"the year of the Horse"

           I attended Bayou Writer's monthly meeting and was challenged to write something about the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse.
          To my surprise, I was born in the Year of the Horse, but I won't tell you which year!
           According to the Chinese Zodiac that we writers were given as inspiration, motivation and to challenge us, a person born in the Year of the Horse is talented, clever and kind. I'll admit to those characteristics. It also stated that some Horses don't listen to advice.  Well, I have to admit to that trait, too, sometimes.
          Horses are advised to marry a Dog or a Tiger, but never a Rat or a Monkey. I'll admit I married a Rat! Should have read my horoscope.
          As a child I was horse crazy, collecting miniatures, reading "Black Beauty" and "The Black Stallion" over and over. I saved my money and by Junior High, I'd bought my first horse.

         My best friend in High School also had a horse, and loved music and art. Today we have reestablished that friendship and spent last wonderful time last week in the excitement of watching the Gala of Royal Horses.

Riding master, Rene Gasser, following in the footsteps of seven generations of trainers commands one of the Royal stallions. I was thrilled, with chill bumps on my arms and my heart in my throat, as the show featured some of the Royal Horses of Europe.

 

Beaumont was honored to by one of the few Texas stops on the equestrian 2014 tour of North America. The show on this tour has be previously seen only at the famous riding schools in Vienna and Spain.

The Royal Horses of Europe are some of the most celebrated in history. They've been the favorite of royalty, riders and bullfighters. The grace and beauty of these magnificent creatures and the dedication of their trainers will continue to enthrall me.

As a writer, I challenge you to examine your interest in one or more of God's magnificent creations and to use that as a theme in your writing.

Check out www.best-horse-photoes.com

"G" Gardening?

I'm still working through the alphabet for topics for writers. "G" gardening has been on my mind even though it's a little early in the season to have spring planting fever.
My last blog discussed fact vs fiction. Here's proof that it's a fact that we had an ice storm in Southeast Texas. See how it affected my veggie garden.

The icicles dripping from the leaves of this bush caused me to laugh at their attempt to survive. With the icicle tails, the leaves look like polliwogs.

A head of cauliflower is surrounded by a collar of ice while sprinkles of sleet coat the leaves. I should have covered them up.

A broccoli head shimmers with ice crystals. The leaves sparkle with sleet.

 

So how does my garden grow? Not to well. However, I harvested the cauliflower and broccoli, cooked and ate some and froze the rest. After all, it was already frozen!

 

My advice to gardeners is to spend the rest of unpredictable winter weather in planning. Plan what you want to grow, whether decorative plants and flowers or edibles. Use this time to peruse gardening books for new varieties, how-to build container gardens or square-foot gardens, improve your compost, and dream for spring.

 

Writers, instead of fighting cabin fever, nature has provided down time for you  to get out some of those old manuscript ideas and work on them.

 

There is a prediction for more freezing weather and rain, so I'm using this time in writing and indulging in another craft. I'm working of a quilt made from sweatshirts I  collected in Alaska.

 

What are you doing indoors when you can't go out?