There's nothing like the peace and calm of a grey winter day.
Naked branches stand still and silent against the sky as a thick blanket of clouds blocks the low, winter sun. Around us it seems the world sleeps.
The "drip, drip, drip" as snow melts from the roof and runs off the tips of long, dangling icicles tells us that the snowy blanket covering our land is temporary.... soon to be replaced by channels of running water as they make their way downward to the creek.
The snow has diminished enough that the horses paw through the cold to reach the sparse grass beneath.
We give them free access to the pasture knowing that they cannot eat themselves into an early grave, but instead rely upon the rations of hay they are given three times daily.
They are keenly aware of our presence at all times... in the off-chance that it just might be one of those feeding times.
I love this time of year and all that it gifts us. Winter's gifts are less tangible than those of other seasons, but no less worthy of gratitude. We are given the gift of time - time to rest, to recharge, to create, to dream - all things that we lack when we are flying by the seat of our pants through the busier seasons.
In the winter, just sitting by the window watching the birds,
that visit our ever-full bird feeders,
brings us a great deal of pleasure.
There's never a shortage of smile-worthy squirrel antics, as well.
But, my favorite part of these days is enjoying the cozy spaces in my home. Candles and fairy lights replace the glow of sunlight and chase away the darkness.
The warmth of these lights keeps my spirits bright as well.
The kitchen is the heart of our home,
and so, I try to make it as cozy and homey as possible. It's easy at this time of year... with all of the Christmas decorations.
The painting on the wall was done by a local artist of one of the many old covered bridges in the area in which we live.
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Kacy, to answer your question as to whether there is a way that we could first find out if there has been any metastasis before removing Moonie's eye:
Good question. Staging of cancer before excision of the primary tumor is standard for treatment in humans. Moonie’s situation is a bit different. The ocular squamous cell carcinoma that he has tends to spread first to the rest of the eye before spreading to adjacent bone, then finally metastasizing or spreading throughout the body. Dr. Becky also told us that most times, metastasis is hard to detect until it is much further along. When it spreads to the rest of the eye, it causes extreme discomfort, then loss of vision and eventually, destruction of the eye. Moonie’s tumor hasn’t invaded the surrounding eye yet. However, he does seem to be in rather significant discomfort in his eye based upon his frequent blinking and new irritability. Since the two surgeries and chemotherapy have not eliminated the tumor, and it seems to be causing discomfort, removing the eye seems like the next best step. Since we caught the tumor early, it is unlikely to have spread elsewhere in his body. We would rather wait and see—ensuring that he has the highest quality of life—rather than putting him through the work up for metastasis (anesthesia for MRIs or CT scans) and then chemotherapy.
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Mary