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This is going to hurt

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Those were the exact words that flashed across my mind right in between grabbing onto a ladder in the barn at the exact spot a wasp had been resting and the extreme pain from its sting on being grabbed. I was right. It did hurt very much. But, I finished up with the last few barn chores because a storm was coming and I needed to get everything set in order to get the horses under cover.  The intense pain had dulled somewhat by the time I made my way back to the house. I put some baking soda paste on it and are my breakfast. Somewhere between finishing the New York Times puzzles and finishing my coffee, I became aware of my finger swelling. That alone would be unpleasant, but did I mention which finger the wasp stung? That would be my ring finger, the one with the already slightly too small wedding ring on it. I hurriedly took an antihistamine, but based on the fact I could now feel my pulse in my finger it seemed it wouldn't be able to work fast enough if it was going to do anythin...
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Fiber Monday - Creating awareness

On my business cards and website I have a tag line that says, ,"Creating awareness to make room for positive change." This is pretty straightforward when it comes to working with horses. It is actually a pretty good definition of what Equine Assisted Learning is. It might not be immediately evident how it fits into my fiber activities and teaching. Since I have nothing to show you that looks very different from the last time I showed it to you, I thought I'd discuss this idea a bit.  I think my fiber activities and my tag line actually fit quite nicely together. There is nothing like watching fiber being prepared for spinning, learning to spin on a suspended spindle, then realize all you have done is make the yarn that needs to them be turned into fabric to help you see the clothes you are wearing in a new light. If we learn to appreciate textiles for what they are, perhaps we can become better consumers of them, or at the very least consume less and extend the life of wh...
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6 book titles to share with your children

I was informed by the Internet that today is National Book Lovers Day. This seems as though it is a special day I should mark. Because I believe that loving books starts early in life, I will celebrate the occasion by giving my list of books that I think every parent should read to their child(ren). (Considering the current demographic of my readers these days, I should probably also add grandchildren.) Am I being a bit bossy? Yes, probably. But these are really good books, are well worth the effort, and shouldn't be missed. So, in no particular order: 1. Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Mine. Give your child the gift of the originals and not some Disneyfied version. Though in full disclosure the old animated version Disney made was an enduring favorite of mine. Mainly, I think, because of the books opening and the story and characters literally coming to life. Still, the originals are exceptional, don't let your child miss them.  2. Five Children and It by...
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One of the joys of summer

What do you do when you have leftover French bread, some decent tomatoes on the counter, and you just brought in a bunch of sweet basil from the garden? You make copious amounts of bruschetta to go along with dinner. We made so much that everyone could eat their fill and still have some leftover. This rarely happens. More often, everyone gets a couple and there is bargaining with others to get more.  If you haven't made it before, I'll share how I do it. It hardly counts as a recipe. You do need good tomatoes and fresh basil on hand because I don't think it's worth the effort otherwise.  Bruschetta   Chop a tomato into a small dice and put them in a bowl. (One large tomato made at least 24 bruschetta for us.)  Cut your basil leaves into slivers and add to the tomatoes. (I can't tell you how much because I didn't measure. I just kept slicing and stirring it into the tomatoes until it looked like the right amount.) Add two chopped garlic cloves, or go the easy rou...
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Book clubs

I was listening to a podcast this morning while cleaning the barn and the woman being interviewed was telling about her book club. They met four times a year and chose a classic to discuss. (This explains the need for three months in-between.) I was immediately smitten.  I do not have good luck with book clubs. I tend not to enjoy typical book club choices. I'm fact some of my least favorite books of all time were titles I read for one. In full disclosure, the feeling was mutual in that usually the entire book club membership disliked my suggestions when it was my turn to pick. I really love the idea of book clubs, though... everyone reading the same title, having interesting discussions, becoming good friends over the course of time. I'm theory they sound fantastic and I'm a little jealous of those people who have managed to attain that sort of bookish camaraderie.  But a book club based on reading classics? This might solve my biggest issue. You could even broaden it a bi...
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

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Long time readers won't be surprised at how much thought I gave to what books I was going to bring with me last week. It was tricky. I had a lot of things I needed to take along which meant there really wasn't room for the usual four or five books I typically bring along. I also really dislike running out of books to read. (I must interject here that this concern was actually ridiculous because there are plenty of books at my brother-in-law's.) I think I came up with a pretty brilliant solution.  A Tale of Two Cities has been on my shelf to read for a while. What could be more perfect than a long and dense novel in a mass paperback form? I knew that even taking plans rides into consideration I wouldn't be able to finish it before returning home. (I'm almost halfway done for those who are curious.)  I am really enjoying it. Dickens knows how to tell a good story. There have been a couple of times when something would happen and I thought to myself, "Well, I didn...
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Hello and Goodbye

I arrived home mid-afternoon today from being in New Hampshire running the EAL training. Everything went fine and it was great to visit family. Still, it is very nice to be home. Then this evening we had a big family dinner (with everyone but P., who had to work) because tomorrow D. leaves to head to grad school. It was good to have (nearly) everyone together to send him off. We will miss him. It has been lovely having him in Chicago this past year. I am also excited for him. This feels like such a good next step. Plus one of our nieces (so a cousin to D.) attends the same school. I love the fact that the cousins will be there together. 
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