We'd put the tree up on Thursday so it would be on Elaine's set Friday morning. With the platforms out of the way, everyone pitched in to decorate. It...was a festive occasion. I saw that even Rees had stayed to prep the kitchen and was baking pies and cookies non-stop."You know, feeding the clan is not part of your responsibility," I said when I caught up with her."I know, but it's so exciting. Those girls—the triplets—have an entire plan put together to feed a hundred and fifty people. I just. ”“I guess,” Mom concurred. “And second?”“And second,” I continued, “it’s what you see that counts. You’ll see a different array of light and shadow and that will change what you create. Don’t you see?”“Yes, Mom,” replied, her fingertip in her mouth, eyes narrowing as she thought. “I do see.”Mom stood up. “Go ahead, then, paint me,” she said, holding her arms out at her sides.“Not here, and not wearing all those clothes.”“Where, then? You can’t put that on me in the house. It will ruin the floor. “Yes.” I said. I felt bad giving only one word answers, but I was so taken in the moment that I couldn’t think of any other words to say. She grabbed my wrists, which were at my side on the table, and pulled them down to hang off the ends of the table. And then her hands disappeared, leaving an empty space on my back that suddenly felt cold and barren. I heard the pumping of plastic next to me, followed by the sound of her hands rubbing together quickly. When her hands touched me again,. I don’t use crops or quirts on horses. Any control issues I’ve had with a horse could usually be handled with a quick flick of the reins across the animal’s rump.I smiled as I looked at the broken rein hanging on the wall. I had hung it there a couple of weeks ago and never gotten around to fixing it. I took the five foot long, narrow strip of leather down from the wall and doubled it over in my hand. I whipped the leather down on the work bench making a solid ?twap? sound and causing dust to.