It is a fine Autumn afternoon… I put on my favorite walking shoes… they are old and over-worn… but sliding them on my feet is like reuniting with a great friend…
I call the dog and off we go…
Our path is a pebbly dirt road… the air is crisp and clean yet remains warm enough for a simple soft sweater… the dog is happy to be my companion… tail wagging as we walk along.
On the right the forest is thick and lush… the colors are spread over the hillside like one of grandmother’s patchwork quilts over her antique brass bed… to the left rolling pasture and farmland.
The horses and cows… friends in the same field… though the horses seem much more playful running and frolicking with their young… the young horses seem a bit awkward with their very long legs and disproportionate bodies… in time they will grow into them… I think to myself with a smile.
The cows are always so mellow… happy to spend their days quietly contemplating while chewing…
A tractor finishing the days work comes to a distant halt.
I notice the planted fields… I wonder… what is this golden crop??? It bends with the breeze and changes color with the angle of the sun…
At this very moment my senses are rich with delight… my eyes are blessed with visions of wholesome natural, beauty… my ears hear nothing but the sound of a gentle wind through the brilliant fall leaves, speckled with an occasional whinny from my equine friends… and the rustling curiosity of my canine companion… the scent of pure, clean, crisp, air fills my nostrils and feeds my lungs… the feel of comfortable shoes on my feet… and a warm soft sweater make me completely content.
After a fair journey’s distance… the sun begins to sink in the sky and it is time to turn and walk back…
The sky boasts shades of brilliant red and pinks… the clouds are mixed feathery hues of white…
An occasional cricket begins to call out… a bullfrog bellows from the side of the field pond…
A woolly-bear caterpillar is working his way across my path…
As I come around the last bend… I am filled with content… it was a most wonderful journey.
The modest cottage that is now in full sight is warm and welcoming.
The front yard garden is beautiful… filled with herbs…vegetables… and flowers… at all stages of development… in pots, raised beds, window boxes… and randomly scattered
An old picket fence surrounds the garden as if enveloped in a hug…
Small hobby farm structures are neatly kept to the right of the cottage… the laying hens are finishing up with today’s cage-less free-ranging and automatically know when it is time to return to the hen house prior to nightfall… it always amazes me that they intuitively do this… every day!
A pair of pint-sized milking goats are very excited at our return… they amuse me with their silly antics and I have to laugh.
I open the front gate and it welcomes me with a squeak…
I think to myself… perhaps I should oil it…
Naw… I think I like it the way it is.
After closing the gate we make our way to the wood plank front door…
I love the way it is rounded at the top… giving it a little more character than an ordinary rectangular door…
The door opens into a cozy living room with a wood-burning cobblestone fireplace… The fire is lit and burning… I close the door and add another big log to the fire.
I love the rugged thick mantle… rich with history and charm… it is very old of that I am sure.
I trade my shoes for house slippers that are warm and toasty.
Dinner is ready in the slow-cooker… the house is full of the inviting aroma of a hearty stew.
It is just me for the evening… and that’s ok.
I ladle a scoop or two of stew into a favorite pottery bowl and set it on the counter as I remember to feed and water Fido…
I sit by the fire and enjoy the stew… it is delicious…
Freshly made today from foods grown here at the cottage…
My mind, my body and my spirit are enriched and at peace.
Soft music accents the snap and crackle of the burning logs…
My stomach full and chores completed I return to the seat by the fire to relax with the dog.
Meditative reflection… leads to a prayer… thanking God for the many blessings bestowed on me this day. There are many challenges outside the cottage and the country road… but thank God for the “little things” that ground us… that fill our spirit and recharge our batteries!
After a bit of light reading it is time to close the day and go to bed.
The dog goes out… and back in.
Face washed… teeth brushed… this and that… then into a delicious envelope of stress-free comfort… bed.
The light goes out and I tell my mind… my body and my spirit it is time to sleep.
I let go of thought…
I let go of tension…
I let go of worry…
I allow myself to drift off on the feathery clouds and gentle breeze of todays’ experience.
