The 2011
Holiday Letter
As always, we’ll
kick things off with the animal count. The tally columns will show that I’ve had a bit of difficulty curbing my enthusiasm
this year - two in the minus and three in the plus. Even worse, a very small dog was replaced by
a substantially larger equine.
With great
heaviness of heart, I’ve had to bury two beloved animals: our elderly Yorkie, Strawberry and Zina’s wonderful
cat, Trouble. In an effort to heal, I’ve
rescued a young filly (Tallulah aka Impulse Buy), adoped a cat (Berklee), and
acquired a mini horse (Rowdy). Final count stands at: 2 ½ horses, 3 dogs, 1 cat, and a bunny. Worse than other years, better than some J
Equine news: Zina is keeping her headstrong horse, Curtis,
closer to home in Canton, where they engage in fun things that involve great speed
and the jumping of obstacles. Bella, Sofia’s beautiful steed, resides at our
farm in Raynham where she enjoys the exalted life of a pleasure horse. My rotund pony, Charlotte, remains the
sweetest horse alive, and I say this after breaking five ribs in November. (All my fault, of course; she’s a saint.) Tallulah, the new baby, spent a few months
getting healthy, several more running me over and ripping my arms from their
sockets, and is now in regular training.
I found a free (hahaha!) mini to use as a companion for an elderly
boarded horse and said horse is now departing for greener pastures. This leaves me with Rowdy -- a round, hairy,
opinionated bundle of no mannered knee-high horse. Any takers?
Personal news: Zina and Sofia are still dating the same
wonderful young men as last year, while their lovely, gracious, mild-tempered, reserved,
homebody of a Mother remains (blissfully) unencumbered. Both girls are gainfully employed, live
together in the Boston area, and keep several cats in honor of their animal
laden heritage. My childcare business
is excellent, and I’m having a wonderful time snapping photos hither and yon.
In closing, I’ve prepared a little song, so please sing along with me to
the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”:
On the Twelve Months of This Year,
My good fortune sent to me
Twelve mortgage payments,
Eleven months of Winter,
Ten children leaping,
Nine babies crying,
Eight horses pooping,
Seven major crisis,
Six huge Vet bills,
Five broken ribs!!
Four unsightly blemishes,
Three months of mayhem,
Two incontinent dogs,
And a cat having asthma attacks!
My good fortune sent to me
Twelve mortgage payments,
Eleven months of Winter,
Ten children leaping,
Nine babies crying,
Eight horses pooping,
Seven major crisis,
Six huge Vet bills,
Five broken ribs!!
Four unsightly blemishes,
Three months of mayhem,
Two incontinent dogs,
And a cat having asthma attacks!
Wishing you all heaps of happiness and good health in the upcoming year!
xoxo Ruth xoxo
