Book nook

Indelible Link, by Juni Fisher

Review by Tom Brannon

Trapeze flyerTattooed matilda finishes her signature act one night and seconds later, she’s hurtling toward the tanbark floor of the circus ring. Horribly injured she struggles to make sense of her condition while she grasps at memories of her troubled childhood and life as a star of a rag-tag troupe. outside her circus family, matilda remembers one true friend: lucky eddie. eddie is a sardonic, war-scarred, tattoo artist with a monkey called heroin on his back who bestows matilda’s first tattoo when she’s a shy, misfit teen. Their seemingly strange friendship deepens over the years, enduring eddie’s battle with addiction and matilda’s craving for tattoos while she chases the intoxicating lure of the spotlight. Theirs is a bond forged in tattoo ink.

Hired as a temp by a traveling circus to sell concessions, and serendipitously drawn into an impromptu trapeze act, matilda catches the eye of Bill, a trapeze flyer who is so infatuated by her that he proposes to her and she literally runs away with him and joins the circus. although the circus troupe is no less functional than her family, most of them are fond of matilda and one act at a time, she works her way up to the high wire.

But the circus tent that has fed matilda’s soul becomes a curtain of unimaginable heartache when tragedy befalls the world she knows and loves, and plummets her into a downward spiral that even bright lights, applause, and a new tattoo can’t mask.

The time line in this book jumps back and forth between 1958, where a comatose matilda is lying in a hospital bed, and her youth in the early 1940s. for the several months that she is slowly healing, she can hear and understand, but cannot talk or communicate. The segments describing each event in time are as short as two paragraphs or as long as several pages. This is not confusing, however, as each segment is clearly dated and the chronology is in logical order. matilda and her siblings, each by different fathers, are raised by her grandparents in new orleans, since her mother has run off with her latest fling. She is pretty (although she doesn’t realize it), introspective and shy. The one thing that she feels confident about are the tattoos applied by eddie.

Indelible Link cues up the music for a high flying, wild ride back to the time when the train pulled into town and a traveling circus arrived to promise a magical adventure under the big top.

About the author: Juni fisher is a professional singer, song writer, performer, author and horse trainer who lives in nashville, Tenn. Her genre is western and cowboy music. She was raised on a farm in San Joaquin valley, Ca and was active in 4-H and ffa. While studying equine Science at the College of the Sequoias she rode horses for customers and was captain of the college horse show team. in 1984 she moved to Santaynez, Cato train cutting horses. Juni’s ability to ride at speed across the hills landed her with a position as a professional “ whipper-in” with a foxhunt club inTennessee.after that, point to point racing, steeplechasing, and eventing took the place of cow horses, while she honed her songwriting skills among some nashville’s finest writers. in 2012 she returned to the cow horse world by winning the nrCHa Celebrity Cow Horse Challenge and continues to train and show.

She is also the author Girls from Cantro (2019). visit Juni’s website at: https://www.junifisher.com

By Nancy Brannon, Ph.D. no doubt you ’ ve heard numerous times the clichéic joke intro, “aman walks into a bar… ” The title of this book foreshadows the humor and “outsider” insight from an “insider’s” perspective of the world of horses and horse people. This is the book for all the parents of horse crazy girls (and boys) who are primed for horse and pony camp this year – but especially for dads.

“This is a book with several topics. one of them is parenthood and its challenges, and how it involves a constant journey into the unknown, ” he writes. How we measure success is another theme in the book. is it about ribbons and championships, or is there something more important? in Chapter 16, he summarizes the life’s lessons learned from his fifteen years as a “horse dad. ” you might event think “oldfather” a pseudonym for the author’s real name. But not; Chad oldfather really is a Professor of law at marquette university law School. Perhaps his dry sense of humor began in the town where he grew up, as he describes: “the thoroughly Wobegonian but unfortunately named kiester, minnesota (population: 501). ” Having published numerous articles in a wide array of law journals, it almost goes unsaid that this book is well-written. “i write because i

enjoy doing it, ” he says.

