A beautiful day

     When I was younger I didn’t live so much in the moment – always worrying about choices, relationships – the good ones and the bad ones, finances or lack of them, my young family’s safety, health, the list goes on and on. While I’m still and always will be a chronic worrier,  ( Heck, I just stopped having “I didn’t do my homework” dreams about five years ago)  I have learned with age to live far more of my life in the moment.  And… I don’t give as much of a f*ck about trying to please everyone all the time, or even if someone likes me.  I have finally come to that place where I know in my heart of hearts I am a decent soul and I like me… maybe even love me.  Sounds silly, but that knowledge comes hard to some of us, and maybe you know the woe.  This was a day when I sat completely comfortable with myself and content with my life’s direction. 





    Yesterday it seems everyone in New England was out and about, enjoying the beautiful 🌺SPRING🌸  day – temps reached 61 degrees!   On the road, some of my fellow Jeepers had their tops off and down at Stella, island folks were beginning the Spring ritual of opening up and airing out their cottages.  My daughter and I spent some time at the show barn with Leah – and I got to take her for a spin around the block a few times myself. 



  As I watched my daughter go ’round the ring practicing for the first show of the season, the warm sun beaming down on our faces, I was reminded again of all she has overcome, how lucky we are to have these experiences after all.   

    After time well spent at the barn, I headed down to the cottage where the Mr. was working with two of his crew to replace the split railing we initially installed at the waterfront.  When sitting on the blue stone patio, what greeted  seated folks at eye level were  clunky cedar beams.  It was a nice rustic look but took away from the water views.  So we’ve installed wire which will keep people from falling over but doesn’t block the view.  It’s almost invisible. as you can see in this photo. 



   We were so pleased with the effect, we decided to take the waterfront railing section  of the deck out and replace it with the same wire.  We have a lot of summer meals up on that little deck and the view now when seated will be a much fuller waterfront scene. That deck comes in handy as a “playpen” for Frasier and Sally as well – they are safe up there with a gate at the stairs, and someday the same will be true when and if we’re blessed with grandchildren. 



     We brought some dirt from the farm down to the shore – we’ll spread it in the waterfront part of the little yard to fortify the grass and level the footing some.  If you can believe it,  M wants to plant a little vegetable garden down there as well as the one I keep here on the farm.  The bunnies are prolific on the island-really-a-peninsula,  he’ll have to put a little fencing up if we are to eat any of that produce. 
   


Frasier, Sally and I took a walk  after inspecting the new fencing… we are on a cove in the Long Island Sound – which you can see in the distance here.  The crocus have arrived!   And they tell me the peepers too, and while I can’t hear the actual thing, I hear peepers 24/7 with the tinnitus and hearing loss, go figure – 😂











  I can usually find at least one piece of seaglass on each walk.  This one was a very pale blue, my favorite color.



The water hasn’t been turned on yet so the cottage can’t be given a thorough Spring cleaning, bed linens aren’t re-washed or beds made  until April 15th or so, when the water is turned back on.   We don’t spend too much time here until then, no toilets!   The new gas stove does a fantastic job of heating up the space when the nip in the air needs tucking.   Sally approves. 


    When the chill came in off the water with the setting sun I came home to feed the horses and chickens and clean the new chicks water for the tenth time.  Have I mentioned how piggy chicks are?  All doing well, by the way.  The  good weather had us all in high spirits, and it was evident in the people we encountered throughout the day, too.   I always hope that kindred spirit spreads far and wide. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a blanket of good will to cover this entire planet – think of all the problems we could solve, what a wonderful world this could be if only.   It was a restorative kind of day that I sorely needed.   Today I’m wishing the same for  you – 
 Till soon – 
Karen 🌷

