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Author Archives: Andrea Jones
The Late Winter Rant
The view outside has become tiresome. I don’t think I’m supposed to say that. I’m not a fundamentalist, but I’ve steeped myself in a tradition of natural history that holds the world as sublime: a wellspring of solace and inspiration … Continue reading
Harper’s Lessons
Although we knew for months that sweet Moondo would not be with us much longer, I couldn’t face the prospect of looking for a new horse while he was alive. I had no regrets about spending focused time with Moody … Continue reading
Fall In Pieces
Fourteen degrees as a daytime high is somewhat easier to take now that the calendar reads December…even if that same calendar assures me that winter is, technically, still more than two weeks away. We are on the far side of … Continue reading
Posted in change of seasons, fall, gardening, trees and plants
Tagged Colorado aspens, early winter, fall harvest
8 Comments
Riven
The color of the wood caught my eye. Dull gold? Whitened tan? Honeyed beige? Light, in any event, blanched against the worn grasses and graying woodland litter. We were on the way back from a little hike, about a quarter … Continue reading
Posted in trees and plants, weather
Tagged Colorado weather, lightning strikes, pandemic memories, ponderosa pines
7 Comments
Sweet Moondo
In the background of all the unnerving events of 2020, a more private anguish has been unfolding for us. Back in early March, on one of the days I was rushing off to one appointment or another, I was driving … Continue reading
Posted in horses, observation
Tagged chronic kidney failure in horses, Colorado, horses, mourning
28 Comments
Isn’t This a Long One?
January last seems impossibly distant. Memories from back then are round-edged and worn, like relics of a lost civilization. The pandemic was dawning, of course, although few of us in this country had a clue what was to come. Lockdowns, … Continue reading
This Social Distance
I didn’t know there was a name for my quirky lifestyle. Practical logistics dictated by our choice to move to a distinctly rural and reasonably remote area in the spring of 2001 amplified the tendency to social distance, but I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in home, working from home, writing
Tagged Covid-19, home building, working from home
7 Comments
On Not Riding
At a writing workshop I attended back in 1998, our instructor, Marita Golden, urged vigilance against opening a door in an essay if we didn’t intend to lead readers through it at some point. In other words, don’t distract your … Continue reading
Posted in animal communication, horses, writing
Tagged Chekhov’s gun, dressage, horseback riding, horses, Marita Golden, writing advice
7 Comments
On Not Writing
The classic, and in some ways definitive, advice on writing is this line by Mary Heaton Vorse, as chronicled by Sinclair Lewis: “The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of … Continue reading
Posted in procrastination, scientific literacy, writing
Tagged craft writing, science, scientific literacy, writing
14 Comments
Pets
For a whole bunch of different reasons, we do not have housepets. Actually, in the case of cats, there’s one very good reason, which is that Doug is highly allergic, even though he likes cats and they universally adore him. … Continue reading
