august

I'm finding it difficult to believe it's already August - the summer has gone by quickly for me. But the signs are here.

The deep blue skies that presage autumn.

Butterflies everywhere!

The huge horseflies that are like small birds.

The pony's annual grumpiness. (I'm hoping his saliva test yields some insight into this phenomenon)

Muscadines are on the way to being ripe. This year they're along our front porch and in the back field, where you can ride underneath the vines and pick them.

A manuscript that wants to be queried but isn't quite ready. (last night I actually closed the document and opened the doc for the THIRD novel - with some kind of desperate hope that perhaps it had magically edited itself and was ready to send out - no such luck)

Fleas (help is on the way)

A subtle but definite pull inside that is me longing for the change of season - changing colors, crisp nights, the call of geese.


*******


Update on Keil Bay and his herbal regimen:

Keil Bay and I both had hot stone massage today and H. and I were astounded at the change in his demeanor.

He loves the bodywork but tends to fidget and fuss until the "right" area gets addressed. This is an okay thing - but I have always wanted him to relax and enjoy the entire process. Today he did.

He was waiting at the barn door for H. when she arrived. He said hello and then planted himself. I sat in a chair and held the lead line, but he really didn't need one. With the first contact he was licking, chewing, rolling his eyes around, yawning, and doing incredible yoga stretches each time she stopped to get new stones.

He didn't have to smell them, taste them, or otherwise even see the stones - he just stood there and opened up to the massage.

At one point her hands were so deep behind his scapula I could only see the wrists. He's never allowed such deep work, and he didn't fuss once about flies or the heat or the hour standing still.

I'm convinced the herbs are having tremendous effects on the way he feels.

We have two hot days coming up and I may not ride until they pass - but later this week we will be back to regular work and I am so eager to see how it goes.

quotes to self

Mamie reminded me that I have all these quotes and chinese fortune cookie fortunes and poems taped to the inside of my laptop.

It's a good time to read them and remind myself of what I've put there.


But I don't want to go among mad people! said Alice. Oh, you can't help it, said the Cat. We're all mad here. (Lewis Carroll)

Your hard efforts will bring you fame. (chinese fortune cookie from 3/25/2000)

Beauty will save the world. (F. Dostoyevsky)

You are on the verge of something big. (chinese fortune cookie from 2/23/2004)


It is time for all the heroes to go home
if they have any, time for all of us common ones
to locate ourselves by the real things
we live by.

Far to the north, or indeed in any direction,
strange mountains and creatures have always lurked-
elves, goblins, trolls, and spiders: -we
encounter them in dread and wonder,

But once we have tasted far streams, touched the gold,
found some limit beyond the waterfall,
a season changes, and we come back, changed
but safe, quiet, grateful.

Suppose an insane wind holds all the hills
while strange beliefs whine at the traveler's ears,
we ordinary beings can cling to the earth and love
where we are, sturdy for common things.

-William Stafford


The object of your desire comes closer. (chinese fortune cookie from 11/8/2003)

A chance meeting opens new doors to success and friendship. (chinese fortune cookie not dated)

you are going to change your present line of work. (chinese fortune cookie from 5/2004)

Good things are coing to you in due course of time. (chinese fortune cookie from 5/2004)


All rivers run full to the sea; those who are apart are brought together, the lost ones are redeemed; the dead come back to life; the perfectly blue days that have begun and ended in golden dimness continue, immobile and accessible.

-Mark Helprin


Assurance

You will never be alone, you hear so deep
a sound when autumn comes. Yellow
pulls across the hills and thrums,
or the silence after lightning before it says
its names - and then the clouds' wide-mouthed
apologies. You were aimed from birth:
you will never be alone. Rain
will come, a gutter filled, an Amazon,
long aisles - you never heard so deep a sound,
moss on rocks, and years. You turn your head
that's what the silence meant: you're not alone
The whole wide world pours down.

-William Stafford

award!

Victoria at Teachings of the Horse recently presented camera-obscura, along with six other bloggers, this Brillante award. Thank you, Victoria - your blog is a favorite read of mine, as are the others you awarded. It's a very rich blogging world and I'm fortunate to have so many amazing blogging friends.

The award asks that each recipient pass on the award to 7 other bloggers. Many of my favorites have already been awarded, but the following are some of my favorite reads that haven't yet been tagged with this award, and so I get the chance to do the tagging:

Matthew's There's Not Two is a very minimal text but beautiful blog that never fails to lift my spirits when I visit.

Sheaffer's blog is a favorite and donkeys everywhere read it for his humor and wisdom.

Heidi at hickchic always inspires me and also makes me smile.

