Will's next big adventure

"Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul."
- Democritus


This quote greeted me this morning on Facebook and I thought it was a wonderful thought with which to send Will off on his next adventure in the Big Apple. He is moving into the "real world" of financial analysis  and I think he will have a great time. He, however, is a little anxious. I wanted to remind him, one last time,  of the important things, like doing the "right thing" and integrity and kindness. Of listening to people before launching into your own opinion; that it is not so much that you get it "right" but that you always give 100% and ask the right questions, pay attention and try. Happiness truly does reside within and it springs forth from the smiles of the people around you. People want to be around upbeat people , that is one of Will's great strengths, he is optimistic and a little idealistic, but in a good way. I will miss him greatly and I wish him Godspeed on this next "ride". Love you son.

somber grey today

My heart aches for the families in Colorado. Yesterday was a very emotional day, every time I caught the TV,  I was sucked into listening to the horror of what happened in Aurora, Colorado. What is it about Colorado?  Only 12 miles from Columbine! My two sons went to the midnight show of Batman here in Annapolis and, instinctively,  I reached out to them yesterday morning to say "Are you OK, I love you." My heart aches for those Moms whose sons went to a movie and didn't come back. I watched in tears as that one man on TV cried out for help in finding his son, whose birthday was yesterday, who had not come home from the movie. How do you deal with that kind of anguish-I don't know. I just know I felt wretched yesterday and broke down several times, in tears, just weeping for such senseless loss of life. Today the skies are grey, overcast. The cool, rain-dampened air is a relief from the heat. Both the horses and I just stood in the rain yesterday and let it fall on our skin, it felt so good. Washing away the sweat and grime from their coats and, mirroring my soul, mixing with the tears on my face. I am so sorry for their loss, may their faith and families give them comfort .

a "siege " of herons...

I looked it up yesterday and for those who care, a flock of herons is known as a "siege " of herons. I decided to brave the spider webs and deer ticks and went to look at the beaver dams yesterday. The big stream I mentioned was low enough that I could walk down its muddy banks in some places and I eventually found the new beaver dam. The water level is 2/3 down I guess, which exposes the dam and it engineering secrets. I was able to walk across the dam, it is that solid. No sign of the beavers there now, but I continued on to the bigger beaver dam I know about, on my neighbor's land and it too was down, probably 3/4. These beavers have  created a "lake" with lots of beaver-downed large trees in the middle. I was able to actually walk out into the middle of what is now more like a swamp than a lake and lo, and behold, I found the blue herons! I think it is a rookery. About 4 big herons lifted off as the Labrador and I carefully walked out in the muck. Then I watched 2 or 3 "baby" herons squawk and crash into tree branches close by. It was amazing to watch these gangly birds so close. This morning 4 of them just flew over again, so I assume I did not scare them all away. It was worth lots of spider webs in the face and I hope I washed all the ticks off in the subsequent shower.

morning blue herons....

I just saw 8 ! blue herons flying together!. It is 6AM and I am watching the sunrise kaleidoscope, when a "flock"of blue herons fly in formation overhead. I see single herons fairly often, but  I have never seen a group together. They looked exactly like the coastal pelicans, who  cruise in total synchronicity over waves  down at Nags Head. These herons actually circled overhead and made several passes over me . I wonder what a group of blue herons is called?  How about a "blaze " of herons  or a "herd " ?? I wonder if they are looking for water as the streams have dried up. Usually I see a single bird stalking frogs in the big stream in the back field. It is dry and cracked now. There is another stream further back that has been very full this spring, unusually so.  I have been meaning to walk downstream to look for a beaver dam. This was my widest stream and the one I used to teach young horses how to walk thru water without getting all upset. At first, this spring I thought it was just full from rains, but as it dried and the stream continued to be above hock depth I wondered finally what the beavers had done. Now, I wonder if that is where the herons are headed. I haven't ridden recently as it has been way too hot and the deer flies and spider webs put a damper on early morning rides. Perhaps I will walk this morning and go look. Sometimes I wonder at animal's prescient knowledge- do the beaver know we are in for a hot, dry summer and work extra hard to build a deeper dam to keep water for all the "critters".  Nature's way.

too f....hot!!!!

Sorry, As the temperature keeps going up my ladylike personality is slipping away. I woke up this morning with a fierce cramp in my calf - the kind that make you howl and grab your leg. I think I will be eating bananas for breakfast! But seriously, it is too fu.... hot!!  And it is only the beginning of the summer. My streams have dried up, I am already feeding hay, the pastures are crunchy underfoot, the horses are miserable. I don't really know whether to put them in under fans or encourage them to stay under trees. It is supposed to hit 105 degrees today/tomorrow- it is too hot in barn even with fans. I decided we are going to the beach next July 4th. I am definitely ready for a vacation  by the end of June, so we are not waiting for end of August next year to do a birthday bash, but will go in the beginning of the summer!! I looked at all the big nice rentals in Nags Head and felt a little cooler looking at beach scenes!!!
I can't wait to go to Canada soon for our trip in the Rockies. The Columbia Icefields and snow in July sounds nice actually.  The July 4th holiday was fun, lots of fireworks , fun with Will and Annie and the best part was a friend's 48 hour pool party , even tho I had one too many "smoothies"!!! The worst part was the power outage but enough has been said about that!

Happy Birthday Michael!- "it is good to be the King!"

Today is Mike's birthday !  He decided to sleep in until 5:30 AM!  I am so glad he gets up early because then I get up and do barn chores before it gets unbearable. We may check out the new casino with friends to celebrate and I stopped to get a Caroline's Cake for him yesterday. That and a massage - what more could a guy want! Today I am also picking up my new "stock" trailer - gonna try something new in the world of horse transportation.  I realized if I never put a horse in it until after we moved Will to North Carolina I could get everything in there- Not- horses are gonna go first! I am interested to see how my fox hunters and mares deal with a "step-up". The babies will jump in anywhere to be with mare- half the time they jump over me! I asked JD for pointers on how to get them to load in a step-up and he very generously said, "Open the door"!  Ha-Ha- thanks JD.  So, Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband, who is my best friend and partner. He looks like a king on a throne in this picture- we were trying out chairs at Arhaus!!

Getting a day of reprieve in between hot, hot days makes a Maryland summer bearable. There is  no humidity and it was actually cool this morning. I have a cashmere wrap on at 5:30 Am to watch sunrise! Yes, that is the way I like it, uh- uh, uh-uh! The sky is so blue it is wonderous. The resident blue heron just flew over, he goes to sit at the very top of a nearby tree. The branch sways and rocks under his weight and I just wait for him to fall. He looks so funny, all gangly and long neck and knees knocking, trying to perch on this little branch. I got a note from Will, saying London was awesome and they are in Paris. They must be having a great time, I am so glad he and Annie were able to do this together. Always makes it more special when you have somebody to share it all with! I guess that goes for everything in life.