The Girlz and a remarkable story

  Great news – day 2 and not a chick has been lost.  I’ve named them… Arya, Sansa, Summer, Snow, Khaleesi and Cersei  (there’s one in every flock) –   They’re perky and chirpy and hungry and pooping an awful lot.  Occasionally they flutter/fly/sprint across the Christmas Tree Box they currently call home – all good signs for healthy chicks. 
     Cersei in my hands here is the loudest, with a wicked chirp and bossy attitude already. I hope she isn’t a he. 
     Pardon my allergy eyes – the past few weeks have been the worst my allergies have ever been, and the meds make me feel worse, so I’m winging it without.  Bleh.  Makes me look ancient and feel ancient.  Any allergy sufferers out there have tips on what helps?  I’m allergic to grass, pollen, mold, dust – and I live on a horse farm with hay fields in an old house with beams that are dusty – hahahahahaha…. it’s funny if it weren’t so.. itchy. 
Today  the sun is bright but the air still chilled… 
   It’s the kind of day where the dogs go out but come back in quickly enough because WIND!   After a quick squirrel hunt they much prefer their sun spots in the family room. 
   I let the grown-up girls free roam for most of today, and just brought them back to the coop before the hawks start circling the fields again.   They love to eat all the seed the birds and squirrels drop from the feeder… 
 When it’s time to bring them in, all I need to do is shake a can of cheerios or corn.. with my high annoying Here Chick Chicks voice –  , … and they come running. 
   If you’ve pondered having chickens in your backyard or farm, I haven’t yet met a person who dared to take it on and then regretted it.  They are truly delightful to have around, and the work is minimal compared to other farm animals.  There is the responsibility, of course, and you need to know how to properly care for them – many books on the subject – but it’s relatively easy and you don’t need a lot of space as long as they have the right living quarters and you feed and clean properly.  The fresh eggs are divine. 

 Are you a reader?  My mother gave me a great book for my birthday – a true story about a remarkable young woman, her memoir-  a link to a review of it HERE.   You won’t want to put it down until you’re through it. 
     
Till soon, friends –  

Chick Day

  All around this area at this time of year are the ads for feed stores and especially Tractor Supply announcing their Chick Days.  I had written a post a while back describing my plans to build a bigger coop this Spring and I even ordered 16 new chicks of different varieties to raise and increase my current flock of 14 aging chickens.  Well – the boyz got busy doing other things, work related things that actually pay the bills,  and so we decided to hold off a year or two on the new coop. I cancelled my  chick order with Cackle Hatchery, a  little bummed, because I had picked out some beautiful breeds.

    So… I’ve had to go in to Tractor Supply several times in recent weeks, and each time I stared at the chicks and ducklings and almost grabbed _just a few_, but talked myself out of it because raising chicks is work, and I’d have to create another brooder on the porch, and do I need more chores right now and especially without a bigger coop? The answer is no.. .so…. I was pretty proud of my restraint.
   Yesterday on the way home from checking on our little cottage by the sea,  the husband said “Let’s stop in Agway and get some of that dried cow manure fertilizer for the vegetable garden“. 
  I’m thinking that’s safe, they don’t sell chicks there, right?  
Wrong. 

     Frasier’s wondering why mama won’t let him sample the chicken nuggets out on the porch.

    I even left the store chick-less with the Mr… came home and thought on it for about 30 seconds more.  Then just for the heck of it  I browsed the basement to see if there were any big boxes down there that would suffice as a brooder for the time being.  The Christmas Tree Box was sitting empty, because once you pull a fake tree out of it’s box, it isn’t ever going back in there the way it came out. So… I took it as a sign.    Of stupidity? Possibly.  But here we are, regardless. 
   Last night two of the chicks looked a little wobbly – they go through a heck of a lot to get to the feedstore at just a day old.. and then to their new home.  I’m happy to report this morning all six look perky.   These are what I brought home.. 
2 Light Brahmas… 
2 easter eggers – which can come in any color at all, so those
will be revealed as they feather out. 
 One Buff Orpington
 And one New Hampshire Red
  Not as exotic or as large an order as my original order from Cackle Hatchery, but still good egg layers, hearty breeds, a nice edition to my flock. 
 Happy Spring! 


   

Hope Springs Eternal

     One of the biggest mysteries to me right now is how Kelly*nne C*nway and her husband are still married. I know what its like to live with someone with differing political opinions, but their situation takes place on an entirely different playing field. Can you imagine being a fly on that wall at dinner time? And If ever my boss called my spouse, the father of my children, a loser? publicly? … it’s the day I quit my job. I used to think she was pretty dumb to be willing to stand in front of the cameras and spin the lies, twist the words, contort herself to please the man she once called a whiner and unpresidential as she supported T.Cruz.   But it’s evident now she’s ambitious, cunning like her boss, enjoys the theatrics and her place in the WH. 

