Thank you, Connie, for this Special Lady horse and little girl

Connie, this so touched me, because I had such compassion for the horses when I was a tiny girl. My dad put me on a horse with him when I was a baby. My first memory is of seeing the Navahos race their horses so joyously through a big pond by our homestead house. I was not yet two but I recogized the greater sense of joy and fun they had compared to my dad and his cowboys. My favorite picture when I was small was of the horse bent over standing against the elements and all the troubles that beset him with his very existence threatened, with his Indian rider bent over him, too, also a dying race. How sad I felt that the men closest to nature must perish in the wake of the juggernaut settlers that represented progress, as the horse age inevitably passed and gave way to the machine age. I thanked my maker that he put me down where I could interact with horses until I was thirteen years old, and summers after that, until I finally left that wild and primitive country to go into exile. I think I will keep this snag above for a while as the title to my blog.

Memories of Christmas pasts: Pierre's decorated lobby

I thought I would have some fun this week featuring old pictures of holiday parties. On the big one Pierre was standing beside me looking like a premonition of death, one of the worst pictures he ever took. Up in the corner, whitehaired and looking wild, was my ex husband Dean, Raymond and Gary's father. Chad is standing next to him, and his sons, Raymond and Gary are in the back. Dan is with his then love, Angelina, mother of Dante. Daughter Ronda and their kids, Jamal and Ethan, are down front. Dante is the one making faces.
Raymond brought Dean to the party without telling him my new companion was going to be there (Pierre) or that I even had one, I am sure for fear he would suddenly refuse to come, so he thought Pierre was someone from the Westward Ho there to help people like me have parties. The Concho room was so beautifully decorated by Pierre. What else was he to think? He knew I could never have done it. At the same time he was trying to shine up to me, (I kept pushing his hand away) Dean kept trying to talk to Pierre and ask him about his job as party helper decorater, and this made Pierre nervous who kept trying to avoid him by running outside to smoke. Unfortunately we didnt get all the nervous singers singing together until it was almost time to go home, since both Dean and Pierre were known for their singing, and Raymond could sing a lick or two as could Gary. This was in 2003 to my best recollection. Robbie the robot karaoke machine might have been there, as I hardly gave a party without it along when Pierre was with me. We all must have sung something! The decorated lobby photo was from 2002. I am sure that lobby has not been so lavishly decorated either before or since. Christmas decorater Pierre, there will never be another you. Enjoy.