“There are unknown worlds of knowledge in brutes; and whenever you mark a horse, or a dog, with a peculiarly mild, calm, deep-seated eye, be sure he is an Aristotle or a Kant, tranquilly speculating upon the mysteries in man. No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses. They see through us at a glance. ”
Herman Melville
(Photo courtesy Litchfield Little Britches)
(photo courtesy Litchfield Little Britches)
Subscribe
Oh, Betty Draper indeed! She’s our one solid link with America, here on the other side of the pond, and I long for her shotgun sometimes. And her idea of mothering: “Bobby! FREEZE.” Love it. Must say, though, I didn’t think her Italian accent was all THAT. And I really did go to Bryn Mawr, so of course I know.
If I got this close to a horse my nasal passages would explode, so at my daughter’s lessons I stay a safe three paces away. I never thought I’d wish I could get closer, but now I do.
By the way, Ann, I LOVE your reader community. Something to be envied indeed!
Thank you Colleen.
Gloria
Anonymous, I’d love to come to your clinic. It sounds more like a beauty salon, where the girl friends chat with each other while getting pedicures, not to have their breasts flattened like pancakes. Thank you for your thoughts.
Gloria
did i send anonymous again? shootski. that one about the XXXX gowns was from me, colleen.
Looking forward to a weekend of being comprehended by my dogs and horses. Will never look as smokin’ as Ann “drapered” in front of Mark.
Gloria – you need to come to my clinic – I went for routine mammo today and was in a room with 7 other women. All of us were swimming in purple XXXXX large robes! We all had a big laugh and wished each other good luck.
I’m sorry about your friend.
Big Thank Yous to Annie, Ann, Cheryl, Lynne, and Tracey for your thoughtful and kind comments. It made me feel better.
Gloria
Horses, that’s why I love them. I worked at a dressage farm up in Danvers. As a birthday gift, the farm owner received 2 big cement lion statutes to sit on each side of the entrance to the barn. Some of the horses totally spooked at these, refusing to enter the barn. Some were curious & tentatively went up & investigated them. And others were totally obvivious who probably should have been police horses instead of a crap life of either being in a stall, trailer, or lessoned until their eyes glazed over.
Ann, thank you for the wonderful pics from Little Britches. The first girl looks so happy. I help with my first lessons at Ivy Hill tomorrow and Sunday, can’t wait!
You look smoking hot with Mark and Lulu!!!
Gloria, I’m so sorry about your friend and your Dr troubles. Your friends are so lucky to have a friend like you. You do need to celebrate your friend and remember all the wonderful things that drew you to him and his wife in the first place. Your night light story really touched my heart. It will go on burning as a reminder of your love. Hugs to you, and you know we’re all here for you.
That last photo is superb. Have you trained the horse and dog to pose? Great composition.
Looks like everyone had a great time….
Great pic of you sheilding Mark!!
Dear Catherine-I second Ann’s advice!Take care of yourself, okay?
Dear Gloria-I am so very sorry and I wish you and your friends Godspeed and grace during this tough time. I would also say hang in there and be gentle with yourself—for the sake of you and those precious people who are already receiving your support.
Dear Ann,
I have finally arisen from my bed, as I had a case of the vapours (well, that’s what the pic reminded me of, anyway!) induced by your
hilarious “Tennis Diaries”—Not only was I ALWAYS picked last for teams during gym class throughout high school, but they argued about who had to keep me (like a reverse NHL draft!!)
Anyway, I HAVE since recovered from my flashbacks and I have been meaning to thank you for letting me enjoy your animals! I grew up with dogs, my grandpa had a horse ,and my kids had a cute little orange cat—until his presence triggered asthma in my eldest. Therefore, it is GREAT FUN for me to see and read about the wonderful canine and equine characters in your life.
This post (especially!)reminded me of the unique companionship that only a pet can provide. I sometimes cover royal visits to Canada for a mag based in the UK and have met the Queen twice at a couple of receptions.She loves her animals(and chatting about them)too!I guess what I am trying to say is that in her privileged (yet probably pretty isolating)position, I suspect that dogs and horses provide a degree of normalcy and companionship for her that would otherwise be pretty hard to come by!
Also, I agree that you are one glamourous farm lady!
‘Night all (and best to you all!)
