Corny Christmas Photo-Shoot 2012

I've been moping around with a cold since last Thursday.  It's not too bad, as colds go, but I stayed home Friday (*OK, here I must go off on a bit of a tangent:  I dislike going to staff parties.  This year, I was honest and admitted that, although I love everyone at our school, I just don't enjoy parties so wouldn't be going to this one.  After a few tries to get me to change my mind, there were shrugs but it was accepted that I wasn't going.  Except I then felt so guilty about letting down the team that I changed my mind on Wednesday and said that Bruce and I would be there after all.  So on Thursday afternoon when I asked our secretary to call a substitute to take my class on Friday because I was sick, everyone laughed and teased that I was faking sick so I wouldn't have to go to the party.  Our principal even felt my forehead and joked that I didn't seem to have a fever.  So, on Friday, after staying home all day with the sniffles, I got dressed up and Bruce and I went to the party to prove that I hadn't stayed home to get out of having to go.  I do marvel at the complex struggles I force myself to have.)

It was a quiet weekend and I didn't do much other than read and correct papers.  But today I gathered together my energy because I'd put off THE most important pre-Christmas tradition of all long enough: The Cornelius Christmas Card Photo-Shoot. 

Cornelius was his typical Christmas photo-shoot self:  obnoxious and willful, with a bit of brattyness thrown in for good measure.  I had to take of a thick layer of crusted mud that caked his flanks, face and mane, then hose the mud from his hooves and sponge dirt off his face. Then I got the clippers and trimmed his bridlepath and brushed out his mane and tail.  When I was almost finished, I briefly thought I was going to become a pancake when a helicopter suddenly was chopping right overhead and Corny woke up enough to try to jump into my arms in a panic.  It's not easy when a 3,000 pound horse thinks he's your baby.

Anyway, eventually I got him more or less decorated (every time he shook his silly face, sparkly stuff went flying).  Then Bruce got his camera and Corny had his usual jolly time being uncooperative, pinning back his ears and making stupid faces.  I have proof:


Corny looking just a tiny bit like Cher

                                                      


 



When the decorations came off and I was leading him back to his pen for dinner, he changed back into my sweet, doofy boy who would do anything for his mommy.

Sigh...