October has dawned on the Ozarks with none of her usual softness, nor her welcome cooling. The ground protests my steps with irritable crunching. The leaves rattle in the wind. The deer are becoming brave in their search for food. I watched the boys and dogs play this evening and it was not so different from any evening. My thoughts rambled from dinner menus to bills to be payed to classroom snacks to breeding plans to much needed cleaning. When my firstborn ran to me and breathlessly asked me to come see something with him, I automatically started to tell him no, I was in the middle of cleaning the carport you see....And suddenly I was struck by how wrong that was. How wrong to look at the scene in front of me and see parched plants instead of courageous perseverance. To miss the sounds of birds, who, despite their daily struggle in life, still sound happy. To get frustrated with my dogs for rolling in something that smells like death rather than being deeply, deeply grateful for the role they play in our lives. And to look at my home and see only the mess. So I said yes, and I let a 5 year old lead me to his version of a miracle. And I looked with his eyes. With grateful eyes. Dusty toe prints on my leg. A perfect, magical lookout spot. Cows in the field with plenty to eat. Boys happy with sticks and dirt and feathers and dump trucks. Foliage vibrant in the midst of drought. Dogs who are completely satisfied simply because they are with us. And a memento from a long-passed, once in a lifetime horse reminding me to be grateful for "luck", however she may show up. May it be a very long time before I forget again how lucky I am. Much love everybody.
-H
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Just a regular evening at Deep Roots Farm & Kennel. The boys got the go ahead to make a "camp site". Lots of gathering and fighting and poking occurred. Mr. went on his nightly quest to eradicate armadillos from our property. The dogs...just the usual shenanigans from them: keeping an eye on the boys, tussling with one another, checking out potential threats, nosing my book and my camera.
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