This is a month where I both read a lot and also gave up on finishing some books – one I’ll review here today and one I’ll skip. Anyway the books this month bring something for everyone I think. We have a memoir, a high drama fiction and a nonfiction nature study. Let’s begin! “There are many ways to drown, only the most obvious wave their arms as they’re going under.” – Nick Flynn Another Bullshit Night in Suck City…
Writing is not life, but I think that sometimes it can be a way back to life. – Stephen King, “On Writing” I’ve made a lot of incorrect assumptions in my life. I assumed any Thoroughbred trained for racing would have easy lead changes. I assumed that if you were nice to people, paid your taxes and showed up to work on time that the universe would protect you from its worst. I also assumed writing a book would be…
The derby is over and Simon is extremely relieved that he doesn’t have to wear braids for probably at least another year. We came, we saw and we huntered. For us, it was a personal best. Since we’re not exactly hunters, my goal for the derby is usually just survival and photographs. Mid-last week I texted my trainer and asked if she would be embarrassed if her fat client with the leadchangeless ottb was the only horse at the horse…
I’ve long considered myself a shamateur photographer. While I can reliably produce shots from horse shows that are marketable (in my opinion), portraits and other types are photography are a whole different ball game. I discovered a long time ago that if I wanted to get good enough to offer services as a serious professional, I needed to invest a ton of money into better equipment and countless hours into practice. When you think about doing that but see teenagers…
I have a jumper derby horse. Not like the cool kind of jumper derbies where we fly down banks or do anything remotely outrageous… because we all know by now that I’m a chicken shit and won’t be trying anything crazy. No, Simon is a jumper derby horse because we approach hunter derby courses with the gusto and enthusiasm of a jumper. A jumper without changes. I’ve been on the fence about doing the derby this year, because even though…
This morning on Facebook I was nominated by a friend to do one of those 5 day Facebook posting challenges. Now I typically hate those kind of things, but this one was about dogs… and well, I love dogs. Because I cannot follow directions, I modified the rules to suit my fancy. As I typed up probably my longest Facebook status ever, I thought no one is ever going to read all of this… if only there was a platform for long…
I’m reaching out to you well educated, knowledgeable horse folks today to get help with an issue for dear Simon. Home boy hates flies. Now look, I know that all horses hate flies. This is not unique, but he is taking it to extreme measures. If you’ve been reading for a long time, you may remember that Simon started living year-round in a fly sheet around January 2016. Without his binky fly sheet, he runs around in the pasture to…
Stephen Dunn is a celebrity in my house. I quote him all the time on this blog. If I write a passive aggressive this is meant to burn someone Facebook post, I do it with poetry — usually, that means Dunn’s poetry. He’s as famous to me as David Sedaris or Stephen King, which means he’s as notorious as James Cameron or Peter Jackson to a normal person who doesn’t douse their life with literature. I started reading his work in…