This is a new find and not exactly a blog, but the horsey set here at camera-obscura will enjoy it. An Otherwise Perfect Farm's expansive set of excerpts from a forthcoming book called Finding My Distance.

Kairos Calling is devoted to the process and craft of writing and she tackles some of the issues all writers face when working and trying to get their work "out there."

Mamie's Spot is a wonderful potpourri of daily life and writing and truly lovely photographs.

Peggy Payne's Boldness Blog makes me think and gives me the little nudge I need to be bold in both big and little ways.

Congratulations, all, and remember you can get the award here, put it on your blog, link back to camera-obscura, and then present it to 7 more bloggers. But there is no pressure - the main thing is to enjoy the award and pass it along if you have time and want to do that.

Thanks for the great reads!

taking leaps and making pilgrimages

The insects are singing loudly almost around the clock here, and looking at the weather forecast it seems we're notching up heat-wise over the next five days. It's been so nice this past few weeks. I hope we escape the extremes we had last summer.

Yesterday morning while awaiting the trimmer, Keil Bay was exercising in the arena and reportedly cantered a small jump - unfortunately I missed it, but was excited to hear that he is feeling so good. He's been jumped under saddle just a little, and he enjoys popping over small obstacles on the trail. I've seen him gallop over small log jumps in our field, between two trees, as though the logs were huge cross-country jumps. And he did it beautifully. But I've never seen him choose to take a jump in the arena, in play. A great sign that these herbs are working, and a great message for all of us. When we take care of our horses, they surprise us. When we take care of ourselves, those leaps come easily and with a sense of joy.




*******


I was reading this morning about pilgrimages and sacred journeys in Wales and Scotland. It would be fun to pack a bag and set forth on one of those during this hot weather, and I read the tips for making a sacred journey as though I might be doing just that.


(photo courtesy of my husband and his brilliant landscapes)

I realized suddenly that I don't need a passport or a trip to Scotland to make a pilgrimage. The tips are good for our daily journeys as well: to the barn, out for errands, editing a manuscript, anything we do in our day's work and play.

Pack lightly.

I used to take everything but the kitchen sink when we went on vacation, but over the years I have found it easier and better to travel light. This is true even when I head to the barn in our backyard. Some days I walk out with camera, water, hat, etc., not to mention bringing the "stuff" I've been pondering along with me. Fortunately the horses are masters of traveling lightly, so they encourage the shedding of all this baggage.


Wear comfortable clothing and shoes.

A good tip for every occasion. Lately the most comfortable attire for me is a pair of riding breeches, a soft shirt, and my Ariat boots. I've also been feeling quite comfortable in very baggy jeans, T-shirt, and work boots. If I'm dressed for comfort I always end up staying longer in the moment and thus get more out of that little journey.

Be prepared to get dirt in your sandals.

I wonder about healthy people who avoid the heat, or the humidity, or the bugs, or just plain sweat and dirt and grime. If I could stay clean without compromising the experience of being out and about, I would, but there is something therapeutic about sweat and dirt. Dig in and enjoy it.


Less is more.

This is a good tip for me to remember. I often try to do too much, wherever it is I am. Picking a few things and doing them well, enjoying them to the fullest, is the best way. I'm learning!

Let go of expectations.

Staying open to the possibilities, seeing the magic when it happens. This is an art and a gift, and any pilgrimage is enhanced by the willingness to be amazed.

Embrace your shadow.

This is another big one for me. Allow the delays and inconveniences to be part of the magic. Some days I can do it well. Other days not at all. But it bears remembering, and I try to take deep breaths and remind myself that it's all part of the journey.

And in fact, these days, most of my pilgrimages originate from my own back door.




Be thou a smooth way before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me,
Be thou a keen eye behind me,
This day, this night, forever.

-Scottish journey prayer

living the good life

We had two inches of rain yesterday afternoon, but it cleared out with sun before nightfall so the horses were able to go out for the evening and enjoy the very loud symphony of crickets, cicadas, and tree frogs. This morning everything feels fresh and while it's not exactly cool out, it isn't too bad for the end of July.

On the docket today: a trip to the feed store and daughter's riding lesson off the farm. Meanwhile we got barn chores done and can have a leisurely lunch before we leave.

A few other family members are enjoying their leisure as well. Dickens sacked out in a small pile of hay I had put out for Salina and Rafer. Does he not realize he's right in the line of a set of large horse teeth? Fortunately for him, Salina and Rafer decided to go out with the herd to the back field after breakfast.



And here comes the King, who has had his breakfast, his herbal mix, hay, and had panther-walked himself back out to graze. But, and this is the best part, he noted that I was still in the barn and so came back to ask: time for our ride?

This is the Keil Bay I am used to seeing, and boy is it good to have him back.