Six-forty five A.M. Oh no! I overslept. If i hurry I can still get back on schedule, but there’s no time to waste. First, dogs and cats have to say, “Good morning,” then go out to start their day. Thank goodness the mist still lies across the fields, stretching and yawning against the dawn’s first light. Horses are nickering, softly reminding me that time is moving quickly. And it takes time to say, “Good morning” to each of them as they get their morning grain and to ensure that each is cheerful and ready to go out into the field.
Wow! That was close. The horses and chickens are just going out as the first streaks of red shoot into the morning sky. Within minutes the mist will lift and stretch into air, yielding place to the mighty sun. So, I’m not too late. I will just lean against the fence now to thrill at the spectacle unfolding before me. How could any time be better than the moment the sun enters the room filling every corner with new day. In the driveway, the crimson, green and gold maple trees have begun to sparkle as the sun’s rays play with their leaves. This has not been a very good fall for colours in our area, but these trees are standouts with the power to take your breath away under the rising sun. Even breakfast is a cause for celebration. The eggs that we eat were provided by our own hens. There is a continuity of life between our looking after the hens’ needs and their looking after ours.
In today’s schedule the morning belongs first to the dogs, then to the horses. It’s time for them to have some fun. Jamie and Molly walk to the back field with me every morning while the dew is still on the grass and the sun casts long shadows across the land. Next come the horses. Both Jazz and Buddy love to see their saddles coming out to the barn especially during the past few weeks of perfect riding weather. That means play time with Daddy. Yesterday a couple of deer strolled across the road in front of us. Now that’s pretty fine. Occasionally the resident blue heron flies up out of the brook , but mostly we just stroll down the road to see what the neighbours’ horses are up to.
The afternoon belongs to the garden. This is a treasured time of collecting fresh fruit and vegetables for supper, gathering seeds for drying and closing sections as they finish their season. The garden certainly enriches my life both from the fresh food it produces and through making me part of life’s cycles. The dogs, especially Molly love the garden, partly just to be there and partly because it will be followed by herding the horses, their favourite time of day. Once the horses and chickens are in and supper has finished there is one last walk into the field with the dogs. This takes place around sunset when the air takes on a soft rose hue before fading into dusk.
Finally, at the end of a busy day there is just one thing left to do, take out the saxaphone to return the experiences of the day to the air on which they were borne. This time may be the best of all because it begins and ends beyond words, in harmony with life. You know it’s funny, after a day spent in the real world, stories of theWall St. meltdown just seem less important. There is a surety in the seasons, an eternal promise of sunrise and gardens and sweet smelling hay. Life was never meant to be a hard, soul destroying grind. That was our creation. Every moment in which the rich diversity of nature is savoured makes the world a brighter, sweeter place. See you next time.