Lynne
Answer 1: Because she’s AWESOME. Such a great kid.
Answer 2: I love my blog readers, you’re all so nice
Two multiple-choice questions for your consideration:
Q1 – Why does the little tyke in the third photo have such a look of contentment on his/her face?
(a) He/She is riding confidently atop a big, beautiful horse;
(b) He/She has the undivided attention of (at least) two attractive females;
(c) The world is a beautiful place right at this moment.
(d) All of the above.
Q2 – Who’s the luckiest creature in the bottom photo?
(a) The horse.
(b) The woman.
(c) The dog.
(d) The viewer.
Oh Gloria, I am so sorry about your friend. Wishing him, his family and you, peace.
Uninhibited Betty Draper! That’s PERFECT!
(Adore that show…’tis the man’s and my Sunday night kids are in bed date night. Set dressing on that show alone makes it worth the watching…and the lead-ins to the commercials are even an entertaining treatment…)
Ann, did I miss a post about Little Britches? Is it a therapeutic riding facility? Great shots. (She-Twin is taking a photo of her and “her horse” honorarily “given” to her by her riding teacher for show-n-tell tomorrow. She’s hooked on the horses 100%.)
Nighty Night, Gals!
Gloria, please get a new doctor if you can. I used to hate going but now have a woman who is so kind and intelligent and I actually look forward to my annual checkup, believe it or not. I’m so sorry about the difficult time you and Catherine are having. WHen I’m feeling bad, I sometimes tell myself, “This is a hard time,” and it feels better to know that it’s hard, and that it’ll get better, and then I’ll likely have other hard times. But you should take care during your hard times and reach out, like you have to us. xo
Gloria, so sorry to read of the sad news concerning your friend’s cancer.
Cheer up, you have friends here who like you, myself included.
Hugs for you today. Hope all goes better soon.
: )
I guess I would like to take a moment to celebrate my friend, unfortunately challenged by cancer. A most gentle, religious man who lives what he preaches. Always a grounding presence in my life. At age eight I gave him and his wife a heart shaped night light as an anniversary gift. After 30 years it is still by their bedside, glowing every night. His cognition and moods have been altered by the brain tumor, causing anger and mood swings. Watching this quietly intelligent, mild mannered man slowly lose his essence is difficult. I do take confort in the fact he will be going to a benevolent God who is his friend.
Gloria
Aww i like cats too and my dogs and cats have always been the best of friends. Its rather sweet.
When I say dogs and cats I mean over the years I only have one each at any given time.
Life’s in a flux. Nobody likes me everybody hates me I’m going to go eat worms period of time in life. Found out life long family friend has brain cancer. Lone remaining dog nearly broke her leg jumping off a sofa scaring me to death. Had a particularly unpleasant appt with the obgyn (gyn in my case). When will God stop penalizing me for being a descendent of Eve? Who designed those nasty little gowns that serve to do nothing but cause embarassment? Who designed the freaking instruments that hail from the middle ages? S%#t.
Gloria
Oh Catherine, you crack me up. I think a cat shows affection in its own way, on its own terms. I guess the same could be said of some men. Savannah, despite being of the canine variety, pretty much defines her relationship to me, to the home, on her own terms too. Come to think of it, both my doggies have behaved similarly. At risk of sounding like a self help guru, the crucial thing is you give a s#@t about yourself. I need to take the same advice too.
Gloria
Ann, you are by far the most glamous horse/farm girl ever. Love those farm pics.
Dear Catherine, let the shrink retire and adopt a puppy (said from a woman who has dogs and horses and still needs a shrink).
Marianne, maybe Betty Draper after she’s let herself go. I LOVE that show.
Sandy, I would throw myself in front of a bullet for that horse. That dog, not so much.
Couldn’t have said it better….
You look like Mark’s great protector, while Lulu protects you both!
Love it!
Maybe it’s the horse thing, but you have a Betty Draper quality to you!
This Melville quote reminds me why I am a cat person (and in therapy). When you look into the eyes of a dog or a horse, they tug at your emotions and lay you bare. Being a closed off sort of person, this is very difficult for me to handle. Thus, I have cats who couldn’t give a s^&t, and am attracted to men who couldn’t give a s^&t. And my therapist is well on her way to putting a down payment on her lake side vacation home.