Hanging out with my friends!

It is an absolutely gorgeous November day here in Michigan. Our normal temperatures should be somewhere in the 30-50 range but instead it is a balmy 65 degrees!  There is a light breeze blowing and the sun is actually shining. I’m so used to the gloomy overcast winter days that I’m just overjoyed at this weather.

I just finished hanging laundry out. I love the fragrance of natural sunshine and fresh air on my clothes, especially sheets. I love the outdoors and if it were possible that is where I would dwell all the time! When the winter storms come I will be forced to stay inside and enjoy the fire. I also spend a lot of time in our barn with my animals.  My goats are quite the characters to hang out with. Unless you have had the pleasure of raising a goat, you have no idea of what I’m talking about. They are very personable and have very unique and fun personalities. I currently have an escaping the pasture scenario going on and have yet to find the solution. My four youngest and smallest goats have secretly located an escape route and I have thus far been unable to thwart their shenanigans. For the past week I have had to lead them back to the barn and captivity while they were enjoying the green grass in our yard and the luscious foliage on the lilac bushes. I’m wondering if I need to install surveillance cameras to catch them red handed (hoofed)!

After hanging the laundry and starting dinner in the crockpot, I decided to go for a walk on the “back forty”. We have 65 acres and the back forty consists of a big field, acres and acres of woods, a wildlife pond and a lake. It is a beautiful place to walk. The leaves are so colorful right now and all the pesky flies and mosquitos have departed the premises. Yay! There are always ducks and different herons on the pond and we often see deer. I decided to see if my buddy, my almost 14 year old lab could accompany me. She is doing extremely well right now and we walked together. My cat Colonel Mustard also came with us. We are all still missing our cat, Arthur who has not returned home since mid September. I miss him everyday.

As I walked I couldn’t help but reflect on all the years I have walked that path with my dog at my side. I just began to thank the Lord for another opportunity to do so. We take so much for granted and fail so often to thank God for the small pleasures and benefits He grants to us daily. I truly feel so unworthy of all He has blessed me with. I have had many rough days due to serious illnesses and trials. I have felt such despair and worry. Yet through it all there remained my faithful Lord to see me through. I hope today that no matter what you’re going through you can take a moment and whisper a prayer of Thanksgiving to our lovely Lord Jesus.