     As time rolls on, Tr*mp’s mental state becomes more unhinged. He must be exhausted by the end of each day – throwing all those punches continuously.   I can’t feel sorry for a man who lies and cheats and insults and disrespects as if it’s his own form of religion.   His divide and conquer mentality within our own country is a horrible threat to our democracy, it destabilizes us all.   His allegiance to ruthless superpowers who have been trying to destroy America for ages is so alarming.  What’s truly scary for me is…  his supporters don’t see it , or if they see it, they don’t care.   I don’t understand how it can be lost on anyone… the very simplest and biggest truth … and don’t take my word for it – look to the world’s history for the answer… 



    Never until now would I have believed that a man who wasn’t even admired in his home state because he was a cheat, a con, a user,  certainly not a philanthropist, a thrice married  multiple spouse cheating  draft dodging tax evader who called his own daughter a nice piece of ass and was caught saying he just grabs women by the pussy because he can, … would garner such a following by people who would normally be appalled at the behavior.   His total disregard for truth on the little things, let alone the big things,  the environment, animal welfare, our public lands should alarm anyone.   We only have one earth and we’re trashing it –  His rollbacks  in these vital arenas are all about greed, how is this appealing at all?   There’s nothing normal about this cult following, and it’s destroying the fabric of our country with each vile, juvenile, false tweet he puts out.  It’s disgusting.  I am so sad, mad, concerned.. for our Country.  

     When this shitstorm has blown through and we pick up the pieces of our democracy, sew up the rips in the fabric of our communities, our government,  our friendships, even, I hope we finally find a way to  embrace each other  for our differences, work together to heal the divides, respect each other’s voices and hear the concerns, be open to the options so that we can work together to fix what’s so very broken.  

     Am I naive?  Maybe so. But on this, the first day of Spring 2019 ….  I’ll hold on to hope and continue to do what I can where I am to help mend the fabric,  make it stronger than it apparently was.  We each have that power in the little ways we are able – … drops in the ocean with the hope that America will continue to swim,  striving for peace and prosperity and diversity and good will – and continue to be a beacon of hope for all. 

   In the spirit of such… I’ll share with you the first tiny little sprout coming out of the seeds I’ve sown and placed on the window seat in the family room of This Old House…  a little bumble bee cherry tomato is the first to break through – not the mighty beefsteak. Go figure. 



   



54

  Today I am 54 years old. Fifty four.  Five four.  54.  Wow. Seems like yesterday I was a lot younger.   Time flies, my friends.

      I will continue to cherish every day and hopefully every year I am allotted on this earth and I will take a lesson from my aging Dane, Ben.  He’s a cardiac and arthritis patient at this point – has his good days and bad.  Dogs have the great gift of not knowing their mortality. They only know the good days and the bad days.  They celebrate the good by just being, doing, enjoying the moment, whether it’s a good meal, a warm fire,   a romp in the tall grass or  splash in the beach waves with the warm sun on their back.  Bad day?  Rest.   No worries for them about the future or mistakes of the past or even relationship or finance woes.  They just live in the day, and make the best of it without a thought for the rest of it.   Wouldn’t it be grand to have the freedom to do just that.  We CAN do some of that if we allow ourselves – and so I will. 
    So I missed being a leprechaun by mere hours. My mom made my favorite birthday dinner last night – the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal… It was divine.  And while I may not look it,  I have some Irish in me. On this day it’s all in.  🍀
 L-R – Mom, Rex, Daughter K,  Son’s GF and my other girlie, M, and  Me

    I hope you had a good day yesterday and wore a little green, celebrated  with some merry in your step and perhaps your mug too.   May we all take a lesson from dogs and find more ways to enjoy life, less ways to fret over it.

 My favorite Irish blessing – 

Till soon, friends  xo
– Karen

Heated Exchange

      When we bought Stella two years ago, she had been much loved by the previous owner but also neglected. We kept all the rustic charm, she is still a very 1930’s summer cottage, but the things that really needed fixing got fixed and an interior wall was removed so that the tiny  kitchen was open to the seating area that looks out over the cove.  For more details, search the Once Upon a Tide post labels where you’ll find posts on her restoration. 
       At the door to the back deck was the only source of heat,  a gas operated heating stove, one we couldn’t use because it didn’t vent to the outside and so the odor from the burning gas flooded Stella’s small interior. A few days ago we had a new one installed with a vent pipe that goes through the roof.  It still needs to be hooked up, but it will be a beautiful sight to see on chilly spring, summer and fall evenings when we want to take the nip out of the air inside the cottage. 
 The original… 
The new model
      The cottage and surrounding island , or what’s really a peninsula despite it’s name,  have a different vibe in winter months for the obvious reasons – and the cold inside the cottage is bone chilling.  The unmade beds, empty refrigerator and food pantry underline and highlight it.  When we began Stella’s re-do, she was infested with rodents – mice droppings fell from the curtain tops and were embedded in the toaster left from the previous occupant.  There were nests in the seat cushions.  These things in particular freaked the Mr. right out, so he made sure she is now almost airtight, and we don’t have meese in the rafters or the cushions or the toaster anymore. 
  While the guys were installing the new stove, I took a walk around with camera. 
 Stella from the road
 … and from the waterfront 

