A Deep Winter Thaw.....

I awake to the gentle sun drenched morning, the rush of the winds in the tree behind our bedroom, the soft plop of water dripping and the hope of Spring around the corner.

It was a quiet morning, I got up, put the tea pot on to boil and went out to feed the horses. Now you have to know that this is my favorite time of day, it is my meditation time, it is my ME time. My routine is to build the layering of clothing to withstand the whatever - degree temperature it is during a Minnesota Winter. I then let the dogs out of their kennels (all 4 of them) and we head out to the barn.

Spencer, our rescue Standard Poodle leaps and bounds with the two Border Collies like he has springs on his feet and they wrestle and tumble as we make our way to the barn. All the while I have Tasha, our 4 pound Yorkie tucked away in my coat somewhere.

This morning was different though, I opened the sliding glass door and was greeted with a chill in the air but not that blast of what always feels like stinging needles. The snow was starting to thaw and as we all made our way to the barn you could see the snow turned to puddles of water and the sun's glint off the surface, it was beautiful!

Another favorite is when I open that barn door and both horses always greet me with a whinny and a soft neigh. That is my "Good Morning" from my faithful friends (but we all know that it is really "Where is the food Mom?").

I go through the process of mixing grain, minerals and pellets and ceremoniously feed Tess and Dunny and give them my own greetings with a scratch on the forelock and a good scratch along the neck.

I then tend to the chores of picking manure. filling hay mangers, cleaning out the automatic waterer (which I swear is older than me) and then tending to Montana the big old Barn Cat and guardian of the horses (or so he would like you to think).

By this time, everyone is done eating and they are anxious to get outside and enjoy the semi-warm weather. I always halter Tess first and lead her out of her stall for turnout but this morning was a little different. I have been working with her on lowering her head for haltering (trying to make things easier for my 5'6 husband and dealing with a 16h horse) and she had been a little resistant with the technique I was using which was to put a little pressure on her poll to lower her head. This morning I just brought my arm above her head and held the halter in front of her and she stuck her own nose in and then lowered her head to my hip level. It was very cool and I am always amazed at how much horses teach us as long as we listen and see carefully.

I then haltered Dunny and took him to the run in to his awaiting friend. By the way, the two are inseperable and it is not a love affair between mare and gelding but a deep respect for the leader which is what always is first and foremost in the horse world. Dunny, is the leader, he is somewhere between 23 and 26 years of wisdom and I don't know his history but he has been ridden hard and has had little love and trust has been a long road but we are getting there. Being leader he kicks Tess to get away from "his" perceived pile or piles of food and she always respects him. However, the gratuity is always repaid by a gentle nuzzling of a wither or the quiet solitude of standing grazing next to eachother.

I then go to the task of cleaning the stalls and sweeping the aisleway and head out the door but never before turning around and admiring my work and being grateful that I have the opportunity to care for these creatures.

There is a glimpse of a Saturday at the Sayetta farm in the midst of a deep Winter thaw.

Memories, Longings and Paying Homage.....

Today marks the death of a brother of a dear friend, today marks a new beginning which is called tomorrow, today marks the death of a day we shall never see again, yet do we mourn for this day thats will soon be lost?

I am touched to the very core by a sweet woman that is innocent, charming, beautiful and rustic. My prayers and best wishes to you dear friend in this day of healing (you know who you are).

Do not stand at my grave and forever weep.

I am not there;

I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn’s rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and forever cry.

I am not there.

I did not die.

Bridging the gap.....

Good day peeps! Things are finally settling down and I am getting back to business of reality and not living languishing memories of white sand and warm sunshine.

I have finally gotten some concept models down for some new jewelry pieces and I am delighted with how they are turning out. I should have quite a few new pieces to list by the end of the weekend.

Today is also day 8 of eating Raw - meaning eating only raw foods and I marked a 7 pound weight loss as of this morning. Part of my journey to self is correcting my diet and here is an example of what I will be eating today.

Breakfast, handfull of Goji berries, 5 Macadamia nuts, handfull of trail mix and pineapple.

Lunch, Salad comprised of Broccoli slaw, Purple onion, Acai Powder, Maca Powder, Coconut, shredded Carrot and all tossed in a balsamic of Rosemary of Thyme. Yummy!

Dinner, Tibetan Goji Salad with Romaine, Acai powdere, Sunflower seeds, Sesame Seeds, Goji berries, Raisins, Golden Berry all tossed in a nut butter dressing with Almond butter, sesame oil, olive oil and Tahini. Another yum!

I have finally hit to point of starting feel very good and I had forgotten how clean eating clears not only the body but the mind!

The only set back I have experienced in a very odd numbness on the left side of my mouth all the way to my teetth. It is better this morning though thank Heavens! Very odd sensation....

The meaning of Peace...

Peace

It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still

Be calm in your heart.

Thank you Cindy

74 to -10 in 4 hours flat.....

We are back and what a wonderful 5 days of warming the bones, readjusting, healing and planning. It was an average of 74 there and it was quite the wakeup call to come back to -10 and then -40 wind chill. Why do I live here?????

We shared lovely meals, lovely time on the beach, lovely conversation and a whole heap of introspect which was much needed.

Recall this picture:

This was my prior post which was an image that came from the site and this image came directly from my Blackberry which means that I got to stand in front of it and what a gorgeous sight it was.

Here is also a pic that we took of the huge Zen Garden at Morikami:

This was a beautiful Japanese Garden but you can tell that there is something gone wrong with the climate here. Alot of the bamboo was in bad shape and many of the ancient Bald Cypress either dead or in great distress. The lake was down by as much as 7-10 feet and things were definitely stressed. It was sad to see.

The picture below is quite interesting with the lanterns hanging against the backdrop of the lake.

All in all it is good to be back in our own bed and we missed the girls terribly! I will be writing more on the intropection part of the trip but for now here is me and a fun moment, "I thought I ordered Cannoli?"

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

"Located in Morikami Japanese Gardens in South Florida, this Wisdom Ring is a replica of a stone lantern located in Delray Beach's sister city in Miyarzu, Japan, where it is the town symbol. The original Wisdom Ring stands on the grounds of a temple dedicated to Monju, the Buddhist bodhisattva of wisdom." Excerpt from the Morikami Japanse Garden website

We will be leaving tomorrow for South Florida for some warming of the bones and healing of the mind. We have not had a break for 2 years now and are very much looking forward to some time away for just the two of us. We will be having dinner with Ciro Marchetti as well and looking forward to meeting him.

The above image is the Wisdom Ring and we are planning to go to the gardens Saturday and I am very much looking foward to some Zen time.

That is my tidbit for the day and I will report back when we return.

Torn and Tattered?

Living within the boundaries of our little homestead that was recently transformed into something that we never really quite imagined it would be.

Living within the cold bitterness that is a Minnesota Winter and longing for the days of Spring.

Living with the hopes and dreams of two precious little girls and their innocent ways of life.

Living with the remnants of everything that still needs to be fixed or replaced or renewed somehow due to certain winds in July of 08.

Living with the stress of each day and the balance of what is a pleasure and what is duty.

Living with the torn and tattered trees?

I spent some time late yesterday evening in surveying what few trees we have left. We have two very large Birch in the front of the house that literally had the bark peeled off of them. I decided to not pull the peels but to let her (the tree) shed them as she must. It looks like they are about to come off and below the tattered shell is signs of growth. What appears to be torn and tattered is actually rebirthing.

When the bark does come off I will be soaking it and flattening it and then doing a special tribute drawing for our family.

So, as the image above shows, within the torn and tattered there is hope.....

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Hope lights a candle rather than cursing the darkness - Keith Todd