Thursday, December 29, 2011

My review of Warhorse

I saw the move "WarHorse," and I really enjoyed it. Sure - it is not the best movie ever made, and it jumps about a bit, but overall it was very entertaining. I did cry of course, I mean I have a horse so emotional scenes with horses are made for me. Mu husband hated the movie, so you may need to be a horse enthusiast to truly enjoy it.








Joey, the TB in the movie was played by a OTTB that was bred in California. You can read more about him
here.
I was lucky enough to get a Kindle Fire for Christmas, and after seeing the movie I decided that my first Kindle Book should be WarHorse. It is a short book, 18 chapters, and it differs from the movie quite a bit. I think I actually liked the humans better in the book, somehow they were more dimensional and their motivations were clearer. I love that the Germans in the book, and the movie, were portrayed as feeling suffering people, and not the devils we so many times see in WW movies.

Anyway; if you have not seen the movie, I would recommend seeing it in the theatre as the scenes are stunning (it is Spielberg after all), and I also recommend you read the book

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

I'll have Yule - My pretty!

Some people really like this time of year, and some people really don't like it at all. I am on of those that LOVE it!! I really love Yule, or Jul, as it is written in Norwegian. Thought I would share some pics of my Jul decorating and such.

The Dining room with the Jul tree, and Jul goat and the Advent candles.
 
a little Elf that plays a song and nods


Jul mice that I made last year


Miranda's handprint in the flour from making Gingerbread Cookies. Looks 3D, but it is actually an Imprint.

Jul scents
I purchased one of the very small red crockpots a few years ago, and use it only at Jul to fill our house with the scents of the season. In it I place two sliced oranges, some Cinnamon, Cloves and Ginger, one Bay leaf, and a healthy squirt of lemon juice. Fill to the top with water, set to low and enjoy the scent. Refill water as needed. (Every week I replace the oranges, sometimes I may add some spices if I feel like it. :)
I have a friend who is quite sensitive to potpourri, and scented candles, but this does not bother her at all.

Come to think of, assembling this in a little crock pot, sans water and lemon juice, might be a pretty great hostess or office gift.










Thursday, December 8, 2011

Coming out of the Closet!

The shame!! The humiliation! The Guilt! that is what has kept me in the closet, but I am ready to come out.

Here it goes: I am a Romance novel reader!! And I don't care who knows it!

 I love a good Holiday Romance Novel, especially an historical one. I heard that most of the books read on the Kindle,  are Romance Novels, and I can so understand that. Finally it is possible to read these books in public without the shameful cover art that gives it away as a "low brow."
In my stressful life, let's face it I hear enough drama in one day to cover a months worth, I can not heavily invest my emotions in deep reading. I need fluff, and adventure, and easy reading.

My husband calls these books "mamma's porn," but quite frankly whenever the bussoms start heaving, I skip until I see quotation marks. There are only so many ways to describe that stuff, and I just want to get back to the adventure, the descriptions of the clothes and the excitement. I think that is the reason the Twilight Books are so popular, it is Romance without the seady stuff. Romance for romance sake.

I have tomorrow off, I think, so I hope to endulge this weekend in some Holiday Romance Reading. I see hot tea, some good chocolate, some Norwegian Potato chips, and the adventures of the "Earl of SoandSuch" falling head over heels with the pennyless, yet beautiful, brilliant, and sassy, outcast daughter of the Discraced "Baron of Thisandthere."

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

What a splendid hour!

Yesterday we had our first lesson, and it was a very educational hour. She is a splendid trainer, who explains the reasoning behind her requests so that you learn and see how each thing affects the equine partnership. I had a blast.

For some reason I was not nervous at all once we got there. There was another lesson going on, so I was able to get used to the teaching style before it was my turn. She is kind, firm and bossy; I like it!!
She has already tacked up two horses, Selena was being used in the lesson previous to ours, while Beau waited patiently. Came to find out that Beau isn't just patient, he is a bit on the lazy side. Miranda rode him, while I rode Selena.
This was a elementary riding for dummies lesson. Trainer felt that we should start as though this was our first lesson ever, and make sure that we did not have any gaps in our knowledge. VERY good idea. Miranda learned things too, even though all we did was walk/trot, and she was not bored.

Trainer made some very small adjustments to my legs, and Voila! my knee pain was solved. As a matter of fact I was able to climb the stairs at home last night without wincing. Now that was worth the cost of the lesson all by itself. She stated that I had ridden correctly if my inner thighs were sore today, and they are a little today, so I guess my form was correct.



Now a little funny:

Monday, December 5, 2011

Lesson is today!! EEEeeek

Today is the day; lesson day. I am nervous, but mostly excited. I just hope I enjoy, and I hope I like my horse.

I am a BIG believer in being connected with our horse. This was just how I felt, and I just went with it. When I meet a new Equine, I always spend some time just meeting them, to see if I feel a connection. Might be a bunch of Mumbo Jumbo to many people, but I tend to put a lot of stock in it. Some horses speak to me right away, while some take a while, and others don't at all. They ones that don't, I don't want any part of.

Although a relative Newbie to riding , I feel strongly that any ride on a horse is a mutual decision between horse and rider. It has to be a partnership, and if I don't think the horse wants to work with me, I am not getting involved. Sure; the human is in charge (we like to think so anyway), but the horse must allow that.

This was all a theory, or a way of thinking, that I had come to on my own. I just knew this to be true, and at times "knowing" this made me a feel a bit foolish. Speaking about it with some humans resulted in some eye rolls, and some head shakes, and I was made to feel as though I was romanticising horses. And Maybe I am......

Our former BO, Suzie, is a horse trainer, and "true horse people." She trains horses for roping, reining and  barrels, and has worked with just about any discipline. While boarding there this past summer, Miranda and I wanted to go on a trail ride. Having just one horse, Suzie offered us Flash for my use. Flash is seven year old gelding, dapple grey, built small, and a true and steady mount. I had seen him around the barn, and knew that Suzie loved him and had trained him since she saw him born. Quite frankly I was flattered that she trusted me with him, and knew that she trusted him with me.
Before I rode, Miranda did, and she liked him just fine. I spent some time with him, and then mounted up. Right off the bat I was uncomfortable. I did not feel Flash at all, he was not connecting with me, and although he was acting just fine, we were not on the same wavelength at all. I got off after trying for about 15 minutes. It was clear to me that Flash and I were not a good match.

Feeling kind of stupid, I dreaded seeing Suzie. What was I to say? Hey, thanks for letting me ride your horse, but I don't like him? Honesty is the best policy, and so I was. Suzie looked at me, and said that she was glad I got off of him because one should NEVER ride a horse that does not "feel right." It is a personal thing, she said, between you and the horse, and nothing good ever comes of forcing a relationship. Turns out Suzie, the Trainer, uses "feel" as her guiding force in all that she does with horses. She says that if she does not "feel" the horse, she passes on that horse, and that she advices all her riders to do the same. Humans are a lot more sensitive to the connection than we give ourselves credit for, says Suzie, and we should all listen to our senses more. Suzie loved Pippi, and I think she misses Pippi way more than she misses us. Pippi was the one in the herd that alerted Suzie to "trouble", so I am sure she does miss her.

So today is my first lesson. I have decided to go early and hopefully get to meet my mount early. Either way, this is a schooling horse, so I am sure it might take a while to see who this horse really is. I will have my first lesson whether I like the horse or not, but I sure hope this Equine and I hit it off. Schooling horses, or boarding horses, tend to be a bit closed off, I suppose it is from being ridden by transient humans over and over again. And who can blame them?

I am really excited!! And nervous!! But mostly EXCITED!!!