THE HORSE IN ART by John Baskett may be as close as I ever get to seeing a Munnings painting in person. He's one of my favorite equine artists and is featured in my latest HALF PRICE BOOK offer. This profusely illustrated hardcover coffee table book begins with the horse in ancient civilizations, including masterpieces from Asia, and then discusses the horse in the Middle Ages, in which the animal was bred for warfare and agriculture and is represented in such scenes as the Bayeaux Tapestry. Renaissance artists, whose interest in horses was as great as that for the human form, are then discussed, evidence of which is shown in the skillful drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. The 17th century brought beautiful examples of naturalism from such masters as Peter Paul Rubens, while George Stubbs became the premier horse painter in 18th-century England. Works by Americans George Catlin and Frederic Remington are also explored, along with exquisite miniatures of natural scenes produced by Persian and Mughal painters from varying periods.

A new edition of a long out-of-print gem, The Horse in Art brings artistic representation of the horse to life - for only $20! See this, and the rest of the HALF PRICE BOOKS here

Any time a person might think that all there is to this mail order thing is finding cool products, securing a wholesale account with the vendor, then putting said cool products up for sale - waiting for the flood of profitable orders to come in... well right here is an example of how that does NOT always go as planned. "The Crossroads" a lovely sculpture of a cowboy expressing his faith in prayer as his faithful horse waits beside. Although it's cast in resin, it's heavy, and finished to look like bronze. Bronzes this size cost hundreds - maybe thousands. So a nice replica for UNDER $100. seemed like something folks might like to buy. We had previous excellent sales history with similar sculptures from this same manufacturer, (though those were farrier themed). So with great confidence I ordered a LOT of these, thinking my Christian customers would surely enjoy presenting them to the hard-to-buy for men on their lists. To say that I was wrong about all that is a massive understatement. I still have most of what I ordered - languishing on the shelves - wishing for a more cherished spot on someone's mantle - to remind them that God is always there to talk to when troubles arise.

A while back, I posted a photo on HoofPrints' Facebook page, musing about the low sales - and got several responses from folks who were horrified about the horse's poor hind leg conformation. Now, I hate posty hocks as much as the next person, I didn't really think that aspect of this sculpture was enough to overshadow all the incredible (and fairly accurate) detail in all the tack and the cowboy's chaps, etc.

So, I've marked it down to HALF PRICE ($42.48 down from $84.95). Everything about this now is a steal. The shipping at this price is just $8.95 - these weigh about 5 pounds and cost quite a bit more than that to ship. Take a moment to give it a second look here.

Coffee & Dog Hair -
I never leave home without them.

This is one of my favorite products that tells it like it is. As the owner (more like wait staff) of a mostly white, short haired Jack Russell Terrier, I can tell you that the "minimal shedding" description assigned to short haired dog breeds is a major myth. This 13 pound dog produces enough loose hair to totally fill the dryer lint trap every time I launder her bedding. She was a major contributor to the creepy hairball I found under my office chair (full story here)

Never mind trying to keep it off your clothes - it sticks like glue and no manner of removal efforts will prevail. If you're going somewhere, and do manage to get the hair all off your clothes - the residual hair that's IN THE CAR will quickly take it's place. It's a losing battle and folks with a sense of humor just admit it and go on with their lives. Order the mug that proclaims you're one of us here.

My efforts to clear the warehouse (and my house- house) of accumulated oddball products continues to gain momentum. I've written about it before. The point continues to be, sometimes the space becomes more valuable than the items that are occupying it. So this is where most places say... "our loss is your gain!" Well, check out this super-cheap stuff and BUY IT. And your gain will be my gain, too. Because I need that space on the shelf.