Christmas is a time for thinking of things past as well as present. I can take care of the Christmas present in two words — unusual and wonderful.
Instead of the usual rush and stumble of inserting too many events into too small a time period my housemate and I (two older ladies who have circled the wagons financially and work-wise) decided that this would be a simpler Christmas that would therefore be kinder to both of us. Neither of us have family that is within hollering or hiking distance which can be just as good a thing as it could be a bad thing so this simplification project worked well because we could do just as we liked.
We did shop for food. What can I say? It was a knee jerk female thing. We set a lighted smallish tree in a front window with lights around the window, too and we hung a home-decorated wreath on the door. Decorating done. We sent a very few cards to our respective friends. Cards done. Guilt, squared by manners, may result in happy cards sent by New Year’s to those who count but that is our option, not the expectations of the masses.
We kept to a budget for the gifts and had a great time doing it. The blue dog got a new chew rope in a used, greasy McDonald’s bag which might have been a big mistake. He had a great time finding his rope and we are still finding small piece of small brown bag here and there on the rug where they had been torn and spat out. Dog festivities can be disorderly. Such is life.
And then on Christmas morning, with both ham and chicken with all the fixings in the refrigerator, we looked at each other and said, “So, what do we do for Christmas dinner?” And we decided on Chinese take-out! I have the feeling that it is going to be a holiday tradition because it meant that we got to read our Christmas books. The blue dog got a fortune cookie that was not applicable to his circumstances but he can’t read anyway so we just told him that it said something completely different and he was thrilled.
But of course there were the thoughts of times past that always occur at holidays. This year mine were happy ones—not always the case for any of us—but a relief for sure.
I remember when I first got the horse that was to define thirty-four years of my life. War Hawk was a decidedly un-pretty Appaloosa 18 month old gelding when I got him but all of the important things about him were solidly in place. He was intelligent, curious, friendly and accommodating. He was also a “thinking” horse with an independent mind. Thinking horses can be either really good or, in the wrong place, rather a problem—often more for themselves in the end than for others who quickly get rid of them. War Hawk was as lucky as I was because we found each other.
Two friends came by one December day, married friends, one a gal who had ridden anything that would stand still to be mounted (read sheep among other animals) since she was maybe five years old and her husband, one of the most liberated guys around. He was a Viet Nam survivor which I have often found to mean that they have an “all rules are off the table” mentality that makes them quirky to know. I like quirky in people. Okay, truth time, I am quirky which makes it easier for me to like it.
I was bedding the clean stalls with the horses IN them. Not a hard decision to make if it means that you get them in just before it rains all over both of you.
So there were dry horses in clean stalls with bedding going on around them. My friend asked if I had gotten on War Hawk yet. I said “No, not really”. She looked at him and without any more fuss bellied down over his back—no reaction from him, so she swung up—still no reaction. Her husband walked in with a half bale of straw, looked at the situation said, “Here, make yourself useful” and handed her the half bale of straw where she sat on the horse. She took that straw and gave Hawk a nudge with her leg.
I still remember my very green horse walking happily around the stall with my friend scattering straw off his back. When I peered in he had a look that said, “Look! I’m helping too!”
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Today people would have a cow about that. But you know, it worked. It would probably still work today come to think of it.
