Heartbroke

Remember this cute little guy from back in Easter of 2007?

Today, my heart is broken because I lost him to a tragic accident.
Hercules was not just a rabbit that sat in a cage all day, eating and napping. He was a joy that waited to greet me every morning. He had developed a personality, and did different things that made me laugh....and he knew who I was out of anyone that came into the room. The apartment/shed had become his domain. After being fed in the morning hours, I would open his cage door and let him have free roam inside the coolness of the shed until late afternoon..... giving him a chance to explore and exercise. He was curious and loved to nibble everything, so I took great steps in rabbit proofing everything in the room................I thought. I often go out to check on him....to bring him treats or to roll his ball to him. I went out to check on him today, and could not find him anywhere. After a worried few minutes went by, I moved my son's punching bag that was lying on the floor and to my heartbreak, found Hercules inside, .....soft, still warm,......but dead. He had crawled inside of the bag and couldn't get out, and suffocated. And now I am playing the vicious mind game of "if I had only gone to check on him earlier"......."he would have still been alive to save"....."why did I not put the bag out of harm's way?".......
If he had died a natural death of a rabbit's old age, I know I would still be heartbroken....but to know that he was trapped and I was not there for him.....just is so hard for me to overcome. Every year I have lost so many pets to death.....either from predators, illness, or accident. Every year, although I know it will happen again......it doesn't get any easier. I know I will be back next week, posting about all the things I post about......but these kind of things just leave me feeling drained, and I hesitate in posting about them......but this is all part of life.....especially the farm life I am trying to carve out in this world. Sometimes the sun falls down hard on my prairie farm......I know soon it will shine brightly again.

Vintage Bottles

On my kitchen windowsill....

not so very high,

sits a collection of vintage bottles.....
A reminder of times gone by.
Kathleen

Now.....do you place bottles or something else on your windowsill?? Do you wonder what might have been in them or who owned them? I would love to hear!

Farewell, Dear Summer

The wind has whispered it's cool announcement that it is time for you to go...

You have stormed across my life
in such a beautiful way....


I have enjoyed your fields of flowers, filled with buzzing bees, and I have felt your welcoming warmth upon my face.

You have given me much inspiration.

You have introduced me to some of the sweetest creatures......

as well as some of the most curious...

You have helped give me the Earth's sweet bounty....

and now the flowers are also saying....

"It's time to go".

As I close the door to your visit, I will look back on the warm memories you have given through your short stay. I know it won't be long until I look out the window and see you waiting outside with a bouquet of flowers. Summer, I will miss you! .........

Happiness Is........

Happiness for me is........

pumpkins coming to harvest and fall colors in flowers,
the everyday "busyness" of the hen house....

a nest full of eggs,

the colorful blooms in the pea patch,

60 baby goldfish found in the pond,

the contentment a cool porch brings in the late afternoon.

Now, what is your happiness?? I would love to hear!

Walk With Me!

We have gotten rain every day for this past week!The good kind of rain.....rain that falls steady and then tapers off into a slight drizzle, letting the hard packed earth sink in the moisture. The nights are in the chilly 50's,

the days are in the invigorating 60's. Every day has been a perfect day for a long walk in solitude and peace.
So......put on your shoes.....Sophie is ready....come walk with me! Even though fall is quietly hanging around in the outside grounds......

I'll take you to the path where the flowers are still vibrant and the bees are busy buzzing around....

and where the butterflies dart in and around the blossoms.

You will get the chance to see the tumbleweed while it is still green.....with all of it's kin lining up along the road....ready to start their tumble in the winter.

You will get to see the ranch lands, so full of welcoming flowers,

that you will want to climb over that barbed wire fence just to gather a handful!

You can see the many different ground covers
and look out to see how many different hues of green there actually are.

We can stop by the creeks and ponds and try to spot a bull frog or two.

The alluring cactus will catch your eye as it clings to the barbed wire fence post....but we wont get too close...

Sophie always knows when it's time to head home...once we get there, you can come sit in the kitchen a spell..... we can share stories over a slice of cake and cup of coffee!

A Garden Poem

my morning glory greenhouse fence

Kind hearts are the gardens,

Kind thoughts are the roots,

Kind words are the flowers,
Kind deeds are the fruits.
Take care of your garden
And keep out the weeds,
Fill it with sunshine
Kind words and kind deeds.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Fall Air and Fall Color

The fall air is making the late afternoons and early mornings wonderfully cool.

With the daylight going so much earlier, I have been spending my late afternoons sitting out and enjoying the colorful autumn sky as I listen to the mixture of calls from the coyote and cattle that surround me.

The grain field next to us has already dressed itself in amber and green.

Even the critters are matching the fall coloring scheme.

The barnyard gang is dropping their feathers and getting their new fall plumage ready.

The young chicks in the group are practicing their egg laying skills......these little eggs look like jelly beans laying in the hen house nests.......just a little more time......

All of the flowers are showing off their fall colors as well.

The Bougainvillea by the back door is displaying it brilliant pink and orange crepe paper like petals. I just love this plant!

The zinnia garden is in full bloom....

even it boasts it's fall colored blossoms.

The candle gives off a warm autumn glow as I burn the midnight oil on my stitching...

and this......Mountain Dew....no...it's not something I drink....however, it is something I buy occasionally for a wonderful fall recipe. To find out come visit my country cooking blog http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com.

Now are any of you making special fall treats like pop corn balls, caramel apples.....? Have you pulled out your sweater for a late afternoon outside? I would love to hear!