    Meanwhile, we’ve had some glorious sunsets that 
I’ve captured with the good camera here on the farm

   As I type this, it’s snowy-raining outside and the horses and chickens are waiting for their breakfast –  Spring is just around the corner, you can see it in the light cast across the fields at the end of the day, in the diamond sparkles on the water.  Just don’t look on the ground, where there’s still some of the white stuff that doesn’t scream spring.  Out into that stuff I go….. 

Frosty and Sweet

    As soon as I open my mouth about bringing Spring things in, Mother Nature tells me to curb my enthusiasm. 

  Snow falling on Cedars –  My chicken coop pictured below with the cedar forest a very philanthropic woman named Elizabeth and her husband Ed planted many moons ago here on this little farm. It was upon her death at the age of 95 about 16 years ago at the estate sale that I first laid eyes on the inside of our 1835 farm house and the surrounding grounds and fell in love.  A lot has changed here in the ten years we’ve owned the farm – including the complete resurrection of the house.  One thing that is absolutely as it was – are the cedar forest on the left of us and Pine forest on the right, minus a few trees lost in storms.  I love them 💗 they remind me every day of the thoughtfulness and generosity of the previous occupants of Grace –  (This Old House)   We’ve paid it forward, so to speak – by planting many sugar maples along the dirt roads on the property.  Someday someone will enjoy the shade and glorious colors  and perhaps the syrup made from the the sap of the Mighty Maples we’ve planted. We will at least get to enjoy them as juvenile trees.

  Speaking of Maple Syrup –  I’ve been collecting the sap  from some of our ancient maples when the weather conditions encourage the sap run, and the boys have been dropping the buckets off at the Sugar House at Parmelee Farm.   It’s balm for the soul, this community project.  Residents of our little town have been collecting sap from their trees to add to the big barrels at Parmelee,  helping to fill the distiller,  they’ve been volunteering to fill and label bottles, some even dropping off cookies and snacks for the volunteer force to enjoy while they work.  The Boyscouts and Girlscouts have visited to learn the ancient art of syrup making, as have science classes from the middle school.  All sales of the limited supply of syrup are applied to sustaining the farm and sugar house.

  That label being applied is one I designed for the project –  I’m no professional, but I think it came out pretty darn good in the -winging it- department.

      In these times of truly ugly politics, this community effort for a worthy cause is a beautiful thing indeed.  If you’re feeling discouraged for whatever the reason, I strongly recommend finding a project or organization in a field of your interest that is doing something good in the world – no effort is too small, the commitment does not have to be huge, so don’t let work commitments and the lack of free time discourage you.   It’s balm for the weary soul. 💗

      Till soon, friends… 

Fake

       Along with some of the stuff  around This Old House, I put Spring in my blog header yesterday – just in time for more snow.  I’m not complaining, though – as we’ve honestly had very little snow accumulation this winter. While I love the beauty of it, and it is indeed coming down in a gentle flurry as I gaze out my office window this moment,  I don’t like the work it creates for me on the farm or my boys on the job sites. 
    My mini horses, Coady and Lacey, like living up at the big barn now that they’ve taken over Opie’s stall.   In the photo below they were begging for peppermints – spoiled kids, they are! We all  still miss my favorite redhead, probably always will.   Opie was certainly the leader of the herd, and that’s more evident now than ever.  The other two Max’s… our retired show horse and my friends horse seen in the pic below, still look out over the fields wondering when he’ll come trotting over the hill.  They don’t venture into the upper pasture without him – they walk up to the opening in the stone wall but they don’t go through it – as if they’re wary of what could be out there.  Or what’s no longer out there to protect them.  Without his leadership they seem a little lost, a little adrift.  They don’t particularly like each other, these two old men – and so more often than not, they stand  grazing or gazing, far apart in the field, where they used to tag alongside Opie wherever he went.  
   

    Coady and Lacey have each other, crying for the other if we separate them for even a few minutes.  Animals form relationships, they care about each other, they miss each other when one leaves – don’t ever doubt it.

 Every so often,  our Max hears something on the wind he must think is a whinny from Opie, and he returns the call, over and over again until finally no answer brings Opie back and he gives up.  Breaks my heart.

