i (heart) odd-toed ungulates

March Evening Light

After a few brilliantly warm days this week - days that coaxed crocuses and snowdrops to finally crack open their petaled eyes and breathe out a whisper of spring at last - the temps today dropped back into the 40s, a March wind mocked those who ventured out without gloves and a hat, and as the sun went down we were all reminded once again of the cold. But just before the light disappeared over the horizon, in between the long and cooling shadows, sunset lit up slivers of the landscape and set certain red wheaton silhouettes aglow. Oscar, oblivious, busied himself searching for voles in last season's tallgrass.

All is Calm, All is Bright

I was born on the 15th of December, 1978. When I was much younger I used to receive - along with scores of other December birthdayers, I suspect - an unusual amount of concern from friends that the proximity of my birthday to Christmas would result in an unacceptable deficit of cumulative presents. I believe, and always have, that this is just about the most absurd worry imaginable. Perhaps I'm not a demanding enough consumer, but honestly, truthfully, my utter joy for Christmastime has little to do with Christmas morning spoils and everything to do with... well... joy.

Etymology fanciers may know that the name "Natalya" actually translates into something along the lines of "born on Christmas day". Obviously, I wasn't born on Christmas day, but for as long as I can remember, my family has used my birthday as a sort of Christmas kick-off. The selection, collection, and trimming of our beloved Tannenbaum would always be done around the weekend of Dec 15th: filling the house with pure awesome, thoroughly charging our holiday spirit, and setting an unparalleled scene for the birthday party that would soon follow. And in the 10-day countdown between the day of my birth and the most wonderful day of the year, there swelled an atmosphere of very special excitement, anticipation, and wonderment, wholly unique to the season. For a few treasured weeks I could bask in the multi-color glow and balsam fragrance of our handsomely decked tree - hands down my most favorite birthday present - and all was right with the world. Seriously. Everything. Was. Perfect. So you see, rather than feel slighted by the fusion of these two celebrated events, I always felt fantastically lucky.

Age and an inevitable increase in responsibilities may take it's toll on the time one has - even one so highly inclined - to actually enjoy the tremendousness of Christmastime, and of course there are those for whom the taxing holiday crush and torrent of consumerist compulsion simply poisons the mood, but even (perhaps especially) during this wicked winter - one that for reasons I won't elaborate on has turned the holiday on it's head - there is a steadying, reaffirming peacefulness to this sweetest season that will not fail me. There will not be the typical spill of neatly wrapped gifts this year; we will refrain from cramming our schedules tight with festive gatherings; but in the middle of the living room stands an evergreen - a grand one at that - and it takes but a glimpse of that tree through the window from outside to remind me how spectacularly lovely life can be. And when I'm basking in it's glow this evening, surrounded by the surprisingly few truly important things (living and breathing) in my life, all really will, at that moment, be right with the world.

Dear friends, family and followers:
May you enjoy a thoroughly happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday ~ my love to you all.

Giving Thanks

It may be a few days after the feast, but I still feel compelled to make my thankfulness this year known to everyone who didn't make it to our holiday table last thursday night. On average, I can find about a million and one things to be grateful for this time of year (or any time of year, for that matter), but the last month has been... let's call it "challenging", and not only am I thankful and a half for how one of those challenges turned out (even though my veterinary expense account may never recover), but I'm exceedingly thankful for the loving support of friends, and the remarkable kindness of virtual strangers. To all those who reached out - you know who you are - it meant the world... THANK YOU. And to the universe: I'm sending a neatly wrapped, oversized package of preemptive gratitude... for making sure everything else under this storm cloud sorts itself out in a similarly satisfactory fashion.

Bark the Vote, 2010

Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will do no good:
'Tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's the day, friends, you know what to do.

Happy Howloween

The candy bandit gets into costume...

Safety First

It's that time of year again: rifles and bows and shotguns, oh my! Oscar made sure to don his brightest orange safety jacket when we visited Vermont this past weekend. Deer rifle season, decidedly the most popular of the lot (the VT Fish & Wildlife Dept. states that hunters take more bucks per square mile each season than any other New England state), won't start until mid November, but bear and turkey are fair game at present, so the sound of gunshot rings occasionally, and wise individuals exercise caution whenever setting out for a stroll through the increasingly leafless woods - if they venture in at all. Since O-Town here (not to be confused with any sort of wise individual) closely matches the size and coloration of a white-tail, with the acorn-sized brain of a turkey, it's a right good thing he's got such blinding outerwear to ID him as someone's pet... he also makes a snappy crossing guard in it.

The Future's So Bright...

Found: one pair of snazzy, rose-tinted, polka dotted sunnies, size small. Stumbled on them in the grass at the top of Danehy Park this  morning, and left them on a picnic bench in hopes of their fashionable owner returning. Wish I could have somehow attached this photo...

Sketchbook: Oscar Dog

Hello, handsome.
What I lack in sketchbook entries for the big red dog (working on remedying that situation!), I more than make up for with photos. It's a little out of control... can you blame me though? Look at him! Damn handsome beast... maybe not as awesome as this guy, but only because I'm not clever enough to have come up with a poster like that. And yes, like a great many other iPhone users, I am smitten with Hipstamatic...

Oscar's New Eames Chair

For those of you who voted for Oscar in Modernica's "Pets on Furniture Photo Contest" a few months ago (thank you!) - the product of his big win (he trounced the competition by some 100 votes) has arrived, and we finally had a chance this weekend to photograph the beast with his brand spanking new Case Study rocking armchair: TA-DA! I was skeptical about how comfortable this item would be, as the similarly constructed Eames side chairs we already own are rather annoying to sit on, but the rocking chair pleasantly surprised me, in fact, I love it. The textural fiberglass shell is also quite beautiful, and slightly translucent in the right light (molded solid plastic reproductions of the same design lack these qualities). 

Designed by Charles and Ray Eames in the 50s, the fiberglass shell chairs (side chair, armchair, static, and rocking versions) were the first plastic (fiberglass reinforced polyester) chairs to be industrially manufactured, and they became a landmark in 20th century furniture design for their ergonomic shape, modular construction, and innovative material and production technology. Today, Modernica produces their fiberglass shell chairs with much of the original machinery and molds used to make the first shell chairs so many decades ago... Huge thanks again to everyone who voted for Oscar dog, and to the folks at Modernica, who posted a great blog follow-up to Oscar's win here.

About Time

Oscar turned 5 this March, and sadly, I have actually never painted him before - sketched him, yes, but put the time into something more detailed than colored pencil, no... until this week. The big red dog has finally been immortalized in acrylic. I'd like to say I just felt like cranking this out, but I actually had an ulterior motive - for the second year in a row, Mutt Lynch Winery in Healdsburg, California is hosting an artist submitted dog art wine label contest. Mutt Lynch is themed after everything dog and each of their wines is graced with a uniquely eclectic canine art label, complete with a cheeky title ("Merlot Over and Play Dead", "Chateau d'Og", and "Fou Fou le Blanc Sauvignon Blanc"). My style might be a bit too serious for this crowd, but it sounded like fun anyway... 

This year's contest has 77 entries - public voting will be held through next Tuesday, the 25th, after which the top 10 finalists will go on to be judged by the owner of Mutt Lynch, Brenda Lynch, and Moira McLaughlin, of the contest hosting blog, Dog Art Today. If you feel like voting, here's a link (Oscar is entry #70, titled, "The Great Barrel-chested Red"). And if you don't feel like voting, maybe Oscar's rosy-red dreamscape has at least made you thirsty for a glass of Bordeaux...