Behind Infinity

This is a Great Grey Slug, also known as a Leopard Slug. I found him while cleaning up a pile of building materials next to the barn, and we were bffs for about 10 minutes before I set him free again.

Is he neato or what? Fully extended, he was about 5″ long. He left nasty slime trails all over my hand and arm.

Feelers! His adorable feelers were as long as my thumbnail.

Slugs are hermaphrodites. I learned that on Wikipedia, which also has a really great picture of two Leopard slugs mating. (you know you want to click the link. it’s an awesome picture.)

seriously, I could sit here and post slug pictures all day.
But I won’t, because I have work to do. I know that makes you very, very sad, but that’s the way life is sometimes.

life is perplexing because this week
i was working, loving, gardening, playing music for the kids at vacation bible school, going to the beach, eating the best chocolate pudding of my life at marie catrib’s,
while my friend was across the state burying her father and singing at his funeral–beautifully I would add.

and i don’t have an answer for that.

{i’m not asking for one. i’m just marveling at how beauty and sadness both exist, and sometimes sadness is beautiful, and we just keep going on because it’s all we can do.}

freedom is
A naked heart that always dares to give
A willingness to let the tenderness
Be taken as it may
{ from “jenny lynn” by katie herzig. }

Quite well, actually.

Cilantro, basil, and chives.
In other words –salsa, pesto, and margherita pizza!

Here it is, all planted. Left row has lettuce and green onion, then a box of beans, then the peppers and squash box. Right row has peas, then my box of 10(!) tomato plants, and then the cucumbers.

Look–it’s a lovely little tomato blossom on one of the early-bearing plants. I cannot wait to harvest the tomatoes. I planted 8 different varieties (some that bear early in the season, some that bear late) and I’m looking forward to BLTs, salads and salads while they’re fresh, and canning the excess for making sauces and soups in the winter.

Peas. They’re starting to climb. I love the way they grab onto the twine with their little plant feelers.

Lettuce. We had our first garden lettuce salad on Sunday. It was pretty delicious.

Pepper plants in the foreground, squash in the background. Those squash plants will turn into enormous people-eating jungle plants by the end of the summer.

And now–on a totally unrelated note, here are photos of last weekend’s horse show (May 22). All photos courtesy of Marie (except the ones with her in them!)

It was a larger show, so we stayed overnight in the barn instead of showing out of the trailer.

pretty braid!

adorable…

Marie and Starr won 6th place in the Novice Rider class, Marie’s first show ever! I was so proud.

It was the first time showing in an indoor for both of my mares. Neither one of them was very happy about it at first. Jezebelle and I rode 3 classes on Friday night and she was totally goofy and uncomfortable with the situation, so we didn’t do very well. After classes ended on Friday I did a 2-hour ride with Starr (it took her that long to settle down!) and another 1/2 hour with Jezzie, and then things were better.

Here’s Starr and I, waiting for our class. I rode Starr in 2 hunter classes. We didn’t place in either of them (there were 20+ horses in each class) but we did have a good trip both times, which, at this point, is what we’re looking for.

And here’s our ribbons.

4th place Native Costume, Brittany + Jezzie
1st place Dressage Novice Rider Training test 1, Brittany + Jezzie
3rd place Dressage Novice Horse Training test 1, Brittany + Jezzie
6th place Dressage Equitation, Brittany + Jezzie
4th Place Sport Horse In Hand, Brittany + Jezzie
1st Place Dressage Novice Rider Intro Test A, Brittany + Starr
4th Place Dressage Novice Horse Intro Test A, Brittany + Starr
6th Place Novice Rider Pleasure, Marie + Starr
3rd Place Saddleseat Equitation Championship, Brittany + Jezzie

This weekend we’re back at WMAHA (our favorite club!) at the Hudsonville Fairgrounds. I’ll be showing both horses, Marie will be showing Starr for 2 or 3 classes, and Brenna will be showing Jezebelle for 3 or so classes. The weather forecast is calling for mid-70’s and it should be a great day.