   It does my soul good to give this old man the retirement he so deserves after many years as a faithful servant to several different showfolk.   I wish his buddy were here to enjoy that retirement with him.  We were supposed to grow old together, me and that redhead –  Wouldn’t it be something to be reunited with those we loved and the animals that were also a part of our lives, when our time here  is up. I’ll continue to hope. 
       So why the post title, FAKE?  let me ‘splain…. I took a walk on the wild side and ordered the cowhide rug I’ve been coveting for many years.  Something about that look has always appealed to me but we didn’t have quite the right spot for it or the appropriate decor and no one else up here in this house approved.  One other little detail… I couldn’t get past the idea that I’d be walking on and looking at the actual hide of a cow – one who walked the earth and cherished his or her life as much as I did mine.  That’s kinda silly and hypocritical thinking, since I’ve certainly owned leather shoes and jackets, gloves, and I eat meat.  Still – I couldn’t do it, go figure. 
   Until… I saw these on Overstock for a decent price.  
 ( I love the abode depicted in this photo but it’s not very cozy, is it. Seriously… who’s gonna sit in that hard little chair and settle in with a good book or  watch a netflix original?  That chair right there reminds me of the little desk chairs in grade school that most of us couldn’t wait to get out of) 
   Fake cow hide rugs! that actually look real… LOVE! 💗  They come in a few different hide patterns, this is the one I chose.   Now.. I don’t have the magical touch some designers have where they can through a whole bunch of different elements and styles and vintage and new pieces into a room and it comes out looking fabulous. But.. what I do throw together at least I hope looks inviting, or warm, or interesting, or something along those lines.  
   It was delivered today in all this snow, and here’s where I threw it.   The Wingback chairs were given to us by the previous occupant of  our home and have moved around the house periodically – not of their own steam, thankfully.  What do you think?   I’m still not sure it belongs, but who’s writing the rules, anyway?

    

Weighing In

   Have you been watching M*chael C*hen’s testimony?  I did something I’ve been putting off for a year instead.  I cleaned my kitchen cabinets.  Not the dishes one or the bowls one or the glasses one. Those are easy… I’m talking the cooking spices and oils one, the junkdrawer-but-it’s-a-cabinet one, the other glasses one that turned into everything but the kitchen sink.   The baking supplies one…The coffee mugs and pods and filters one.   I got so giddy with all that –organization – that I then turned the corner into the pantry and attacked the medicine cabinet that is also the pets and livestock medicine cabinet.  My husband is Type A all the way, so for him, coming home to a kitchen and pantry full of neatness and ducks in a row is better than sex.  He was a happy camper last night for sure. 
   Meanwhile, I did tune in to the news now and then just to see if any bombs went off.  Nope… stuff we already knew…. it was just highlighted and underlined.   Although those who still support Tr$mp don’t really care, I know this.  
     Who would have ever believed that a man who cheats heavily on his taxes and refuses to divulge them, a man who has never lifted a finger to help the common man, a man who dodged the draft by having his wealthy father pay off a doctor to falsify his medical records, a man who has cheated again and again on wife number 1, 2 and 3… has four bankruptcies and many failed businesses and unpaid contractors and lawsuits under his belt,  a man who repeatedly lies day after day and this is proven time after time, a man who attacks anyone who does not bow to him or questions policy he’s driving, a man who’s MO is to divide this country, not unite it… would have a following, enough to get him elected, enough to continue to follow him, apparently right over a cliff.    It’s dumbfounding. 
     The G0P attacks C*hen as a liar, while they defend the Liar in Chief… The only Lie C*hen originally told was that Tr$mp did nothing wrong.  How’s that for irony.   It’s truly hypocrisy at it’s boldest.   At least to me, The G0P has destroyed it’s own credibility – First they laughed at the notion that he could win the nomination, calling him things we know he truly is… then they bowed to the King, now defending him because he is currently their only ticket on the train.  
     Meanwhile – during that testimony – the personalities of those doing the questioning came through loud and clear.  Some of the old regime, Dems and Reps alike,  sounded shrill and stupid and holier than thou.   The ones who came up with the most effective questioning were women, in particular the enthusiastic freshman so many like to attack, A0C.   It’s true, sometimes she comes off as the overzealous puppy at the dog pound, but she’s coming through slowly but surely with an honest evaluation of the clusterfuck we have now.   As I’ve said before, I don’t align with any one particular party, I want to hear what they all have to say and I want to believe in the good intentions and vote on the right path for the troubles of our time.   Views to the extreme in any one direction – right or left – won’t be effective or practical – that’s what I feel, anyway.  Some of her ideas are not realistic, and she may be the rookie, but she is genuine and in many cases spot on, and  it’s clear she isn’t bought by anyone. 
If you don’t agree with these words below and you were chanting “Drain the Swamp”… what swamp were you looking to drain? 
      
