Feb 28
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

Today I finished these pieces, and photographed them and then went to the barn and rode the lovely blonde Haflinger pony in a long lesson and then through the woods and helped out in the afternoon, enjoying the sun and the mud before it turns to snow and other vile weather.

Our neighbors were having a game night so Alice and I went over and were sociable. We taught them the water buffalo song, and took over Quirkle and the triangular version of Blokus. I think everyone had a pretty good time. Aerin was in town being sound techie at a Northamptones concert. Al was working, and came home and flopped – he couldn’t face people.

I am SO PLEASED February is done. I always come into it thinking maybe it won’t be so bad this year, and I always get whiny and sick of it a week before it ends. I think it feels like an entire month of Mondays. I am looking forward to March.

I actually have a couple thoughts about February’s project, but I am so tired I am about to tip over, so I’ll have them tomorrow instead.

Feb 27
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

Friday was also busy – I went to a Owaji Island (also known as Bunraku) puppet demonstration, which was very cool, and then participated in the Parent, Student and Teacher Talent Show to benefit the band. I was in the music stand drill team. We were very silly.

Feb 26
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

Thursday was busy. I did ride, and I did well in circus, but failed to accomplish any computer thing. I was whiny about February still happening.

Feb 25
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

More of the blue horse – I am just working my way along the unfinished pieces because they all connect, and I prefer to have the edges match.

In other news, I bought a new tool/toy today. I have been yearning gently after an embellisher machine, also called a needle felting machine. I avoided buying one because I thought if I really wanted to felt things I could use felting needles by hand and see if they did sort of what I wanted. But today I finally sought one out, and played with it, and realized it was much faster and much easier and much more fun than I expected. I talked to Al sitting in the parking lot, and decided to go ahead and do this machine now, and see if I really like this way of working as much as I think I will.

I had to finish these squares before I felt like I could pull it out and play. I’ll post pictures of new work soon. I think I have a theme for March too: daily felting machine experiments.

Feb 24
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

The blue horse takes shape. I failed to finish him yesterday because I was having migraines and narcoleptic fits, and went to bed at 9:00 with Alice after falling asleep (and I think drooling and snoring) on the couch in the staff room at circus. Only mildly embarrassing as these things go.

Feb 23
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

And I invented the square that was missing, and finished it. I am pleased with my horse noses. I like the hooves and legs too. I get hung up on the connection to their bodies, and the neck/shoulder intersection. Practice practice practice, I know!

Feb 21
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I made the blue horse’s neck and head bigger. I like it much batter now.

Feb 22 blocks to date
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I am so thrown off with blocks and illness and doubling up and missing days…

I gave up and pulled all the done ones from the little box and set them out on the floor to see where I was. I realized I have cleverly left all the hardest squares in the middle for the last, so I will have my work cut out for me making the legs and bodies match up. Plus I have lost one key piece in the middle – the rest of the blue horse’s head. I suppose if I leave it unitl last I can fill in the pieces fairly readily.

I am distressed at the quality of neck on the orange and green horses. That is verra bad conformation and it feels like I should try to fix it once the pieces are together. The blue horse’s head needs fixing. The red horse is still the best thing in the piece, but that is before he is connected to himself and the rest of the herd.

If you click through to the picture there are notes on it. You can leave notes too, if you’d like!

Feb 19
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I’ll leave the date, because I did finish it yesterday, and I’ve finally slept almost enough that I don’t think I’ll delete the blog by mistake if I do something to it.

Poor Alice was at a not-sleep-over last night, she came home cheerful enough and promptly fell asleep in the chair in the kitchen. I took her upstairs to bed, and when she came down later to use the bathroom she fell asleep sitting there. I moved her to the couch, where even dropping mac and cheese into her ear didn’t wake her up. The dropping was entirely unintentional, truly, but she did ask for some lunch in the two minutes she spent awake. I’m torn between letting her sleep, and trying to get her to wake up for a little, so she can go to bed at a reasonable hour. Actually, since I can’t seem to wake her up at the moment, she only makes small pathetic annoyed noises, I guess it is moot.

A5

lesson 4
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I am sick. I have a code in by dose. (say it – it makes more sense aloud)

This is a picture from my riding lesson which happened about two hours before I came down with the scrunge, on Tuesday. Is that not the most adorable tank of a pony you ever saw?

I did a whole lot of nothing yesterday. Today I might do a little less nothing, and a little more something, but I don't know what.

The kids are being verra patient with me.

I think I'll go nap.