We're FrOzen!
Mighty cold out there lately - I've been hibernating (well, sort of...)
It has been very bitter cold and I have been hunkered down, yet still in motion, getting shit done, but not writing much…not like I don’t have something to write about, there’s simply too much to process and whenever I get overwhelmed with “too much”, I turn to more hands on things, like housework, barn chores, and even working in the studio, finishing projects that have been in limbo while I jammed my way through Drinking from the Fishbowl (which is on pause for the moment, I needed time off from it before I follow up on the notes I’ve made since I finished this last time through).
One thing accomplished, I bought this awesome archival box to store my larger artworks from the last two years, like the Childless Cat Ladies…
The box came from Talas in Brooklyn. They are an awesome archival storage and bookbinding supply place; I highly recommend them. I’m so happy they had this big ass archival box, so I didn’t have to build one myself (which I am very capable of doing). Thankfully, I don’t create many large artworks, as I have to be mindful of my limited storage space. My studio is “a little” cluttered. It’s an all-purpose room, I paint here, draw here, write here, store artwork here, sit and browse through books on the shelves, sometimes settle in to read, and sometimes I’ll have a good cry in here…for whatever reason—it is all-purpose room, after all.
One thing I meant to post way back on January 16th, but I kept getting tripped up by whatever was troubling me at the time, and needed to step back and just “be.” I made this recording on January 15th…
Text of recording:
One night, I had a dream… it was one of those very brief ones, when I drifted off to sleep and woke up soon after, only a few minutes had passed. It was just long enough, deep enough to create a dream…to bump into a brain doorway and have a look inside. I sat down on our couch with all of my favorite plushies gathered there, and I asked them a question: “Could you please hold on to a few years of my life so if I need them later, you could give them back to me?” They said “Yes!” before I woke up. I saw their sweet faces looking up at me, so joyful to accept my treasure of time, and to keep it safe for me until I need it back later.
So…that’s it…this odd little dream. My knee-jerk reaction to this dream after waking up was “I have no idea where that came from!” (I rarely remember dreams, but this one stuck with me). I do know—connecting the dots is a webby mess—Dreams are so strange. In the morning, I felt compelled to sit down with the plushies to study them and think about the dream, the request I made, and to hug Distinguished, especially because that was what he was made for...hugging.
Our lives are so precious…
Some days, I’m feeling the passage of time too keenly, and I want to maintain a quality of life that is good and full—but there is so much happening that steals time away faster than I can live it. Asking these plushies to hold on to a few years of my time to keep it safe until I need it later is a big ask. I do trust them to do it.
Another thing that has kept me preoccupied is my wee donkey, Elizabeth. With the up-and-down weather and the bitter cold, she hasn’t gone outside to enjoy the paddock for several weeks. Exercise is very important for a wee donkey with Cushing’s Disease, and I have been very concerned about her hooves and the potential for Winter Laminitis, which is often caused by the lack of exercise. The Farrier came on 1/16 for a regularly scheduled trim, and I told her I had noticed a change in my wee girl’s posture that morning; she’s tucking her hind legs more under her than usual and seemed a little unsteady at times. The farrier knew what I was talking about right away, just seeing the wee girl’s posture. From her tone of voice, I’m sure she feared the worst. (So did I). She has seen a lot of laminitis and abscesses this winter. This change happened suddenly with the latest drop in temperature, which went from the 40s to the teens and single digits in less than 6 hours. The good news is that her tiny hooves show no signs of an advanced issue: no heat, no elevated pulse, no bruising, and no separation between the hoof wall and the white line, but she is very sore. The farrier did a corrective trim to take the pressure off the toe of the hooves and put her back on her heels. I spread a deeper bed of wood shavings and chopped straw in her stall and on the barn floor to make her more comfortable. I called the vet right away to alert her of this development. The vet prescribed Banamine to help keep her comfortable, and so far, it’s helping her quite a bit. It keeps her moving around, which is good for healthy blood flow in her hooves. I’m hoping that the “warmer” weather for the next few days will help her feel better; this bitter cold has been very tiring for everyone. Even though she’s blanketed and she “tests positive for toasty,” she still feels it in other ways, and some of it is mental, similar to cabin fever. One thing I’m becoming even more concerned about is that her hindquarters are weaker than they were before last summer. Advanced Cushing’s Disease causes muscle wasting/atrophy, especially in the back, hips, and hind legs. Even though the Banamine is taking care of her pain, the muscle wasting is likely to remain a long term issue, which in turn is putting pressure on her front legs and could lead to laminitis.
I am worried, yet cautiously optimistic.
Despite it all, she’s still herself, still begs for her cookies, still eats well, drinks her water, and goes about the business of being an adorable wee donkey! If anything, she’s very determined to keep going, and I’m determined to keep her going as long as she wishes and her quality of life is good. She’s the best of the good girls!
I am weary and stressed out…but I do enjoy moments of forgetfulness when I’m relaxed and doing more than “making do.”
I hope everyone is well. Be extra good to yourselves, follow your bliss, and find joy. Remember to be kind to others, okay? You never know what someone is going through—and we’re all going through a lot these days.
Thank you for visiting From My Acre of the World. I’m happy to share my creative life journey as I connect the dots between life, art, images, the written word, and my creative process. I want to say “Hello” to all my subscribers, followers, and new visitors. I want to thank my subscribers, both paid and free; I truly appreciate your ongoing support, and it means a great deal to me to have you here. My content is always free because I want to reach people and make my work accessible (you can pay if you want to, but there’s no pressure). I always enjoy hearing from you; your comments are pretty special.
Oh Laura, what a meaningful post - the dream, the stressors, the cat, the donkey, all of it. Thanks for taking time from your precious hours to write and enhance my hours 🐈