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The Autumnal Equinox occurs today in the Northern Hemisphere. And it’s raining. It’s been raining for the past couple of days, and I’m not going to even pretend that it’s not a bit…dreary. The oppressive gray clouds, thick and unrelenting, filter the sunlight so that it’s unusually dark, even during the day. In spite of the inclement conditions though, beauty is just waiting to be found.
Continue reading “Around The Farm: First Day Of Fall”
When you artificially incubate eggs as often as I do, you understand that bad things can happen. That’s why I think of hatching as bittersweet: the joy brought by new hatchlings is tempered by the sadness of those that die or have problems that may adversely impact their quality of life. Despite the inevitable lows, I find that there will be experiences that profoundly affect me, and that keep me going…like the immense strength in a tiny chick’s will to live.
Continue reading “Poultry Tales: The Magic Of Optimism (Lavender Ameraucana Hatch #1)”
Isn’t it striking that we’ve associated darkness with negative things, like evil and death? That we do everything we can to light the darkness, to keep it at bay? And that the villain in Western movies is typically dressed in black? Why is the heart of darkness assumed to be bad?
Continue reading “Haiku: The In-Between”
Early morning here often means heavy dew on the grass – humidity often approaches 100%. As I walked to a hoop tractor during morning feeding, I noticed the unmistakable double set of wings of a dragonfly…and a real beauty. She was clinging to a blade of grass, completely still, as if dormant (understandable in an ectotherm). At last, a chance to capture her image!
Continue reading “Haiku: Ornamental Odonate”
It’s orb weaver time of year. Throughout the pastures, the industrious creatures have been at work, draping their webs between stalks of grass. Wet with morning dew, they’re stunning to behold. I try my best to avoid damaging those webs as I move through, but, sometimes, a spider will decide to make a web in a place where it can’t be – like atop the wire “cage” that secures the ramp from the chicken coop – and I have to ruin the spider’s masterpiece.
Continue reading “Haiku: Obstinate Orb Weaver”
As I walked through pasture, still wet with morning dew, a leaf floated down, spiraling as it went, right in front of me. It was as if the big silver maple, so stoic and steadfast, was telling me something…and I am listening.
Continue reading “Haiku: Foretelling Fall”