Kuriosities

Spring has finally descended upon the Island, and with it the freedom of the outdoors. I have been taking advantage of the weather and spending as much time out of doors as possible wrangling ponies and rambling about the farm.

I fixed the back fence that had been overcome during winter by snow, and put the ponies out in their summer home. It is a long stretch of land, and they love to gallop at top speeds from one end to another. When I go out for the evening feed it seems to never fail that they are at the far end of the pasture, and upon seeing me emerge from the barn with the hay, they come galloping towards me. Although I trust their rambunctious selves, it is still somewhat unnerving to have a herd of 4 horses come straight at you at a gallop. The ground shakes, and the sound of hooves in the air. It happens every day, and yet it still makes my heart skip a beat when Lyric slides to an eager stop a mere two feet away from myself.

I have also been riding (hurray!) both my Lyrical pony (trusty and loyal steed that she is and co-conspirator in all of my cowgirlish daydreams), and my daughter’s little naughtypants pony, Sophie. Ms. Naughtypants actually ditched me the other day, having spooked at a plastic bag rattling in the breeze. I was bareback, and although the little jump and rear she gave would never unsettle me with a saddle, I had decided to ride bareback that day. When I went to cling with my leg, the fat of her chubby little sides just rolled and bump down I went. Which really, is much like falling off a chair, she is so small. But she stepped on my arm! Ouch! My first time falling in 18 years, and it was off Miss Naughtypants. The shame of such a thing!

Here is Ms. Naughtypants, Sophie, with my kind and sweet old mare Hill. She looks all innocent…but she is a clever and mischievous girlie. I am training her right now so that she behaves better when my little girl rides her. Right now she is keenly aware of the difference between myself, and B. She will behave like an angel when I am astride her chubby self, but the second I hand the reins to B it is an entirely different story. She tries to walk off with her, and tries to rub her off of her back by walking too close to trees and fenceposts. So she is in pony bootcamp. Ha.

My pony injury…Sophie is small, but she still weighs 600 lbs. And anything 600 lbs stepping on your arm $%#&$ hurts. I’m just glad that it did not break, and that it was my arm, and well, not my face or ribs. yikes.

The kiddos and I had fun the other day with a cowboy(girl) dress-up and photo shoot. They are having a Carnival Week at their school, which means that they dress up as some different theme each day. One of the days was Cowboy Day, so I went shopping at some second hand / vintage stores and managed to turn up this nifty cowboy hat. So we pulled out the cap guns and played cowboys for the camera. So much fun. I wish I could post the pics of them all scowly and mean lookin’, but internet being as it is, I don’t post pics of the little ones. You will just have to trust me on the cuteness factor, or if I know you well, ask and I’ll send you some. But how nifty is this hat?! (I need to work on my mean face)

Stick ‘Em Up, Mister ! Ha.

Not too many new jewelry pics right now. I have been busy with a multitude of things, and will have more pics soon. But here is a recent set that I made for frequent client. She was looking for something special for her sister’s 50th birthday, and wanted something with the birthstones of her sister’s children. I came up with the following sketch, and after it was approved, the following jewelry set. She was over the moon happy with it, and I feel honoured that she chose me to make something for a milestone birthday bash…

Faceted blue topaz, garnet, and quartz in sterling settings. Matching bracelet, charm necklace and earrings.

I bought a new mic that I have been busy with…still getting the hang of recording things, and will be picking my guitar teacher’s brain for all of his tricks on making things actually sound good…but here is a small poem of mine that I posted a while back.

Upcoming projects: a new Paiste cymbal pendant, spoken word audio, and a multitude of soldered sterling pieces. Perhaps even a song or two… if I get truly brave…that remains to be seen.