mother natures way of gift giving

i had a slight meltdown. perhaps i had been indoors too long, anything over two hours has me loopy or perhaps it is the holidays and the expectation that come with it. see i have been very lucky this year for every bad moment life has given me an overflowing amount of goodness. my husband has been my knight and shining armor and has allowed me to take a very long leave from the real world, my parents in particularly my mother has given me never ending support. some cherished friends have sent me packages, when the ones headed there way are still on the table. my dogs still cuddle with me even though i spend a lot time with the horses. i have been feeling like i have not given back my share and with holidays just a very short time away i realize that what i would like to give would not be possible, not enough compared to what i have been given. so i had a meltdown( tears, anxiety,exchanged words with myself like nadia you are a looser and such).

then i realized that i had not been outside so i grabbed my always faithful camera and went for a walk. it was very mild not winter at all and all traces of snow had disappeared, i visited mike who i startled, then found the cows deep in the forest mooing at me( i love it). then i realized that once again someone was giving me something i would never be able to repay, in fact she was over flowing my cup, she was mother nature. within seconds i was filling up with happiness, gratitude and marvel. she is amazing.

meet me on the hill at sunset

I love walking into the pasture at sunset. what makes my heart
happy is having mike come and meet me halfway. he comes right to me
smells my hat, then my cheek the he nudges me. if i have my camera he must smell it, drool on it but somehow i think he likes it.

yesterday as i my husband walked in the door i proclaimed i am in love with mike! because K. does not spend the day with horses on the brain he said "mike who" with this terrified look on his face!
mike the horse of course, i think he is just perfect!

*dear photographers, do you notice the black shadow to the right of my lens that is the lens that fell and broke(my favorite) have you ever had this problem is it fixable?)

sunday bliss

It is a lovely sunday, it even warmed up! our plan is to take the dogs and tolstoy for a walk and gather some greens to decorate around the house. here are some more pictures from what was one of the most beautiful visual fog drenched days . i feel so very lucky, i love my husband, the animals( i want to call them kids but i won't:)) the farm, the people (you) that bring sunshine to my life on a daily basis. i hope you have a wonderful sunday.

maman

my dearest mom,

today it is your birthday. how i wish you where here at the farm having toast, jam and espresso at the kitchen table with me. words are swirling in my head as i try to find the right ones to express my gratitude for all that you have done for me through out my life. you make my life richer in every way, you help me see through the dark, shade my eyes from to much sun, you help me move forward when i am stuck and help me slow down when i move to fast. most of all you teach me how to love and to be loved. i love you mom. happy birthday and i can not wait to have you home for the holidays.!

* i thought you might like these pictures, it was a magical moment.

the quietness of a snow filled morning

good morning, it is snowing, the wind is blowing and with it is brings all the noise of winter. I put on snow pants, a jacket, hat, gloves and a scarf carried my camera in plastic bag and went to the barn. there i found the quietness that comes with a snow filled morning. clarabelle and mike made into the barn, tears fell down my cheeks i waited for this. i fed them, then headed tosee tolstoy, do you see him(second photograph) he is staring out the window, he is so beautiful my heart aches. then i fed pepper, i would surely loose her in this snow( she is white like sophie) after that i walked down to see isabelle, zoe and cloe the new cows they are huddled together, so i went and got them hay threw it over only to see the wind take it and the three cows run after it, oops so i head back into the barn for more hay with a smile on my face this is a good morning.

...and then there was three more

sunday morning was not all about snow, it was also about the arrival of three new cows. they are bred and will be expecting in february. they are very different than clarabelle who is a jersey cow, they are herefords. they were placed in a separate pasture temporarily and clarabelle has been talking to them all day. it is amazing how the farm changes with the arrival of every new animal. i took a deep breath as i took it all in, the trees, the sun resting on isabella's face( one of the hereford) and the responsibility.

we all love the snow!

Gosh it is bright, beautiful and just a tad cold but we are loving it. as you know i love winter specialy snow covered days so i must apologize before hand it will be hard for me to photograph anything else:)!

snow morning

It snowed last night while my fair lady played on the tele. this mornings walk was productive after being at bay for a long while clarabelle and mike came to the barn( well very close). It is breath taking here, more on that in a little while. we have come in to warm our feet and have our breakfast K's butter croissants are in the oven as well as my chocolatines, his coffee is brewing and my mocha is almost done!( you can see i have a slight chocolate addiction!)

I can not wait to share winter at the farm with you.

* a few quick and blurry shots of this morning

the knocking wind and color

in the very early morning the most incredible strong wind and rain had our farm surrounded. i love a good storm but with animals somewhere deep into the pasture, i worry. it is all okay now a few blown doors and scattered things that is all. the sun is bright and white clouds move quickly and the wind well he is still trying to come in.

I have been gathering things to decorate the house for the holidays but before i do so somethings must be put away, i found myself visiting upstairs and decided to snap a few shots of some color.

*it is a beautiful day, warm i mean take your sweater off warm, run and get the sunscreen warm! more about it tomorrow- i am actually going to cut the grass( just the very long new grass). i think my cheeks are already red yikes!!

warm fingers

i spend most of the day outside, sometimes it is because the old farm house has drafts and my fingers get cold but most of the time it is because i know how lucky this prolonged fall weather is. i can't get enough of the pasture, the stone walls the fallen pine cones. today i stayed extra long, yes, my fingers were cold and i could no longer stay in. once outside i found the sun, i followed it till it warmed me up, till i pulled my gloves off and even my hat and could easily click the shutter of my camera. then i chased the sun as it rested on seed pods, rusted leaves on delicate branches, wheat and even on tolstoy's nose.

sometimes looking at it through a window is not enough,so you must step outside even for a minute and let it warm you..but around here it is never for just a minute

*music is a gift from sara pride and prejudicethanks sara