    In the end, I believe Mr. C*hen was telling the truth – he’s got nothing to gain now by speaking out.   He described the thug many of us already knew occupied those presidential suites, he underlined what was already written on the wall.   Many people who voted for him knew he was not stellar, but they wanted a big change, they wanted someone who wasn’t bought, not an old school politician. What they got was far worse, and I will continue to hope enough of them can’t in good conscience continue to abide the level of division and deceit in the web he’s been spinning since election.  I hope they see him for who he really is, and decide our country is worthy of something better.  I truly believe this Country we all love is in big trouble, and I pray We the People will  eventually, sooner rather than later,  right the ship. 
     Speaking of ships – my mother repeatedly reminds me that getting upset over all that we cannot control is not good for the fibromyalgia… lol… and I know it’s so!   This quote below…. truth that can be applied just about anywhere…. 
‘
It’s a new day, all – let’s make it the best it can be. 
  

Fresh Air

       While it’s still definitely winter ’round these parts, and I’m about to trudge out into my “morning commute” in hat gloves, two jackets and boots to prove it,  I’ve been freshening things up inside Gracie (this old house). I asked my mom yesterday whether it was too soon to put out the Spring Things – and she said “no, I’ve put away winter already, it gets old, dull”.  
     
       So I did just that – and  then drove to the nearest crafts store – which is Joann’s Fabrics.  Their Spring Things are already 40-50 percent off, so I decided to make a few wreaths for the front double door, and I scored a few ready-made wreaths for my mom and I, too.  (Because MOMs… you only get one, and mine is my very best friend).  

 I’ll share the finished product when done. 
My ready-wreath find… 
 Last week we repainted the bedroom –  it used to be a celery green.
Now, what Benjamin Moore calls Cake Batter, a soft buttery off white. 
I replaced the bedding too – going for a very neutral look
Belgian Flax Linens – a combo from Pottery Barn and Pine Cone Hill
The lamps replaced a few we’ve had for many years,
now living in the dining room.
Hard to see in this photo, but they are glass wrapped in a light
 black chicken wire.  Inexpensive finds at HomeGoods, 
and I love them. 
The drapes – Restoration Hardware – also belgian linen, lined, 
Keep heat in and cold out,  but they
do let some light in, which is what I was looking for. 
They are an investment, I usually go with cheap curtains,
but they’ll last if cared for properly. 
 Frasier approves. 
 The painting above the bed I found last week browsing a nearby antiques mall. 
It is an original painting by  Robert C. Benham…
a New England artist in the early to mid 1900’s. 
His paintings usually go for around $300-$400 if you find one,
and this was leaning against other stuff on the floor, dirty, with a chippy frame.
I love chippy frames – and the grime comes off with a good
careful  wiping down… 
So I offered $170, and the offer was accepted. 
These bits of paper are taped on the back. 
The painting depicts
“Trail to Burnt Head”  – which is located in Maine. 
      So, while Gracie is sporting a little Spring Bling inside… outside is quite a different story…  The view out my kitchen sliders below…. 
        And if you peer out my kitchen sink window,  my favorite doves are giving me that look –  “What’s wrong with this picture, Karen.  Seed’s awful low”. 
Notice the maple syrup collecting bag and buckets are empty right now… in order for sap to run, we must have cold temps over night, warming up during the day. If  temps remain cold, the sap remains dormant. 

So up to the barn I go, to tend these family members…
Coady is sporting new shoes –  his soft ride gel boots, which
help him  be more comfortable with a condition he’s had for years –
 Cushings Disease with a side of laminitis flare up caused by it. 

   The girls hunting for tidbits in a fresh little hay pile. 

 Just one more thing… 
Have you seen the movie – A Star is Born – with Bradley Cooper and Lada Gaga yet? If not, you must –  WOW, do they have chemistry and talent.  And I’ll warn you – it is indeed a tear jerker.  When she first made the scene, I didn’t like her.  Meat dresses?  Condom costumes?  But.. as she grew into who we came to know, she is truly a decent, caring, honest soul, a real talent on multiple levels.  She’s a song writer, a singer, a philanthropist, she’s an encourager, not a breaker-down. (those are real words here anyway…lol).  
Wishing you all a good day – 
and thank you for stopping by