Our Holiday Guests

 As I stand, looking out of our windows, at the winter sun setting in the southwest sky, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude and wonder.  

Our small haven is not only a home for our domestic animal, but it is a home to a myriad of wild ones as well.  It is these souls to whom the land actually belongs.  Their progeny will continue to inhabit this land long after we are gone.  We are honored to share this space with them and to be a part of the intricate web of life.

During our time, living here on the edge of the woods, we have taken great care to ensure these wild creatures' safety and well-being by minimizing our impact on their environment.  Nature has a delicate balance - one that is too easily disturbed if we are not careful.

It's truly amazing to think about all of the wild creatures that this acreage supports... plants, fungi, insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals - from tiny to huge.  Yes, these woods are home to the tiniest voles, mice, and chipmunks, as well as large black bears, white tail deer, and everything in between!

Thanks to our trail camera, we get to observe some of the animals that are visible only after the sun sets...

holiday guests, such as foxes

and coyotes.

Leaving a camera in one place for a period of time yields photographs we would not normally be able to take.

I never travel around the farm without a camera on me, and I am learning the value of always taking my good camera along with me in the car.  Yesterday, we ran a few things to our local thrift store, and happened to see a pair of bald eagles on our way home.  They were peacefully perched on the top branches of a dead tree.  Did I have my camera along?  Of course not.  Well, now, how are you ever going to get a good photo of a bald eagle if you don't always carry your good camera, Bev?  

Luckily, as soon as we reached the house, I grabbed my camera and hopped back in the car and drove a mile to where I had seen the eagles.

I was happy to see they had not yet moved as I zoomed in close with my camera.

Yesterday was the perfect day after Christmas... cloudy, grey, and peaceful...

The perfect day to spend in front of a fire working on the current knitting project 

with a heartwarming cup of tea and whipped cream, of course!

I am not much different than our barn kitties on days like this!

What a luxury it is to sit by a warm fire!

In case you wondered, I am still baking sourdough bread on a weekly basis.  I baked these four loaves to take to Christmas dinner with the littles.

This morning, I will bake another two loaves, as the Littles are coming to spend a little time here on the farm today and tomorrow.  This house has been a little too quiet over the holidays, and that's about to change!