country life | Ann Leary, author of The Good House

Snow, Horses, Dogs

Most winter mornings I wish I could stay in my warm bed instead of having to trudge up to the barn to feed the horses. But not today. We had the most beautiful snow yesterday. Unlike our last storm, where the wind blew the snow sideways and at times, it seemed, right back up into the sky, yesterday’s snow fell gently, as it should, down to the earth. The flakes were puffy and soft and gathered like multitudes of cotton balls on the dogs’ ears and on my mittens. This morning, everything was still and white and as we walked up to the barn there was no sound but the steady, muffled crunch of my footsteps and the excited huffing and whining of the dogs who were trying to sniff out rodents beneath the deep drifts.

Plotting Away

View from eyesore

I happen to be on a bit of a roll with the novel. Sometimes books are a struggle to write – often they are, but when and if you are able to stir up a little action between the characters, the thing almost starts writing itself (or righting itself) and this is the most exciting time for a writer. I woke up this morning just dying to get back into it. This novel has much more intrigue and mystery than anything I’ve written (anything I’ve written!). Okay, much more than all my other two books. Last winter, I wrote a first draft of it and since then have been trying to work out various kinks, and now that it’s winter again, I believe I’m sorting it all out. I’ve basically rewritten the entire story, but kept the characters that I had grown quite attached to in the initial draft.

A Call, A Show, A Day in the Country

I’ve been a little busy.

Early Friday morning I went off on an ambulance call that sounded serious but fortunately was not. Still, I learned things. At this point, as a novice EMT, I learn a great deal on every call. Mostly I learn how little I know and how much I have yet to learn. I’m so grateful to our wonderful and dedicated crew who always take the time to teach me and are very patient with my lack of mental retention ability, ADD, hyperactivity, etc.

Big Black Cows and a Little Yellow Dog

Today, I was driving past Greyledge Farm and the cows were so beautiful against the cornflower blue sky that I just cursed myself for not bringing my camera along. But I had my iPhone and took a few photos. At the time, I was unhappy about the fact that I was shooting into the sun because I couldn’t make out the features of the cows’ faces with those ridiculous eyelashes and big round ears that look like they’re covered with black mink earmuffs. But when I got home and looked at the photos on the computer, I was thrilled with the shape of the curvy cows next to the curvy trees.

Important Bulletin

Because of predicted storms, Roxbury’s annual Pickin’& Fiddlin’ Contest has been postposed until tomorrow. So everybody who was planning to compete can lay down your bows, head indoors and rest your phalanges for a spell. Oh, sorry, phalanges is what we almost medical personnel call fingers. Yes, I passed my EMT class final exam and now only have to pass the state and national certification tests (only). Anyway, try to make it tomorrow. Bring a blanket, a picnic, some refreshing beverages and enjoy wonderful acts like this:

Let Me Plan Your Weekend

Looking for something nice to do this upcoming steamy Saturday? Well, if you live in or near Litchfield County, CT, I have a lovely plan for you.

First, arrive in Washington Depot at around noon and enjoy a tasty lunch at either The Pantry or Marty’s. Then, at 2:00, make your way over to the Hickory Stick Bookshop, where my friend Wendy Burden will be signing copies of her book Dead End Gene Pool until 3:00. I’l be there with her! It’s air-conditioned and, in my humble opinion, the nicest independent book store in New England.

Bad

I’ve been trying to teach Holly to stay. Yesterday, I told her and Daphne to lie down and stay, which Daphne did quite willingly. Holly pulled her usual stunt. Not only does she break the stay after a nanosecond every time, but then she becomes completely undone by her own wickedness, and puts on a maniacal display of the ultimate bad doggery such as attacking my ankles or ripping a piece of paper to shreds. Such a naughty pup. She really thinks its a funny joke to do the most extreme opposite of the stay command. Yesterday, she tried to corrupt Daphne into breaking the stay with her, but Daphne, appalled and unamused as usual, set a very fine example of how a dog with dignity and grace is supposed to behave.

What a Hoe!

Photo by Phil Holland

Okay, I believe I might have a name for the blog. Don’t want to announce it yet because I want to make sure that it’s available. I will say that I LOVE all your suggestions.

This morning I received an email from our friend Phil Holland in Greece. He has composed another canto in his series The Dancer’s Craft, which is, essentially, a 30-year-long poem documenting the life, work and wild misadventures of choreographer/avant gardener Moses Pendleton. It doesn’t take 30 years to read it, you’ll read it very fast because it’s very good, but that’s how long Phil has been working on it, which just makes me love him. Sticktoitiveness is a trait I highly admire in others because I lack it so. I have general awfuggitiveness.

In Snow

Today, as I drove around our charming little town in search of a USB cord (didn’t find one, but if you’re looking for candles I can show you ten shops within spitting distance of each other) I realized that I need no such cord, as I have several Moses Pendleton photos that I’ve not yet posted. Quite a few actually. There are are a series of red roses that I absolutely refuse to post here because they are rich and sensual and textured and beautiful, and the photos really do lose something when I reformat them for the blog. I just can’t do it, but hope to get prints of them from him someday. I know exactly where I will hang them, Moses, if you ever figure out how to print them.

New York Times

Remember when I blogged about the New York Times coming to our house to interview us and take our photos? Well, I have just received an email from our very own Tracy, informing me that the piece is up on the Times’ website. You can view it here.

There’s a slideshow on the Times site and I’ve nabbed some photos to post here. The photographer, Andrew Sullivan, was really great, as was Beth Maker, the reporter.

Now do you see why I love that grey horse almost more than life itself? Have you ever seen a horse with a sweeter expression. Love.

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