Inspiration At the Malt Shop

I had lunch at the Malt Shop with Cha Ching's Mom on Saturday.  It's our favorite after-the-barn burger/ice cream/fries/taquitos place to hang out. The owners are very accommodating and don't mind that we A) sometimes stink, and B) hog up a booth for several hours at a time.  While we didn't smell like horse sweat for Saturday's lunch, we certainly sat there far longer than our taquitos, chicken strips, and sundaes were worth.

During our conversation, I mentioned to Cha Ching's Mom that the combination of summer heat and work had robbed me of any and all creative thought.  Most days I have no less than 5 blog posts rolling around in my head.  This weekend, my head was filled with the quiet sound of crickets ...  chirp, chirp, chirp ...

Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  I was feeling decidedly uninspired and very unmotivated.

Cha Ching's Mom suddenly remembered a series of posts that she's been following on a blog she reads.  It had to do with posting pictures of some of your favorite things.  After reminding me of a few "tips" that I've shared with her, she thought I should share some of them as well as some of the things that inspire me, but it should be done through photos.

Welcome to My 5 Things.  This is a new series, done through photos, that illustrates things that inspire me or just plain catch catch my eye.  I thought I should show you my office first.  When I write, I surround myself with horses, literally, and find great satisfaction in just sitting in here.  It's a good place to think. 

From here on out, I'll try to just limit myself to a short caption as the pictures should do the talking for me.  

My office, where I do a lot of writing, is filled with all things equine.

Desk drawer - it's a tin cut-out attached with super sticky tape.

This guy was a gift from a student; he holds the door open.

A stack of coasters: this one reminds me of Sydney; there's a Speedy in there, too.

Earned by Montoya just several months before she passed. It reminds me of very good times. And it's pretty to look at. :0)