We were never caught, and we never told.
I'm going to have to come back here later today and add the names of the people/blogs I'm tagging!
And now, the seven things:
1. My favorite TV show when I was little was Lost In Space.
2. My favorite show now is Firefly.
3. We haven't had TV in about 8 years but we do have Netflix.
4. I was an English major in undergrad school and swooped around the English department dressed all in black drinking bad coffee.
5. When I was little I had to pick between ballet and riding lessons. The rest is history!
6. I love big old houses and my office is in the upstairs of a house built in 1904.
7. When I was in high school two of my best friends and I regularly dressed in dark clothing, sneaked out in the middle of the night defying our tiny town's curfew, and threw eggs at houses of boys we liked. We were never caught, and we never told.
I'm going to have to come back here later today and add the names of the people/blogs I'm tagging!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Patry Francis - The Liar's Diary
Patry Francis' debut novel, The Liar's Diary, is available in paperback today. Patry was recently diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and because of treatment is unable to tour or publicize her book.
A tremendous number of bloggers have conspired together to help launch Patry's novel in a show of support and an effort to do what she can't right now.
For the full story behind how all this happened, go to Susan Henderson's LitPark.
Here's a brief excerpt that really sums it up for me, from Susan Henderson at LitPark:
What began as a personal gesture of caring for a friend became an astonishing show of community - writers helping writers; strangers helping strangers; and most surprising of all, editors, agents and publishers, who have no stake in this book, crossing "party lines" to blog, to make phone calls, and to send out press releases.
This effort has made visible a community that is, and has been, alive and kicking - a community that understands the struggle artists go through and rejoices in each other's successes. It's a community made up of many small voices, but - guess what? - those many small voices can create some noise. So while today is for Patry, it's also a symbolic gesture for all of you who work so very hard for little or no recognition, for all of you who keep going despite the rejections, and for all of you who have had illness or other outside factors force your art or your dreams aside. We are in this together.
But FIRST check out Patry's stunning blog, Simply Wait, then go buy her book. Take a moment and hold it in your hands. Send Patry some warm wishes and healing energy. You'll be supporting an author who has been so generous with fellow writers she has a huge posse trying hard to return the favor.
And now, here are Patry's words, lifted off her blog:
"Though my novel deals with murder, betrayal, and the even more lethal crimes of the heart, the real subjects of THE LIAR'S DIARY are music, love, friendship, self-sacrifice and courage. The darkness is only there for contrast; it's only there to make us realize how bright the light can be. I'm sure that most writers whose work does not flinch from the exploration of evil feel the same."
I'm looking forward to reading it.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When new music teacher Ali Mather enters Jeanne Cross's quiet suburban life, she brings a jolt of energy that Jeanne never expected. Ali has a magnetic personality and looks to match, drawing attention from all quarters. Nonetheless, Jeanne and Ali develop a friendship based on their mutual vulnerabilities THE LIAR'S DIARY (Plume / February 2008 / ISBN 978-0-452-28915-4 / $14.00) is the story of Ali and Jeanne's friendship, and the secrets they both keep.
Jeanne's secrets are kept to herself; like her son's poor report card and husband's lack of interest in their marriage. Ali's secrets are kept in her diary, which holds the key to something dark: her fear that someone has been entering her house when she is not at home. While their secrets bring Jeanne and Ali together, it is this secret that will drive them apart. Jeanne finds herself torn between her family and her dear friend in order to protect the people she loves.
A chilling tour of troubled minds, THE LIAR'S DIARY questions just how far you'll go for your family and what dark truths you'd be willing to admit˜even to yourself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patry Francis is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize whose work has appeared in the Tampa Review, Colorado Review, Ontario Review, and the American Poetry Review. She is also the author of the popular blogs, Simply Wait and Waitress Poems. This is her first novel. Please visit her website at PatryFrancis.com.
A tremendous number of bloggers have conspired together to help launch Patry's novel in a show of support and an effort to do what she can't right now.
For the full story behind how all this happened, go to Susan Henderson's LitPark.
Here's a brief excerpt that really sums it up for me, from Susan Henderson at LitPark:
What began as a personal gesture of caring for a friend became an astonishing show of community - writers helping writers; strangers helping strangers; and most surprising of all, editors, agents and publishers, who have no stake in this book, crossing "party lines" to blog, to make phone calls, and to send out press releases.
This effort has made visible a community that is, and has been, alive and kicking - a community that understands the struggle artists go through and rejoices in each other's successes. It's a community made up of many small voices, but - guess what? - those many small voices can create some noise. So while today is for Patry, it's also a symbolic gesture for all of you who work so very hard for little or no recognition, for all of you who keep going despite the rejections, and for all of you who have had illness or other outside factors force your art or your dreams aside. We are in this together.
