Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving

 

Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more:

Peace in the hearts of all men living,

peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving.

Joseph Auslander

Just one minute of forgetfulness and taking for granted that everything

and everyone I hold dear, 

is going to forever be  in a "happy" little corner of my world......... 

really stings when a cold slap by the hand of 

the twists and turns of life 

change everything in a heartbeat.

The forgetfulness part?.........is all my fault. 

In taking care of my chickens in 

the late afternoon......I forgot to put the latch onto my chicken house door.

How could I have forgotten???  I keep asking this question over and over.

Because of my "forgetfulness", 

my two sweet tiny roosters and 3 of my tiny little hens

were all killed in the night by raccoons, who found their way into the pen

and then were able to open the unlatched door. 

There will be no more "eggs in my pocket" from my chickens.

 I took my 3 remaining hens to a friend who

has chickens.  These poor 3 remaining hens were in total shock...from the attack

and now that they are okay, it is time for them to be among

other happy chickens. 

I have kept chickens for 17 years........and year after year

so many things have happened.  Coyote attacks, stray dog attacks, bobcat visits,  rattlesnake bites,

and now raccoon invasions.  I am weary of heartbreak for these 

creatures that give such joy to my day, and such pain

when they leave.  I need a break.  And I am not sure if 

I will ever get more chickens later. 

and now.............the part about taking for granted that those you 

hold dear will always be in "my happy corner of the world"

Without sharing personal and private details, 

a family crisis sprung upon us and I found myself, in shock, worry, and unbelief,

as I sat all night in an ICU ward and visited throughout a week not completely sure of the outcome.

All is well now, and what could have turned out to be a tragedy,

has turned out with good news and many thankful hearts for prayers answered. 

But with this happening, it makes me more aware

 that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow, and none of us is immune to pain or grief. 

The ones we hold dear can leave us, without so much of even a goodbye.

Life is extremely fragile in beast and man.

Life can call death upon us without a warning.

With Thanksgiving just a few days ahead,

we, this year, will have much to be thankful for.

Hold tight to those you love, through action and kind words........

always.  

Wishing you all a very blessed and happy Thanksgiving.  

The days of October had brought a rushed "busyness" to the days

 before the chill of November set in.  Yet, there were many slow down

and enjoy days as well.

The last of the wild flowers bloomed brilliantly

as well as the remaining garden flowers. 

Bees of every kind busily collected the offering of each available flower

The Monarch butterflies made their annual migrating trip,

stopping to rest for a few days before heading on.

The many migrating birds came to visit as well.

This year we had a group of Blue Jays..........

something we have never had visit here before.

Their loud squawk was so different than the usual 

song bird in our area. 

We have also had an abundance of deer coming into 

the yard in the late afternoon to eat the remaining bird feed 

left on the ground. I quietly followed this buck in the 

woods for about 40 minutes.  He knew I was following, 

yet he slowly walked, stopped to nibble grass, and look back 

at me, allowing me to take his photo.  

We often surprise each other when we round the corner of the 

house,

yet this one, was not frightened of me, and allowed 

me to get very close to take his photo.

I told all of my friends that I "shot" and 8 point buck..........

"with my camera" .........only

ha ha

October left us close on it's last days with a taste 

of the cold that is to come.  First came the ice storm,

then the soft, falling snow.

The woods always seem so magical and peaceful in a blanket of snow.

I stepped out into the early morning to capture a beautiful 

sunrise......and after looking over the photos on the computer

I was surprised to see an angel in the clouds. 

Do you see her?  Look to the left of the top of the electric 

pole. I see flowing hair, a head, neck and flowing gown

and wings. 

Here is a clearer shot.  My husband also noticed a face looking 

down.....do you see that as well?

I believe in angels............do you?

The last of the zinnia and bumblebee

 

Come, pensive Autumn, with thy clouds, and storms,

And falling leaves, and pastures lost to flowers;

A luscious charm hangs on thy faded forms,

More sweet than Summer in her loveliest hours...

John Clare, "To Autumn," The Village Minstrel, and Other Poems, 1821

September has started out

 just the way I love for days to be.  There have been cooler, shady days full of clouds,

slight breezes,

and occasional rain showers.

I am so glad for Autumn to be here.  

The sunsets have been the most unusual

and breathtakingly beautiful.

and the sunrise has been just as spectacular.

With the day being cooler, my walks have been longer and slower.

Sophie and I walked along the back field and I picked a handful

of bright sunflowers.  They were full of bugs and bees, 

and a group of tiny bees followed us half way home, not

wanting to give up the bouquet in my hand.

