A communication vehicle for the Chehalem Mountain Chapter of the Oregon Dressage Society.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Heavy hearts this Christmas

There is no good time to lose a spouse, a friend, a chapter member, a horsewoman. But there are truly terrible times to suffer such a loss, and this close to Christmas, this close to retirement and all the fun and freedom anticipated in that change, must be one of the worst.

On Monday we lost Chehalem Mountain Chapter member Kristy DeVries (local news report here).  She was new to our chapter, but had jumped in with both feet, volunteering to be our "Media Queen" by making sure our chapter news was distributed around the internet (and prompting the revival of this blog). She was with us at our annual Christmas party, in the thick of the cutthroat gift exchange, delighted to end up with winter riding gloves in purple, her favorite color. To learn that she was gone just eight days later came as a shock to all of us, from those who knew her well to those of us who felt a connection and were looking forward to getting to know her better. Our aching hearts go out to her husband, who is experiencing the biggest loss.

“So you must match time's swiftness with your speed in using it, and you must drink quickly as though from a rapid stream that will not always flow.”
—Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

Friday, December 18, 2015

That's a wrap

Our annual chapter Christmas party at Suzi Ronning's on December 13 was a rousing success. We always have a great turnout for this event, and no wonder. First, there is the Ronnings' beautifully decorated home to welcome us,
then there is the vast spread of delicious food,
and finally the fun of door prizes, the cutthroat gift exchange, and the "powerball" drawings for cash awards.


Of course, it's always nice to be able to catch up with old friends and get better acquainted with new friends.

Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year!