Sunday, December 08, 2019

Murder and other great memories

How can I bottle it all up and hold it inside my heart?





Hiking with these two... yes please! 



Mesmerized by the waving aspens.


Kathy and Lionel came from California and brought their sunshine and love with them. 


Chocolate covered faces and happy hearts. 


The journey with this guy has been full of unexpected turns, but he keeps running and we pretend to keep up. :-) 


Ever-faithful... 


There's not always an explanation. Roll with it. 



The magic. It's real. 


Kathy, the brave adventurer. 



Like I said... sunshine and love.


Hiking genius... 


What a hard hike, but what a view! B-24 bomber wreck on Humphrey's Peak.


Their perspective once the hike was over. 


If I could be as adventurous as her when I'm her age... Gumbum and Paugie. 


One day I was in the laundry room and Aberdeen walked in carrying (what I thought was) a piece of chicken in her mouth. She was holding it very gently, but since she's such a lady, that's not terribly unusual. Nevertheless, I had her drop it into my hand, and to my surprise there was a tiny baby mouse, very much intact and healthy. She looked at me expectantly and then licked it's bottom, like she was the mommy mouse. I really didn't know what to do, as I'm not terribly equipped to nurture/raise a mouse, so I discreetly took the baby outside and put it on the other side of the fence in the field ("Murderer" was the whisper that my heart kept telling my brain). Aberdeen was mortified and watched it carefully to make sure it moved safely along it's way (it eventually did move on, out of sight, though it stayed very much present in my (guilty) conscience). 

I (somewhat reluctantly) went back into the house to finish up the laundry, when Paisley pranced in with a "piece of chicken" in her mouth. After safely depositing it into my hand, she, too, licked it gently and nuzzled it with her nose. It also was completely unharmed. You have got to be kidding me! So, for the second time in one day, I became the wicked step-mother, only to discover a third baby waiting for me in Aberdeen's mouth upon my return to the laundry room. I tried to assure the "new mommies" that their recently adopted babies were much better off in the wild, where they were born to run, but they seemed unconvinced. They dutifully watched over the babies until all the babies (slowly) moved further into the field and away from the fence. The ability of these "predators" to adopt and nurture the most vulnerable of babies left me speechless. They put far too many humans to shame. I may have actually cried, and not just because I was (very likely) a murderer that day. 




We were utterly mesmerized by the bull elk we happened upon in the meadow that evening.


Two of my favorite things... 


Another two of my favorite things... 


And another... 


Gummy bears happen in the most wonderful places. 


Just loving life and soaking up the woods... like the rest of us. 


If you had told me 24 years ago that baby Fancy would be the one carrying (some of) the most beloved people in my world, I would have believed you. I knew she was special from the moment I laid eyes on her wobbly legs.


He steals my heart every day, over and over again. 


The magical fort... 


She radiates beauty. And she's a stinker. 




And evening walk.




Lochlan's new swing... it's a secret place, so don't tell anyone. 


The new school house is changing our lives! 



Morning rides with Madigan are energizing! Trotting through the woods anyone? 




Homeschooling...


Paisley fully embraces her new height advantage. 



That's more than a halo... 







1 comment:

teona said...

Oh, my heart!!!!!!