“Somewhere along the line i started reading The Chronicle of the Horse, ” and later he made his debut writing a blog for The Chronicle. “When i started blogging for The Chronicle of the Horse, i had a vague notion that i might one day use my posts as the beginnings of a book chronicling my experiences and observations as a horse dad. ” and there you have it. oldfather’s delve into the realm of horses began when he found himself the parent of a toddler who was obsessed with horses.Then, as his younger daughters become similarly afflicted, he soon became enmeshed in the subculture of barns, riding, and horse shows, learning not just about the animals that drew his girls, but also about the people and personalities of “horse people. ”

His journey begins at the boarding barn, appy orse acres. for newbie parents in the horse world, his descriptions of the riding disciplines of hunter/jumper, dressage, and eventing will be informative, but “old news” to horse folks. However, even horse folks will identify with the long waits at hunter/jumper shows while nothing happens in the arena, as opposed to dressage shows when everyone has specific ride times.and you can identify with the horse that doesn’t want to load in the trailer to go home after the day-long 4-H show at the County fair (with more waiting), and a rider’s first big milestone: falling off and learning to get back on. eventually the family reaches the second big milestone: a horse of their own.

as his girls develop their riding skills and progress through the ranks, you may recognize the names of some of their riding coaches and clinicians, and the opportunities they are afforded, like riding in an emerging athletes Program (eaP) clinic and making it to the “Pony finals” at the kentucky Horse Park (kHP). How many of us have taken our children to ride at events at the kHP? in Chapter 11, he writes his observations about george morris, “ who was the dominant figure in the hunter/jumper world. ” yet, oldfather is “conflicted” about the former olympic show jumping coach who later received a lifetime ban from the sport based on allegations of abuse of some of the young men who trained with him in his early days. “So far as i’m aware, there were no problems with abuse in any of the activities in which my daughters took part, ” and he goes on to describe some of morris’comments and advice to the students in his clinics. i’ll leave the rest for you to read (pp. 209-219). for trainers, or coaches of any youth sport, there are “things to take to heart, ” he advises. “remember that nobody makes mistakes on purpose. good trainers don’t gossip, especially about their own clients. Have no favorites. Be honest. good trainers have a plan. accept feedback. Have respect for your clients’ time and money. Be always learning. ” The last one is what inspires me: i’m always interested in learning something new. a book for parents and equestrians, A Man Walks Into a Barn is a wise, witty look at the world of horses and horse people. oldfather strives to be the best dad he can, supporting his children's dreams, writing about his parenting choices. He describes this world with humor and honesty, critically examining riding’s high cost and the inaccessibility and inequality that results.

A Man Walks Into a Barn is published by Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).

www.midsouthhorsereview.com • ©Mid-South Horse Review • May, 2022 5. Joanna Caldwell: Iroquois Steeplechase Official Artist

Artist Joanna Caldwell with her acrylic painting “The Lucky One” at the Iroquois Steeplechase Kickoff Party in March.

The official artist for the 2022 iroquois Steeplechase is Joanna Caldwell. “Winding down a dusty road and through a cedar hollow you can find Joanna reed Caldwell painting in her country studio in Coldwater, Tennessee. Signed simply Joanna, her work is known for its whimsical and entertaining appeal, ” Joanna writes in her official bio.

Whimsical is definitely the right term to describe her piece for the 2022 iroquois Steeplechase, although she says “i’ ve created my own category that i'm calling ‘Soulfulism. ’if i can touch a soul, evoke a smile or a chuckle, then i have accomplished something. ”

This year the iroquois Steeplechase committee asked her to create something really different and fun. They wanted to bring in a bright, lively and whimsical mood for this year.

Joanna describes her work as “colorful, loose, silly, fun, funny… it always makes people smile! i don’t take myself too seriously. it’s just meant to make people chuckle. ”

The name of this acrylic painting is “The lucky one. ” Joanna explains: “i’m not sure who is the luckiest: the gentleman whose horse just won the race; the wife who has the best/sweetest/ most beautiful horse; the horse who has great owners; or the happy hound. you can decide. ”

Joanna has been a creative artist since childhood. Her parents encouraged her talent and she had private painting lessons growing up. She attended uT knoxville with an art scholarship. after college she was able to support herself by selling her artwork in nashville. Working with interior designers and select galleries, she has placed her painted furniture and numerous paintings in richly appointed homes across the country. Her more famous acrylic paintings feature charming french and italian waiters, often poised in front of a bistro. Her current work consists of foxhunting folks, mini Donkeys, Polo players, and the unpredictable, good-humored scenes that go along with the people and animals in these sports.