Thanksgiving is a time for all of us to count our blessings, give thanks for what we have and for what we have learned and encountered throughout the year. In a year filled with the passing of a few family and friends, a father diagnosed with stage IV cancer and a harvest that is still ongoing – already a month late from what it normally is – I give thanks for my family and friends who have all become closer throughout the turmoil. I give thanks for what crops we do have harvested and for the glorious sunshine that is shining on another beautiful morning. Thank you Lord for guiding me through the dark days and showing me the light. Thank you for showing me the beauty of your world and allowing all of us to share it.
Thank you for the healing and inner strength bestowed upon Dad and I pray that his chemo tomorrow goes smoothly and without side effects. I pray for a successful elk hunt for my brother and his safe return. He has once again found healing within the beautiful Ruby Mountains – his sacred place. I pray for safe travels for all on this busy day. I pray for all of my family, friends and strangers alike for a healthy and happy year to follow.
Take a walk outside today and take a deep breath, stand silent and listen to the birds as they chatter from the trees, clear blue skies overhead and the sun bleached grass waving in the breeze. Deer peek cautiously from the depths of standing corn as they nibble upon golden kernels and pheasants squawk as they burst into the air – irridescent feathers flashing in the sun. Open your eyes to the abundant beauty of the world. Look about for the little things that matter and give thanks for each and every one.
(I write a monthly column Into the Sunset which appears in Today’s Horse Magazine http://www.todayshorse.net/ – This is the most recent…Enjoy!)
Life is seldom boring on the Faught farm but I think I have you all beat in the insanity department this month. I heard a scratching noise at my patio door last night and since the cat was outside, I went to let her in. There she was jumping at the door and attacking what I assumed to be moths … a common game for her. I opened the door and she bolted in… normal until I heard the muffled meow and the warning sirens went off.
Like any good birddog (sorry… cat) Fester (my hubby named her Fester which is short for Festering Gob of Hair – he was not a cat lover at the time) promptly spit out the “not quite dead yet” Junko onto my dining room carpet to show me her prize. I did react quickly but not quickly enough because just as I had my hand carefully closing in around the stunned bird, he did a Carpe Diem (seized and moment) and flew off into the living room, leaving a trail of feathers floating through the air behind him. Steve quickly woke up from his evening snooze in his recliner and so did Philly, the pheasant who wished he had flown faster years ago and not be stuck on my wall forever. Junko met Philly and said ‘Whoa, not a good place to be!’ and flew back into the kitchen with the cat and me in hot pursuit….feathers streaming and floating through the air, landing on my table, piano, floor, cupboards….you get my drift!
Junko made his way into the back entry where he met Fester once again and I thought this was the end…blood and gore was imminent in the Faught household. Steve was also in hot pursuit by this time and we quickly shut doors corralling cat and bird into smaller spaces. Junko again escaped the jaws of certain death (and we thought cats had 9 lives?) and Dawn came to the rescue and caught the fine but less feathered friend and quickly released it outside where it is probably freezing from baldness if it didn’t die from a heart attack first!
Fester prowled for quite awhile…if she had been a teenage daughter she would have been stomping about and slamming doors in a true hissy fit. And if I know her, she is planning revenge even as we speak…I may be sleeping with my lights on for the next few nights! Needless to say, I spent the evening vacuuming feathers but I have a feeling I’ll probably be finding strays for quite awhile!
I did find out one thing tonight…..A bird in the hand is much better than on the loose!