Balance

After the trauma of a couple of weeks ago,

I am happy to say that the barn kitties have found a happy balance.

(It may have been little Pissy who upset the balance... we'll never know.)

Presently there are 4 cats that call the barn home,

and one who visits several times a day.

Sissy... who willingly allows me to cuddle her several times daily.

Hissy... who would prefer to be seen and not touched, but who allows me in the same room

with her as long as I don't ask to hold her 

(her reply being a leap into the rafters.)

TomTom... who has been with us for what seems like forever.

I think he is responsible for gifting us an occasional mouse, rat, vole, or bird...

deposited neatly on the rug in front of the barn work bench.

And then there is Moll, the stray who came several years ago...

named Moll Flanders for the colorful life she had obviously led before arriving at the farm.

Her saggy belly was evidence that she had ventured through motherhood...

(and we promptly spayed her.)

She is my gardening cat and is always by my side whenever I work outside the barn.

Interestingly, when the broom comes out she runs to our feet so that we will

run the broom down her spine.

She will stand still, getting a broom massage, for as long as we continue.

Last, but never least is Bobby, our vagabond.

Bobby has been with us for many years.

He spends his winters in our garage with a heat lamp and food and water,

but ventures out in all types of weather to hunt.

In the summer, he can be seen all over the farm and even travels up to 

Dr. Becky's barn on occasion.

If we gather the dogs and set out on a hike,

chances are Bobby will be right there hiking along with us.

Bobby often rides in the gator with us when we head to the barn.

(On my lap.)

(I may have mentioned on one occasion or another that our house cat, Ivy, hates Bobby...

hates with a capital H!)

And so, it seems, as with most of life....

finding a balance is necessary for harmony.

We see it with our roosters, as well.

Too many roosters causes chaos!

Isn't life like that, though?

It seems that the secret to life is to maintain balance...

between work and play...

in what we eat...

in how we live.

The earth craves this... and it seems to me that when things are out of balance,

the earth does what it must to restore it.

I've mentioned lately that every day brings a new surprise.

Yesterday's was this...

the season's first asparagus shoot.

I promptly picked it and ate it... raw... delicious!

It's just a little taste of what is to come.

Our rhubarb patch has grown like crazy.

Peas and radishes are growing more each day.

Last year's red raspberry canes have multiplied and are covered in leaves.

It won't be long until berries start to emerge.

And lastly, I finished a project that I have been working on this week.

I made this drop-shoulder, boxy linen top and decided it needed some pocket detail.

(It's the Wiksten Top and is available on line... it's a very easy top to sew.)

Tiny, hand-embroidered flowers were perfect, I think.

And so we come to another weekend.

On Saturday we are attending the first of our favorite local arts festivals of the season.

And Sunday we are going to a lecture by our local historical society about the native

peoples who were indigenous to our area.

It should be an interesting weekend.