When The Cat's Away...

To some, a rainy Autumn weekend might mean boredom.

To me?

Pure bliss!

Even though we try to live a slow and purposeful life, 

there are days that sweep us away in a flurry of activity.

And while social events and family fun is always wonderful,

there are times when a good rainy weekend at home with nothing on the calendar

is heavenly.

Life on the farm has taught us how important it is to take advantage of the gifts

of every type of day.

It has taught us the importance of seasons,

of sun and rain,

of ebb and flow,

of work and rest,

of fellowship and solitude.

For, without one, it's hard to appreciate the other.

The cat was away this weekend.

Hubbs headed north to visit with his parents,

while I stayed home and tended to the farm.

While the cat was away, this mousie did play!

Being alone has a way of opening one up to all that is around.

The sights, the sounds, the smells.

Solitude and silence make us more aware of that which is outside of ourselves,

if we quiet our brains, as well.

Think less... and experience more.

It rained a bit this weekend, as predicted.

Luckily, though, there seemed to be breaks in the rain at the times that I went outside for animal chores.

I love these times.

I love quietly working around my animals as they go about their

daily business.

Occasionally, they stop what they are doing to interact with me.

A nuzzle, a nibble, a sniff, a lick...

just their way of saying "I see you."

We are bonded... sometimes by food...

but, bonded, nonetheless.

They depend upon me,

and I am committed to doing the best I can for them.

And in return...

a nuzzle, a nibble, a sniff, a lick.

And, it's totally worth the hours of work.

I must confess, I was a bit of a wild one this weekend.

I finished knitting my witchy hat and put it in the washer to felt.

I cut out, and sewed and finished this dress starting early afternoon

and finishing... all in one day.

I stayed up very late (completely out of character),

working like a woman, possessed!

By midnight, I had nothing left to do but hem the dress, 

(which was actually 2 dresses together... reversible)

at which point I realized that I had accidentally sewn the front pockets onto the buttocks.

Rather than start a whole new style trend, I opted to rip out the seams

and sew the pockets on the front, where they would be a bit more useful.

One o'clock in the morning came quickly and finally I finished and went to bed.

Needless to say, it was a very short night,

because the animals don't care if one sleeps or not.

When the sun tickles the horizon,

IT'S BREAKFAST TIME!!