Barely Autumn Saturday

It is Saturday afternoon; after a string of cold dreary days, it is a drop dead gorgeous warm and sunny day. I have appraisal work to set at my computer and work up; things that have to be delivered before I can travel to Wisconsin in a few days, but I cannot stay inside. I make peace with that calling and surrender to the beautiful day. A girlfriend drove over in the late morning and we went to the Sugarbeet Festival. It was small and rural and charming. They had food, live bands, a tractor pull, and the local farmers who own the sugar beet co-op had information booths. I was surprised and pleased to see how many products contain sugar from our local harvest. I asked one of the women and she said that if the package does not say “from cane” then it is made with sugar beets. I will pay more attention, no offence Hawaii.

Back at home, I tried to start my push mower to no avail. A couple dropped by to talk about boarding horses, a mare and a three month old filly. That would be fun I think. They were nice folks and my place is within their search range. As they left I went over and my riding mower started right up, thankfully. I am hoping to mow my lawn for the last time this season and I had wanted to use the push mower ~ it is a crisper cut and I can get in places that I cannot get with my rider. But I putted around and did a pretty good job; mowing the lawn puts me into that alpha state of mind, kind of like meditating and I relax into it. I drove the mower into the shed and got out my weed eater to clean up the edges but I could not get it started either. I allowed myself to daydream for a few minutes on how awesome it would be to have a fellow who could help me with this aspect of my sweet life on this little farm. And it will be…...

I went inside and drank a glass of water and slid on a pair of old jeans. Outside, I called to my sweet horse and she came to see what I was doing. We played for a while, a new technique we learned a few weeks ago at an all day clinic. I climbed on bareback and rode around the property for a while, enjoying the warmth of the sun, the warmth of her body, and the warmth that spread from my heart to the rest of the universe. Did you feel it?

I led Lakota over to a place in the yard that I could not get to with my mower. The grass was tall and lush and I thought she might like it. I went inside to get a drink and my pruning shears. As my horse finished “mowing” my yard, I pruned the brown seed heads off my lilac bushes and sipped my drink.
The sun is sinking towards the mountains ~ my view from here is spectacular.
In this moment, I have everything that I need.

* annette