THE QUALITY OF LIGHT

There is a quality of light on these late fall afternoons that is like no other. It slants in from the river and casts a golden glow on everything it touches. The last fall leaves are lit from within. Furry winter coats and whiskered muzzles wear a halo of light. I am cherishing the magic in these waning days and remembering them with my camera.

Fitz.

Mathilda

Abby.

A little love note from Mother Nature.

I am at home with my camera, instead of finishing my errands in town, because my 89 year old father called, while I was shopping. "I thought I might drive up your way," he said. "I want to bring your Christmas present, it won't work until after dark." Having seen those "Star Shower" Christmas lights on TV, he bought a set for himself and two for me. Mike could have picked them up next week, but he was excited. And he is lonely, so he drove up and I came home and gathered pine cones and took pictures, while I waited for him to arrive.
Then we plugged in the lights and waited for the magic.

I am so grateful that my dad has found the strength to stay positive after the loss of my mother, to find joy in small things, to reach out when he is feeling lonely, and to focus on the light.
Wishing you golden fall days wherever you are...XO.

SPRING WEEKEND

Last week, I took a little walk in our woods, looking for signs of spring. Of course there were cats and of course, there was disagreement over who got to walk between Mama's feet, hence the ears on Mathilda.

After last winter, I am hungry for every little bit of green.

As is Abby.

Over the weekend, we took a road trip to PA, to help our girl move into her first house. Wallpaper was scraped, a fence was built, and the world's ugliest paneling was pulled from the walls. Seriously, the 70's was not our finest decorating hour. 
On the way home we stopped to take photos of this beautiful old farm. Always makes me sad to see a wonderful barn in ruins. This one was obviously brought down by fire.

The house must have been lovely in its day, but vandals have done their dirty work. Still, it has "po" and it is for sale. I don't think it's beyond repair, but then I rarely do. I'm a rehab optimist.

A little paint, a few throw pillows?

Got my first tick of the season, tramping through the weeds to take these pics. You're welcome.
Arrived home to find that spring had exploded in our absence. I have the puffy eyes to prove it.

One more trip coming up this weekend. Heading to Charleston, which Mike thinks I will love, so I expect to have loads of pics for you. Then I am going to hunker down and do some long overdue blog refurbishment to celebrate my impending 500,000 views milestone.
Happy spring, blog friends. Hope you're not too sneezy. XO.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

HAPPY SNOWY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Happy St. Patrick's Day blog friends!! 

May joy and  peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now
And bless you evermore.

I was sure spring was upon us...I saw daffodils last week. I was wrong. Today was yet another in a long line of snow days, which I am sure will make us appreciate spring all the more when it finally does arrive. I'm not complaining really, Mike worked from home, a dear friend from Colorado came and spent the afternoon. We had a good catch-up over some guacamole, and played with the dogs, I had a nice walk in the snowy woods. With the cats. Not a bad day. In the end.

Not sure why Kitty felt compelled to join us. She doesn't do cold/wet, but Fitz (ginger cat), is our self-appointed body-guard. He wouldn't think of letting us go into the woods alone.

I think it's his way of saying, "Thank you for taking me in, even though I showed up uninvited."
Hope you're having a happy St. Patrick's Day, even if it's cold and snowy, and you don't have a big ginger cat to watch over you. I'm off to bed early, having sailed through winter relatively unscathed, I feel a whopping head cold coming on. I think that calls for a hot toddy, don't you?

CAT TALES

While I frequently talk about horse and dog antics here, I don't believe I've told you much about the cats. A cat is an important player on any property with a barn. We brought our Mathilda (aka Kitty) home as a teeny kitten as soon as we broke ground on the barn. Six and one half years later she is a feline force. Her skills extend far beyond keeping the rodents and birds at bay. And before you get your feathers ruffled, you should know that I love birds as much as the next person, just not inside my barn. They drop poop and feathers all over the tack and just generally wreak havoc.
Anyway, as to skills, last weekend my daughter was working with Abby and giving me a lesson in long lining, which she picked up during her summers at the ranch. Kitty watched for a bit, then decided she'd better help. Surprising, since she generally keeps a safe distance from the horses when they're turned out.

Watching and learning.

Kelly and Abby

Getting closer.

I got this!

Thumbs would be helpful. 

Making her move.

Outta there!

In the end, she decided this was an activity for humans after all, and took off, back to her grassy hiding place.
This morning, she played photographer's assistant, when I popped outside between rain clouds to look for new blooms. As I lay on the sidewalk, trying to get a ground level shot of the dianthus border, she helped by repeatedly banging her head against my lens. Skills!
I did spy the first rose of the season.

This is not the shot of the dianthus that I was going for...

But my helper persisted until Fitz, the cat we share with the barn down the road, came out to distract her.

She also gardens. 

Gotta run and finish the mowing before dinner, and wipe the nose prints off my lens. Mowing, that would be a really useful skill in a barn cat. I'm sure she's capable. If only her little feet could reach the pedals! XO.