I found myself in "pumpkin heaven" the other day. 

A store had it's entire front displayed in beautiful pumpkins of 

every shape and color. How can I choose just one??

I picked out a couple of the usual round orange and fairy tale pumpkins, 

but this lovely one  looked as if it was wrapped in lace, 

so it came home with me as well.

They make the small back porch more cheerful and welcoming.

It has also been a fun time for friends to gather 

around a happy table for treats and a time to catch 

up on each other's lives.

I savor the slow down days like this.

Gladys Taber said it right when she wrote

  "As summer wanes, we cherish every mild dreamy day."

I hope this finds you enjoying such days! 

 

 

Just for the moment, a thought, to ponder

 

The early morning sun sends a golden hue through the lace curtains of the windows and July has melted into August.

The days are still filled with intense heat, but there is a welcoming coolness in the early morning hours.

  After I have tended to my small batch of chickens and have fed the pets, I go back out to a favorite outside chair and listen to the songs of the wild birds,  always so busy at such and early time. 

During the hottest part of the day,  many of the wild birds have started staying in the shade of the large front porch.  I leave water trays sitting in many areas to offer a little relief to these winged visitors. 

We , as well as Taboo, enjoy watching them. 

The morning glories hold true to their name and bloom in colors of soft blue, white, and dark purple.

As sooon as the sun starts to spread it's warmth, they quickly close up their petals for the day

It is the same for the moss rose ( portulaca), a flower I have really enjoyed for it's delicate flowers and lovely colors.

My other favorite is the lantana.  It is always a favorite place for butterflies and it always reminds me of my grandparents home of long ago and the large lantana bushes they had in the front of their porch.

There is a favorite spot I like to sit , underneath the canopy of the mesquite trees, where the shade stays longer and a gentle breeze blows through. As I sit in the stillness, movement catches my eye

I go and take a look to  discover a fairly large bull snake, making it's way across the warming ground .  It stops long enough for me to take photos, but soon gets weary and frustrated when my husband joins in the observation

It coils  up and breathes a long menacing hiss to warn us to leave it be

The past few days a humming bird has flown right up in front of me.... stopping, hoovering. Once when I was walking up the back walk way, and then again while I was watering my back corner garden.  

I am sure the feeder by the walk way or perhaps the water from the hose is why it flew so close,  I however, like to think it is as curious about me as I am of it and it stopped by to say hello.  

Soon it will be time to put the feeders away to encourage these little winged creatures to leave before winter comes

Amongst the constant news flow of uncertainty and turmoil...........happy news has come to our family circle.

Our new great niece, a small tiny bundle , has arrived.  Her name is Tobie Faith.

She has made our  Taylee a big sister and I hope they will alway be close as most sisters are. 

A new baby born is always the happiest of news I think.

Once again, a family of owls have hatched out in the old weathered well house out back.  A constant reminder that we have got to get the hole in the roof fixed to start keeping out the constant flow of wild critters. 

It never fails that a young owl always falls from the rafters and can't quite get back up to the nest.  With gloves 

I gently pick up the scared fluff of down and pen feathers and up the ladder we go.  I gently scoot the baby up toward the 

nest.....and I hear the warning hiss of it's mother..........sounding much like a 10 foot dragon instead of a bird of only feathers and bone.  

I have been asked whether the mother takes the baby back........yes, .......they always have in my experiences.  I always use gloves and try to not handle the baby much.  

In just a few weeks, we were outside, star gazing, and we heard screeching noises out past the old well house. 

Our flash lights shone on 4 owls , all sitting in a row on the corral fence.  I suppose they were taking their flying and food catching lesson for the night.   

Now the well house is once again vacant.  And we need to move fast and make repairs to keep another brood from moving in.

No matter how wonderful it is to see wildlife, they are better to find a more natural home than one's well house.

With the  days being as hot and long as they have been , I have found myself content to sit in my sewing space and stitch the hours away on my latest project.  I finally finished this piece......you can see more and read more about it on my embroidery blog at this link

Oriental Tea Garden

Also, I keep everyone happy with the usual home cooked meals and baked treats. 

If you would like a great crispy cookie to go along with your iced tea on the  porch.....stop by my cooking blog for this

easy and wonderful cookie recipe at this link

My Cousin June's Sugar Cookies

Another sunset is about to end this month......and soon September will come along with my favorite season of all......

fall.

I hope this finds you with pleasant days and relaxing summer afternoons.