Good Monday to You!

We have reached the "grey days" time of year, here on the farm. 

 Winter is just around the corner and it feels tangible now.  There are no leaves left on the trees, and the migrating birds have all passed by on their travels to warmer climes.

With the exception of green grass, the local color palette has drifted off into the monochromatic grey and brown scales.  And though I love the brilliance of summer's color, I enjoy the peaceful solitude of winter's muted shades. 

 The dramatic sunrises of this time of year offer an almost daily reminder that grey is just a temporary state of affairs.

We had a lovely weekend that started with the treat of spending a couple days with our Littles.  Mackenzie and Easton came to the farm for an overnight visit and spent Friday here with us. 

 Our day was filled from sun-up to sun-down with tiny voices delighting us with their descriptions of how they see the world.  There is nothing more genuine or precious than the thoughts and opinions of these little people.  

The remainder of our weekend was spent here on the farm (of course, because... in the middle of this pandemic... there is no place we need or want to go!)

I had noticed over the past week or so that Moonbeam had a runny eye.  I decided to watch it for a few days, but it did not clear up.  So, this weekend I mentioned it to Dr. Becky and she came to examine it.

Sadly, it seems that our wonderful Moonie has cancer.  He has a squamous cell carcinoma of his eye.  Dr. Becky is going to sedate him this afternoon and see if it is something that she might be able to remove (she is a board-certified equine surgeon).  If it is on his cornea, though, he will have to go to an equine hospital to be treated by an equine ophthalmologist. (who even knew there was such a thing?)

(The white area next to his iris is the tumor.)

So, once again, one of my critters is on the worry list.  Moonie is the best horse, ever... so sweet and gentle.  I am praying that this situation is just a quick speed bump for him.

 I fear, with all of our critters aging now, that this is just the beginning.  With this thought, I am preparing myself for the inevitabilities that lie ahead.  After all, life is a terminal disease.  And I don't say that to sound morose.  It is just the fact of life.  When we hide from that truth, we forget to live!  It's so important to approach each day as if it could be the last and enjoy every single moment.

In case you were wondering how Griz is doing... he is doing fine. He  He still has a hole his his left cheek, but it is clean and he is quite comfortable.   With time, it will heal just fine.  I know that he is feeling well again, because, he is back to being our shadow again - hitching rides along as we do the chores.

Now, on a very happy note.  Our Carolina Wren finally hatched!!

Wren Marie was born Saturday evening... weighing 8 pounds 10 ounces.

Much love and congratulations to Ryan and Bekah... now the adventure begins!

I made a little video yesterday (a talkie) ... a visit to my sewing room, if you are interested.

If the video does not show up above, you can view it here on YouTube.

Just a thought for today:

This pandemic has not taught me anything that I didn't already know, but it has cemented some of my personal philosophies.  Perhaps the most prominent of these is:

"Take nothing for granted."  

How quickly life can turn on a dime.  Our health, our relationships, our livelihoods, our personal economic stability - our life - always teeters on the precipice of disaster.  When one approaches life with that in mind, the importance of gratitude is easily understood.  Gratitude grounds us.  It makes us notice all of the abundance in our lives.  Even when we find ourselves in despair... we can pull ourselves out with the lifeline of gratitude.

With Thanksgiving just days away, most of us will be mindful of that for which we are thankful.  Though, granted, this Thanksgiving will not look like any other for most of us, it is imperative that we face the day with a heart full of gratitude.

Hubbs and I will not be able to spend the holiday with any of our beloved family members or friends as we are following CDC guidelines in the hopes that it helps to safeguard ourselves and those that we love.  In spite of that, our hearts are full.

As humans, we are born into the natural world and subject to the laws of nature.  By nature, we, humans, are not entitled to anything.  We are not entitled to happiness, or health, or wealth.  But rather, we are responsible for it.  We are responsible for making our lives and the lives of those around us... our fellow mankind... full and blessed.  Perhaps if we started looking at life from the perspective of "what do I have to give?" instead of "what do I want?".... we would find ourselves filled with gratitude.

Just a thought....

Now, have a great day.  Sending you hugs from the farm!