Monday mornings

This is my favorite time of day. It is 6 am and I have a cup of coffee on the side patio and watch the day start. It is gray , then some color comes into the early light. Mig and Red, the two foxhunters are hopefully looking at me from the side pasture. (my son wondered if the next one would be called Commie-he has a strange way of being slightly interested in the horses). I can hear the broodmares softly nickering in the bottom field, the resident owl is also softly hooting in the distance. The early sounds are reassuring. It is rythymically the same every day. The crickets are rasping, the early sondbirds do their thing- I wish I recognized more birds by their call. The hawk who lives on the farm sometimes is around early on a fencepost , just watching. I watch him watch, if I move he just swoops off. It slowly gets hotter and lighter, the sun ball coming over the treetops and the cricket hum rises. I wonder if scientifically that corollates- the hum of crickets getting louder as it warms up, but I don,t remember noticing them midday- hum.

The foxhunters have given up and moved to the bottom of th field to talk to the weanlings who are watching from across the fence. I have two fillies this year. The kids and I muse about names (even tho' I often do not officially name them if they are oing to the sales). The first is by a sire named Chapel Royal out of a mare named Tiger in my Tank- I need something like Royal Tigress, if it was a colt I would try for Sher Khan. The Jockey Club has to approve names and many are already taken. The other filly is by St. Averil out of Hope for the Cat. She is very beautiful, mainly black with a star. My daughter suggested St. Hope. These are the things I think about as I sip my first cup of coffee and watch the morning unfold- a promise f a new day.