I Will Not Say

I will not say, she is dead
That she passed
Or that she is no longer with us.
I will not say that she is gone.

For because she tended the land she stood on,
she does still.
The rose from last year that felt her hand,
Will reach for the sun again, in time.

And the Creatures that she sheltered
Rode and ran with,
Rake the earth with hardened hooves
Or padded feet
Touching ground she knew
And knows.
And do it, knowing her still because the
Trail is Familiar.

And We... You and I
Have been altered.
Now,
Our lives radiate out in myriad directions
And we are
Changed, enriched and charged...by her,
Giving a part of her away, a golden gift
Each time we connect with the world.
Again and again.
Over and over,
Ever and always,
Simply because she ‘Is’.

I will not say...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




(Carmon's Penelope Rose)

Linda's Offering

Linda found a video that she thinks Carmon would want us to share and I completely agree. I even posted this to my FB page, to honor her and maybe save a life.

Thanks Linda.

Dear 16 Year Old Me

Please forgive me this, but...

I was looking for something in Carmon's blog, and found this and it made me giggle...
............

And the sheep on the hill
See the sun going down
And the eyes in their heads
See the wool spinning round




My apologies to the Beatles. I just couldn't resist and besides, those altered lyrics get stuck in my head everytime I see those sheep up there.
............

I loved reading her posts about them.

A Post from Fern Valley Appaloosas/Sherry

What a lovely idea. I did not know the lady personally but her journey and her willingness to share it was amazing and so inspiring. It is amazing how this blogging has linked so many wonderful people,who even though we may never meet face to face , are there for us in heart and spirit whan we need someone.

A Wonderful Post from Lucy

(It hasn't even been a year since Carmon and Dulce first met.... January 2011.)

....................

Hello to all Carmon’s friends. I'm so moved by this blog and know that Carmon would be as well. Actually, I think she IS moved by it, as I feel she is close by -- just in a place that we cannot physically see her.

Carmon and I were friends for 38 years. It's hard to imagine that so much time has passed, it seems like just a few years ago that we met. She was like a sister to me and I will miss her the rest of my life. Perhaps it was her attitude about it, perhaps it was my own desire for her to have long-term survival, but I'd simply not entertained the idea that she would not beat this disease. As she lay in hospice that last week, she often looked as though she were just sleeping. I kept expecting her to wake up and say “Lucy” with the amused and affectionate lilt she’d always used for my name. And I would have said "Hey,Charmin’” -- for the nickname I’d given her years ago – “Charmin’ Carmon.”

I went up to Mora for a few days after Carmon's passing, and was treated to the amazing hospitality of Carolyn, a horsewoman and another close friend of Carmon’s. Mike says he plans to stay in Mora for the winter, and will absolutely make sure that all the animals are cared for. I stay in touch with Anne, Carmon’s friend and neighbor, who says that all is as well as it can be under the circumstances. We are all grieving her loss.

While in Mora I got to meet some of Carmon’s women friends in the area. We had a wonderful get-together at Carolyn's, sharing stories of Carmon. Not surprisingly, all were strong, intelligent women with an intense bond to animals.

I met the dogs that I’d only read about on her blog: Dulce, Duffy, and Coli. Carmon’s dogs were always so cool, and include some of my favorite dogs ever. I fell madly in love with Dulce! She IS the sweetest thing. I've not known many bulldogs in my life (and didn't know they shed), but if Dulce is any indication they are a special breed. I saw the horses, but didn’t interact with them as they were eating and I didn’t want to disturb them. Much as I love horses, I’m not the horsewoman that Carmon was and since I don't know her horses well, felt it best to admire them from a distance.

All I know about plans for a memorial service in New Mexico is that it will be sometime in spring. This is entirely right as far as I am concerned – spring was Carmon’s time of year. Her birthday was April 6 but more than that she was always energized by spring and loved it so. Carmon told me this past August that she'd like to be cremated and have her ashes scattered on her property. She mentioned it very casually, in a conversation we had about my mom's recent passing. I found out later I was the only one she'd said this to, but Mike knows exactly the spot she would want. I haven’t talked more with Mike about it. He is an intensely private person. Carmon understood that as she also had a need for a great deal of time alone. No doubt this was in part why they got along so well.

There are two ways I’d like to memorialize Carmon. I’d like to have a celebration of her life, her work, and her art in Central Texas because so many friends and family are in this area. That celebration will be in summer because, as her sister reminds me, it should involve tubing. Tubing on the rivers here was one of Carmon’s favorite activities back in the day.

I’d also like to join with all friends of Carmon’s from around the world in a cause to honor her life and love of animals. I imagine wild horse rescue or something like that, but you all will likely know best. And whether it’s cash contributions and/or letter writing, blogging, etc, I feel she would love to know that we are serving as champions of animals in her honor.

Let’s exchange ideas about what that animal-related cause would be and how we could honor Carmon in supporting it.

Thank you all for loving Carmon and appreciating her work so much. Aren’t we blessed to have her treasure trove of photos and writing to share?

Thank you....

It warms my heart so, to see all of you here and read what you have to say. I am a 'Nursery Specialist' for a Lowe's store in Chicago and we are in the midst of Christmas Tree selling madness. In my haste to put this up, I did not include Lucy and other people in the invitation and I will rectify that in the next couple of days. I think Mike and the critters are so much of a concern for all of us. Maybe someone here will learn something to ease our minds, or show us a way we might help... if it's only by 'Lighting candles, saying prayers and killing chickens', as I used to say to Carmon. And I'm pretty sure we've all been doing that, anyway.

Love to all of you...

P.S. Dear Carmon... please forgive me for borrowing some of your photos to grace this place. Of course, all right's to you and yours.

Sossity wrote, but

couldn't post....

Thank you so much for doing this! Even when my computer tells me the last update was X days ago, I still go and check her site... for the same reasons as you. Habit, to feel a piece of her, to see if Mike wrote anything... It is a blessing and testament to Carmon that you have done this Robin. :)