But FIRST check out Patry's stunning blog, Simply Wait, then go buy her book. Take a moment and hold it in your hands. Send Patry some warm wishes and healing energy. You'll be supporting an author who has been so generous with fellow writers she has a huge posse trying hard to return the favor.
And now, here are Patry's words, lifted off her blog:
"Though my novel deals with murder, betrayal, and the even more lethal crimes of the heart, the real subjects of THE LIAR'S DIARY are music, love, friendship, self-sacrifice and courage. The darkness is only there for contrast; it's only there to make us realize how bright the light can be. I'm sure that most writers whose work does not flinch from the exploration of evil feel the same."
I'm looking forward to reading it.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When new music teacher Ali Mather enters Jeanne Cross's quiet suburban life, she brings a jolt of energy that Jeanne never expected. Ali has a magnetic personality and looks to match, drawing attention from all quarters. Nonetheless, Jeanne and Ali develop a friendship based on their mutual vulnerabilities THE LIAR'S DIARY (Plume / February 2008 / ISBN 978-0-452-28915-4 / $14.00) is the story of Ali and Jeanne's friendship, and the secrets they both keep.
Jeanne's secrets are kept to herself; like her son's poor report card and husband's lack of interest in their marriage. Ali's secrets are kept in her diary, which holds the key to something dark: her fear that someone has been entering her house when she is not at home. While their secrets bring Jeanne and Ali together, it is this secret that will drive them apart. Jeanne finds herself torn between her family and her dear friend in order to protect the people she loves.
A chilling tour of troubled minds, THE LIAR'S DIARY questions just how far you'll go for your family and what dark truths you'd be willing to admit˜even to yourself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patry Francis is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize whose work has appeared in the Tampa Review, Colorado Review, Ontario Review, and the American Poetry Review. She is also the author of the popular blogs, Simply Wait and Waitress Poems. This is her first novel. Please visit her website at PatryFrancis.com.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
a very special day
Today our newest family member arrived on the farm. The horses were beside themselves with excitement. You've never seen such gorgeous movement - floating, extended trots in unison. Here's a shot as they glimpse the new family member.
Here he is! Rafer's breeder leads him to the paddock to see the horses. He was amazingly brave and confident.
Rafer's breeder introduces him to the herd!
The meetings continued all afternoon. By bedtime it was clear that little Rafer had bonded with Cody, and they're sharing a stall and paddock tonight, happy as can be.
Here he is! Rafer's breeder leads him to the paddock to see the horses. He was amazingly brave and confident.
Rafer's breeder introduces him to the herd!
The meetings continued all afternoon. By bedtime it was clear that little Rafer had bonded with Cody, and they're sharing a stall and paddock tonight, happy as can be.
Friday, January 25, 2008
more cold in the a.m.
We had a respite here the past two days, and I had a revelation. 45 is almost tropical after 8.
This morning it's 22 and I'm already thinking of the stiff fingers and difficult to open plastic buckets of vitamins/minerals and flax that face me in the feed room.
I was thinking, though, that while there is a moment of dread over bundling up to go out into the cold, once there something changes and it becomes magical. There is something almost physiologically good about weather extremes.
In this intense (for us here in the south) cold, there's a purity of air and breath and thought that happens when I stand outside. My head clears, and my airways, and suddenly I can feel my body in a way I don't feel it when the air is warmer.
It's hard to imagine the heat of summer in this moment, but that opposite extreme has its own visceral sensations: heaviness, sweat, the feeling of almost melting into the heat and humidity.
The extremes defy distraction. They force us to be present and aware.
Which makes me think how much we lose when we buffer ourselves so successfully against the season's changes and extremes. How whole and complete we might be if we followed the wheel of the year and actually participated in its turning.
This morning it's 22 and I'm already thinking of the stiff fingers and difficult to open plastic buckets of vitamins/minerals and flax that face me in the feed room.
I was thinking, though, that while there is a moment of dread over bundling up to go out into the cold, once there something changes and it becomes magical. There is something almost physiologically good about weather extremes.
In this intense (for us here in the south) cold, there's a purity of air and breath and thought that happens when I stand outside. My head clears, and my airways, and suddenly I can feel my body in a way I don't feel it when the air is warmer.
It's hard to imagine the heat of summer in this moment, but that opposite extreme has its own visceral sensations: heaviness, sweat, the feeling of almost melting into the heat and humidity.
The extremes defy distraction. They force us to be present and aware.
Which makes me think how much we lose when we buffer ourselves so successfully against the season's changes and extremes. How whole and complete we might be if we followed the wheel of the year and actually participated in its turning.
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