DONE

Five minutes ago I finished my book.

My Horse, My Heart: The Morgan Horses of the University of Connecticut is officially DONE!

A year and a half in the making...Research, googling, phone interviews, magazine archives, registry information, mountains of e-mails, writing, painting, inquiring....whew. Who needs a drink? Make mine a double hot chocolate with extra whipped cream.

Now the fun begins! Editing, more illustrating and the search for a publisher.

Wow. I need to let this sink in. Time for a walk in the sun, methinks.

THANK YOU to everyone who made this book possible. You know who you are--much gratitude!

Words to live by

I have some time off this week to HOPEFULLY finish the book. I am getting over a cold (second one in three weeks!UGH), so my fitness is kinda shot. I told my dressage trainer not to kill me at my lesson yesterday: "think pony rides at the fair," I said. I had a nice, laid back lesson--we worked on my position at the walk. I did some exercises that made my legs so long, I thought I was dragging my heels in the dirt. I felt like Reiner Klimke (even though I am quite sure I looked nothing like him.)

My trainer is wonderful. Not only does she understand horses, she understands people. And, she is a dear, dear friend of mine--I've known her since 1987. She knows me.

She could tell I was tense and would catch me bunching my shoulders and holding my breath as my mount, Jamie, trotted the school figures. I'd be riding along then I'd hear her voice calling to me from the other end of the arena: "Loosen your right side and sit on both seat bones. And, breathe."

I'd exhale, loosen, and Jamie went round and on the bit. Like magic. Dressage is pretty great--it's not just a riding discipline, it's a way of being.
Loosen. Breathe. Relax.

I got hooked on dressage when I was 19, after trying some jumping when I was a kid (and breaking bones and eating dirt all the while).

I am now tension-free and ready to re-charge.

I should be all set to face the task set before me. If all goes well, my next blog post will announce the book's completion.

Breathe.

Stallion chapters: COMPLETED TODAY!

Yesterday, I put the finishing touches on the UVM Viking chapter.

Today, I completed the UC Show Biz chapter.

Do you know what that means?

Yup.

The stallion chapters are done!

I snapped the above picture to commemorate the occasion. Piles of research, laptop and phone--and let's not forget the apples!

Book research...

I have officially completed the research phase of the book! Yay!

So many documents, interviews, googling, digging, searching...Done! I had a lot of fun, now I get to write, write, write.

I started this journey in June, 2010. Thanks for coming along and sharing your stories with me!

Watch this space for a BOOK COMPLETION announcement....Can't wait!

War Horse

I finally saw War Horse. I loved it!

Steven Spielberg seems to understand the bond between human and horse and doesn't get overly cutesy about it. He also understands the equine fight or flight instinct quite well. All in all, War Horse is an incredible story of trust and love.

Bring tissues. This ol' softie was all teary-eyed during the movie.

The UConn Morgans are descended from cavalry horses bred by the government. The blood that flowed in the brave horses that carried men into battle is the same blood that flows in today's UConn-bred Morgan.

Here's to you, courageous, noble horse.

Remembering Nim Nim

A year ago today, my husband and I mourned the passing of our Old Man, the mighty Nim Nim.
He was a part of our lives for 15 of his 21 years.

His rescued heart always readily showed its gratitude. He was always there--in my studio as I painted, sitting next to me as I wrote, getting me up at the crack of dawn howling incessantly for his stinky wet food. Boy, did he LOVE his special food...

I miss him!

This week marks the end of my research. Then, I need to set aside about a week to finish up the chapters. Little by little, the book marches towards completion.

A dinner at the Altnaveigh awaits me....

Happy New Year!

My Horse, My Heart: The Morgan Horses of the University of Connecticut will be completed this year...

...and hopefully published as well.

I wish you health and happiness for 2012!