Our household grew by three this year, with Diane’s mom Judy retiring, getting inducted to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame’s Communicator’s Corner (HOF) in Goshen, NY, and moving down from Delaware to live in our guesthouse in the Texas Hill Country. That’s the three of us pictured at the entrance of the HOF. She brought her orange fluffy companions Roger and Prince Harry.
We shared an AirBnB in Goshen complete with backyard pool, hot tub, and outdoor BBQ courtyard with Judy, Diane’s Uncle Mike and Aunt Diane, Cousins Mickey, Martha and Olivia, and dog Beaker. It was July 4th weekend so there were festivals we could walk to, fireworks on TV, and we took turns making great summer home cooked meals in someone else’s home for a change.
We also lost three extended family members this year. My cousin’s husband Beauford, my cousin Braden to a drunk driver, and Diane’s friend Jane who was Heart O’ The Hills camp director to the Texas Hill Country flood. That tragedy touched so many in my life. It seemed like almost everyone I knew was personally connected in some way to someone lost, missing or who narrowly escaped. Our friend Catherine spent weeks down there with her trained cadaver dogs searching for the missing. Our neighbor Adrian spent months down there giving out loans to small businesses trying to recover.
Beyond Goshen, we travelled in assorted pairs or in triplicate to visit our favorite people, places and events including The Prix D’Amerique and Versailles in France, Regional Barn Hunt Trial in McKinney, Texas, Harrods and Madame Tussaud’s in London, Disney Wild Kingdom in Orlando, Elitloppet in Stockholm, the fjords of Norway, an epic Sea Turtle trail and bay tour ln South Padre Island, the Pacific Coast and Redwoods of Santa Cruz, and the future of self service in Houston.
We also hosted, supported and attended a record number of gatherings with friends and family. Two neighborhood potlucks in our cul-de-sac, the Kleypas Family reunion in Bulverde, many Friday night card events, Easter and Thanksgiving, Diane’s birthday tour of distilleries, several gatherings at the house, 8 Barn Hunt and Scent Work competitions, and pub trivia with friends at 5 different local venues.
At the house I spend many mornings watching sports analysis and “America’s Got Talent” songs to feed the analytical and emotional sides. Diane managed to attend 30 classes at YogaSix studio. We both look forward to Fridays when our neighbor’s daughter hand delivers fresh baked goods.
We were in Orlando for the United States Harness Writer’s Association Dan Patch Awards Banquet, where I met Mitch Rossell, a talented young country singer and songwriter. He’s a good “Follow” and a good human. I really like following those old enough with life stories to tell, artistic enough to tell them, and young enough to execute well. I hope to be one of those people someday. As far as I got this year was penning alternate lyrics for arguably the most beautiful song written, “Hallelujah”. My version is about tending two corgis, titled “Did you poo yet?” I think I have a legit hit on my hands, but I don’t have a singing voice and the rights to the arrangement are controlled by Sony, and somehow, I don’t think they will appreciate my version.
Sunday night dinners are trending now, with place settings for three but servings for five including the two corgis on the floor. We dine on Judy’s Hadleyware, pottery imported from Diane’s childhood. Inherited traditions are some of the best.
I was personally called into service twice this year. Once to serve as juror over a manslaughter case, another to donate white blood cells for a pediatric patient, so both anonymous life impacting roles but in very different ways. The legal system needs to borrow my analytical mind from time to time, and medical science needs my body to be the lab to occasionally supply AB+ components.
We made a few small tweaks and upgrades to the homestead through the course of the year, and invited a small army of handymen, plumbers, roofers, neighbors, electricians, Taskrabbits, and independent contractors to ensure water behaves, we have secure places to store our stuff, and power to run it all.
We are planning a low-key dog sport holiday, staying in a Bandera RV resort for a combination scent work trial / writers retreat. Winnie loves to travel, jump up for hugs and kisses, wiggling her butt with unbridled joy. She got her AKC Excellent Scent Work title this year. Loki is the more discriminating traveler. He values the finer things in life. Our travel plans include equal precautions against negative reviews – from the host, or from Loki. He is one buried Q from his AKC Master Scent Work title and enjoying competing in Detective classes this year.
Hope you are all taking some time to reconnect with family and enjoy the holidays. Extended version and more pictures at corgiranchtexas.com
Corgi Ranch, TX 