I call the dog and off we go…
Our path is a pebbly dirt road… the air is crisp and clean yet remains warm enough for a simple soft sweater… the dog is happy to be my companion… tail wagging as we walk along.
On the right the forest is thick and lush… the colors are spread over the hillside like one of grandmother’s patchwork quilts over her antique brass bed… to the left rolling pasture and farmland.
The horses and cows… friends in the same field… though the horses seem much more playful running and frolicking with their young… the young horses seem a bit awkward with their very long legs and disproportionate bodies… in time they will grow into them… I think to myself with a smile.
The cows are always so mellow… happy to spend their days quietly contemplating while chewing…
A tractor finishing the days work comes to a distant halt.
I notice the planted fields… I wonder… what is this golden crop??? It bends with the breeze and changes color with the angle of the sun…
At this very moment my senses are rich with delight… my eyes are blessed with visions of wholesome natural, beauty… my ears hear nothing but the sound of a gentle wind through the brilliant fall leaves, speckled with an occasional whinny from my equine friends… and the rustling curiosity of my canine companion… the scent of pure, clean, crisp, air fills my nostrils and feeds my lungs… the feel of comfortable shoes on my feet… and a warm soft sweater make me completely content.
After a fair journey’s distance… the sun begins to sink in the sky and it is time to turn and walk back…
The sky boasts shades of brilliant red and pinks… the clouds are mixed feathery hues of white…
An occasional cricket begins to call out… a bullfrog bellows from the side of the field pond…
A woolly-bear caterpillar is working his way across my path…
As I come around the last bend… I am filled with content… it was a most wonderful journey.
The modest cottage that is now in full sight is warm and welcoming.
The front yard garden is beautiful… filled with herbs…vegetables… and flowers… at all stages of development… in pots, raised beds, window boxes… and randomly scattered
An old picket fence surrounds the garden as if enveloped in a hug…
Small hobby farm structures are neatly kept to the right of the cottage… the laying hens are finishing up with today’s cage-less free-ranging and automatically know when it is time to return to the hen house prior to nightfall… it always amazes me that they intuitively do this… every day!
A pair of pint-sized milking goats are very excited at our return… they amuse me with their silly antics and I have to laugh.
I open the front gate and it welcomes me with a squeak…
I think to myself… perhaps I should oil it…
Naw… I think I like it the way it is.
After closing the gate we make our way to the wood plank front door…
I love the way it is rounded at the top… giving it a little more character than an ordinary rectangular door…
The door opens into a cozy living room with a wood-burning cobblestone fireplace… The fire is lit and burning… I close the door and add another big log to the fire.
I love the rugged thick mantle… rich with history and charm… it is very old of that I am sure.
I trade my shoes for house slippers that are warm and toasty.
Dinner is ready in the slow-cooker… the house is full of the inviting aroma of a hearty stew.
It is just me for the evening… and that’s ok.
I ladle a scoop or two of stew into a favorite pottery bowl and set it on the counter as I remember to feed and water Fido…
I sit by the fire and enjoy the stew… it is delicious…
Freshly made today from foods grown here at the cottage…
My mind, my body and my spirit are enriched and at peace.
Soft music accents the snap and crackle of the burning logs…
My stomach full and chores completed I return to the seat by the fire to relax with the dog.
Meditative reflection… leads to a prayer… thanking God for the many blessings bestowed on me this day. There are many challenges outside the cottage and the country road… but thank God for the “little things” that ground us… that fill our spirit and recharge our batteries!
After a bit of light reading it is time to close the day and go to bed.
The dog goes out… and back in.
Face washed… teeth brushed… this and that… then into a delicious envelope of stress-free comfort… bed.
The light goes out and I tell my mind… my body and my spirit it is time to sleep.
I let go of thought…
I let go of tension…
I let go of worry…
I allow myself to drift off on the feathery clouds and gentle breeze of todays’ experience.
So BEAUTIFUL! Thank you for the wonderful mind picture.
ReplyDelete