solstice 2018

Good morning Solstice. The shortest, darkest day leading into the light. No sunrise photo: it is dreary, gloomy and rainy and everything I hate about winter. And you can’t even see the sun! (Or the moon, a solstice full moon, how cool!)

I will welcome every second of new light in these cold, damp months. I will seriously try to not take any time for granted. Celebrate and enjoy family, friends, horses and other assorted creatures. Happy Solstice!

d.i.y.: animal-topped treat jars

This cute idea is already all over the internet, but I wanted to try it myself! It is nice and simple, with stuff already in the garage, only a trip to the dollar store for more animals was needed!

gather all the stuff

I gathered up some random small jars, plastic animals, sandpaper. random paint and good glue (I love E-6000, but I assume superglue or similar would work). I decided to sandpaper the whole top and the animal feet, which couldn't hurt and could help. Then I just used a tiny bit of glue of each foot and let them cure for 24 hours.

sanded and test-fit to jar lids

a little glue on each foot

Then outside to spray the lids and beasts! I used whatever spray paint I had in the garage. And it turns out that using the primer one first (with the black or gray) did make the metallic be more solid and look nicer, so I'd recommend that. Other than that it is just a light coat with dry time in between. It is tough to get underneath the stomach/between the legs, but my paint-coated fingers attest it is possible.

The gray primer was a great base (plus I had it leftover from painting a model Star Trek Enterprise)

first light coat

the messy middle process

Choosing a damp overcast day is not the best, as the paint took forever to dry and I am impatient. (I only dropped one still-wet top in the dirt, needing to be wiped off and repainted a little funky...). So the painted lids came inside a heated room (with the window open) to truly cure.

jars galore!

I am giving some jars to friends and some to family, some with horse treats and some with human treats! I am using the orange one (the paint didn't turn out as good, I should have used primer first) for my loose tea, and already have chosen a dinosaur on my desk for assorted paperclips, etc.

who wants one?

Do any prancing ponies catch your eye? Silver, black or copper? I'll draw a name from the comments on December 21 and send a treat-filled jar of their choice! It will be happy Solstice from Major!

hooligan

Major Trouble should be his name. Luckily it is mostly just petty theft, but seriously, I can't turn my back for an instant!

First he learned that the horse across the way has alfalfa stored in a plastic box. And Major figured out how to open it. Crime: Breaking and entering. (Luckily it was already damaged, though I'm sure he is not helping. I offered to buy a new one for Beau's owner, but she said just wait, it's fine for now!).

stealing while Beau looks on

But it is tasty! Not an excuse, lock him up (in his paddock!)

Now if I leave him alone for a second…like to clean his paddock (otherwise he supervises by tipping over the muck cart) he is back into that container. The other day it only had grass hay! But it was still delicious compared to the same grass hay that was in his paddock. sigh…

second offense

And that isn't the end of his crime spree. If I am distracted for a moment he steals property from other horses (he is very sneaky) and has also become a car thief.

stealing Swagger's bowl while he looks on

car thief steals same old grass ahy

Let's not mention the invasion of personal space.

what personal space?

But I'll accept the silliness (and allow the non-damaging kind) because he's MY hooligan!


P.S. There is still time if anyone wants to do the card exchange. Sadly, very few people want to send actual cards anymore!