amywink December 5th, 2009
After the “snow” yesterday, we had a hard freeze overnight, with a 19 degree low recorded at ABIA overnight, 25 at Mabry. And outside this morning, I thought of Robert Frost again.
Fire: Our Spanish Oak in the rising sun.
Ice: Frost on the car windshield.
Fire and Ice: Frost on Oak
amywink December 1st, 2009
For over a year, I have been staring at Jim Dingman’s Lignite Carriage and Bell Company website, trying to decide what bells I wanted to order–saddle chimes? shaft chimes? a full set of bells? and in what style?– but this year, I decided on a set of Heirloom Series bells. Jim designed a set of 21 brass bells, with sizes 8, 6, and 4, to be worn “down”, on Havana brown leather. They arrived the day after Thanksgiving, just in time for Christmas!!! The sound is marvelous and I am trying to figure out how to create a mpg file for this website so everyone can hear the wonderful cheerful sound they make.
This Sunday, we introduced Will to his Christmas present.
He was Not Sure about this and when I started jingling, well, I think his expression here says it all:
I left them hanging on the tree as we got ready, jingling occasionally until he no longer lifted his head or stepped back, then we went out our drive, sans bells! After we finished a good long drive, Lisa unhooked Windy, then brought the bells over, walking toward him, jingling a bit, and climbed on the back of the carriage. Will didn’t look up and though he thought we should really be unhooking ourselves, he started off slowly and we took a nice slow walk around the yard, with the bells jingling on the carriage. After he showed no signs of trouble, we trotted a bit. He did listen to those bells, ears back, so I’m not sure he likes the sound that much, but he also put his ears happily forward enough to show he didn’t hate them. So that was a success. We unhitched and unharnessed, and I wore the bells to brush him and feed him treats. We’ll see how long it takes to get him used to his bells.
Perhaps I’ll read him my favorite lines from Robert Frost’s Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
amywink November 25th, 2009
The rain has brought hordes of butterflies to the pastures and my own backyard in Austin. Walking through the fields, swarms of small butterflies rise from the grasses, looking like tiny fall leaves on the wind. This is good for Will because the one thing he shies at most has been the stray butterfly coming at him from the woods. I understand how the bright-winged erratic movement of the butterfly catching the sun could look like danger out of the darkness. Since he’s been out with them, however, he’s decided they are nothing to be wary of, these little bright leaves floating up from the grasses.
In Austin, the blooming loquat tree in our backyard has provided a feast for numerous butterflies. While we have considered removing the tree, we now plan to keep it for the butterflies. After some research, I found that our current plague consists of Queen Butterflies (Danaus Gilipus) of the Milkweed Butterflies family (Danaidae) and the Red Admiral (Vanessa Atalanta) of the Brushfoot (Nymphalidae) family, and all manner of smaller Skipper butterflies–which also seem the likely suspects for Will’s pastures. This wonderful Butterflies of North America website helped me identify the Queens and Admirals in our backyard which appear to be happy sharing the Thanksgiving feast together.
