On the 9th Day of Christmas: Nine Pounds a-Droppin’

Yesterday looked forward. Today looks back. How did I do with the 2014 resolutions?

Weight “My third goal for the year* is to lose weight.” [9th]

Victory! Taken off & stayed off. Show vest buttons with ease. [Progress: photos at end]

No thanks to me. Credit goes to an obliging metabolism and an outstanding chef. I simply eat what is put in front of me.

Magazines “One of my goals for 2014 is to get re-energized about writing for money.” [7th]

Bzzzzt. You can’t win if you don’t try. Early in the year, I bought a stack of equine magazines. I diligently dissected the articles and the ads. I pondered topics. I pondered approaches. I wandered off to do other things.

Maybe the time of a career based on the straight-up magazine article has passed. I should reinvent myself. Maybe my time with equine publications has passed. I should expand my horizons. Maybe I am a lazy slug. I should get off my ass.

Or all of the above.

Jump “Therefore, eight jumps would mean a hunter class would mean I was riding & showing & jumping.” [8th]

Not even close. Not even the one, almost, pseudo jump of 2013 [Midwestern Mounts: #11]. The horses that I ride, don’t jump. The horses that jump (or should jump), I don’t ride.

A few times, I was able to step in with advice during a jumping session. Not that I am an expert. I’ve just taken so many jumping lessons that I know the tricks. Nice to find out I hadn’t forgotten everything.

Score
One success. One failure. One that was neither. Thirty percent, grading strictly. Good for a batting average, less good for a carton of eggs. Fifty percent, grading generously.

Bring on 2015!

2013
On the Ninth Day of Christmas: 9 Pounds a-Droppin’
~~~
Since posts are better with pictures, another unrelated but seasonally appropriate illustration.

The person who gave me the pretty ornament this year [Present], also gave me this one:

1986? That doesn’t seem possible.

The sharp-eyed among us may notice that this ornament was not on the tree in yesterday’s photo. I took it off for this photograph, put it back on, took it off, & forgot to put it back on for my third attempt at a decent shot of the tree. Those Breyer stirrup ornament are shiny! And not in a good way.