if I had taken the camera out today you would have seen:

Rafer Johnson and Redford turning out for a little while with the entire herd. Redford looked like a little boy having his first Christmas!

Salina galloping to keep her donkey boys in check (and the geldings at their proper distance), then trotting and tossing her head.

Salina standing with eyes closed, enjoying her massage while the donkey boys munched on the heart of the last round bale.

Rafer Johnson getting his hind quarters checked for tight muscles. (none!)

Keil Bay searching his massage therapist's pockets for the hot stones, which we opted not to use today.

Cody nudging in to see if he could get some bodywork for himself. (alas, he was not on the schedule today!)

Keil Bay outside my window while I got my massage.

Chase the handsome Corgi peeping up at me through the face rest of the massage table, and touching my nose with his.

The gorgeous black basalt stones soaking in my bathroom in their crock pot.

The gray clouds rolling in just before sunset.

The pony's face when we took the remainder of the round bale heart and rolled it out under the shelter for the geldings to share until bedtime.

finding the rhythm of the earth

It's so cold this morning I can't even think of taking the camera out in search of an image! The ice was nearly an inch thick on the troughs, I noted that one plastic bucket exploded, and mucking is akin to moving rocks.

But the sun is out and temps are rising well into the 40s, so blankets are off, horses and donkeys are eating hay, and thankfully there is no wind chill factor.

As I often do, when I can't get my own images lined up, I went visiting my husband's website gallery looking for something to borrow. Today I found this:



It feels warm to me, but more than that it captures one of my favorite images in the mountains - the fog rolling in like a tide. I think a lot of us are drawn to mountains and the sea because of the constant sense of a cycle in process, as well as something "bigger than us."

I always find a sense of mystery and awe and appreciation when I visit mountains and the sea, and find myself getting in tune with the earth's breathing and sighing.

Finding an inner rhythm, and tuning in to it. I think he captured that perfectly here.

Thanks, Matthew!

early december

Has come on quietly, with nice days and some chilly nights. The fields each morning are white with frost. I have noticed the last few days that Keil Bay and Cody, in particular, seem to be craving something - Cody was after tree bark and then both of them went at the honeysuckle leaves in the big barnyard.

I did a little research and found something called Barlean's Green Powder, a supplement for humans which has all kinds of good stuff in it. When I saw that Joyce Harman has it listed on her website as well, I decided I might get a few containers of it and rotate it into the horses' mix. Hopefully I can find it at the local food co-op when I make a run into town later today.

I've recently put the pony on Quiessence (a mix of mag ox and chromium) and I believe we're seeing good results. I normally have extra mag ox mixed into my Glanzen but when I started the equine nutrition class I decided to wait on re-ordering the Glanzen in case I needed to customize it even more. So the pony went into autumn without the mag ox and I think his weight gain is a direct result.

On other fronts, we haven't put the Christmas tree up yet. Until last year we have always had live trees, but with all the cats and their sudden habit last year of doing their own version of watering the tree, as well as my concern with the dryness of the live tree in the same room as the wood stove, we bought an artificial tree.

I personally missed the smell of a cut tree, but otoh, it was nice not having needles dropping, and b/c the dryness factor had been removed, we left it up longer. It made the winter a bit brighter and we all enjoyed it.

This year we'll probably reprise the home-made ornaments that can be played with safely (and without regret if broken) by cats, since Mystic is in a phase where he just loves to knock things down. He's the most toy-using cat I've ever seen, and I feel sure he'll view the tree with dangling objects as his own personal playground.

Speaking of Christmas, frost, and trees, this photo from Matthew is one of my favorites:

butterfly!

Ted Andrews, in his lovely book Animal Speak, says this about the butterfly:

Butterflies appear to dance as they light upon flowers and such. They remind us not to take things quite so seriously within our lives. They awaken a sense of lightness and joy. They remind us that life is a dance, and dance, though powerful, is also a great pleasure.

Butterflies bring color and joy with them. When butterflies come into your life look at how much or how little joy is within your life. Lighten up. Look for change.

And here it is - a butterfly for all of us!



Victoria at Teachings of the Horse awarded this yesterday, and I'd like to say thank you to her both for the award and for her blog. I had to laugh when I read that she starts her day with coffee and a visit to Linda at 7msn, Arlene at Grey Horse Matters, and here. I do the very same thing. It's a little bit of blogging synchronicity every morning, and I think it adds something of value to my day.

This butterfly award is meant to be passed on. I have an image of the lovely little thing flitting and darting, making its way across the country and around the world, from one blog to another.

I'd like to send it to four blogs:

jme at Glenshee: jme writes eloquently and succinctly about riding, and I get completely absorbed in her explanations and descriptions of things. It's like an online graduate class in the art of riding, and while I'm not at all sure I'm a graduate level rider, she makes me feel like I am and gets me thinking about the details. Thanks, jme!

Sheaffer: Sheaffer is a miniature donkey whose blog makes me laugh out loud on a regular basis. He is brilliant and funny and his philosophies about life and animals and "the woman" are always enlightening and entertaining. Sheaffer should have a lovely TV show on PBS, where he sits in top hat and waistcoat, introducing his audience to the day's adventure.

Janet at Talk 2 the Animals: Janet is an animal communicator with a wonderful perspective on how animals can teach us about ourselves. She offers information about specific animals each week, and she also shares her own experiences with the animals in her life and those she encounters. I especially love reading what her horse Shiloh has to say. Janet has inspired me to ask questions and to listen to the animals I live with. I've learned that Keil Bay will get down to the bottom line very quickly for me. Thanks, Janet!

We Three, Ginger Cat Tales: This is one of my favorite blogs to visit when I need to escape for a little while. The photographs and the writing provide a window into another world (Wales) and I leave feeling like I've taken a mini-retreat to find creativity and imagination. Thank you Ginger Cats Three!

and a little update

It has become apparent just since this a.m. that Rafer Johnson is moving significantly more normally MORE of the time now that he has had his hooves trimmed. Thank goodness - he can roll into the new year back to his precious Rafer self.