grateful heart

The view as I arrived at the farm.


I feast on light...where ever it shows up. {this happened to be the bathroom}




our trusty trail leader on our first walk of the day.



the trees on the property watch over and protect.


Rupa sat by the fence for 30 seconds before instinct kicked in and she was 'collecting' the sheep...she just had no idea what to do with them once she had them.


She just ran..and so did the sheep.


Where did the sheep go miss Rupa?


Satisfied that she did her job...she trotted on back to us.


last month she could easily slip thru the fence..Shocking the things we can't do now that we could when we were younger.


Salmon that was caught and smoked by the neighbors + homemade pepper jelly & cheeses.
I love Oregon.


Mr. Royalty keeping a watchful eye on the goings on in the kitchen.


brined birds to NOT brown. This is an ok thing. 'twas delicious, just took me a while to not shudder when I looked at it.



The animals suffered terribly all day.


to be sure...pretty much everyday I experience something that makes me grateful to be alive. But when hearts and minds of thousands gather in the meeting place of gratitude...it has a different feel. Maybe that is why I love the Holidays so much. We seem to lift each other in a collective jingle, a common smile and a childlike glee.

I was given the honor of spending Thanksgiving with my dear friend and her family. How very very lucky I am. We walked in a sweet afternoon rain, watched as Ruppa the 'teenage' sheepdog got her 'sheepy' groove on, and laughed a LOT!

After many games (don't ask..it was french and very complicated!), dinner and dessert..we all piled into our designated sleeping spots. It felt like camp as we three single girls in the house snuggled down in the loft room. We laughed and talked (found out in the morning we kept a few people up...oopsy!) and felt the warmth of a house filled with love.

I am grateful for many things in my life, my friends continually top the list.