This morning's commute to the barn had a definite chill to the air. Begging for long sleeves which I did not have on. A nice reminder of last evening's gift. Dew was heavy on the grass as I made my way down to feed the chickens before the morning's milking. Much to my surprise Rusty was no where to be seen. Had Thomas given him the boot? Chester, our beautiful roo was attempting to rule the place in his absence. (This picture does not show his pretty coloring in the dim light of morning.)

Moving about the area was quite pleasant without a worry of being waylaid by Rusty. I didn't have long to wonder about his location, as I heard him deep in the woods sounding off the morning cry of all barnyard roosters. Before I could get all the chicken chores done he showed up, guess he heard the sound of breakfast. But for those few brief minutes I was able to see what life would be like if he was not around and being so sneaky.

Getting up at 6am is already telling on me. I am trying to re-adjust my internal clock to a time better suited for milking Amber. Twice a day milkings come every 12 hours round the clock. If she and I can find an agreeable time, then Lon and I will find ourselves with more time for sitting around in the evenings. Light doesn't start coming into the barn area till much later. Almost 7 am because of the heavy tree canopy over head. Which is helpful in the heat of the day. But causes a later evening milking for her if I wait for light to see by. Guess it will soon be time to pull out the flashlight for our early morning meetings. The days are getting shorter and won't be long before we start and end our days in the dark.

I wish I could keep this hint of coolness to the day, but with clear skies above. I know the sun will heat up the place very soon. I hate that Lon is missing so much with his having to work extras and paying back time trades. Our funds could use the boost, but at what expense? I know that what he is doing is securing our future retirement, debt free. One that I pray we will have many healthy years to enjoy together.

Crows are calling from the tree tops and with the cooler air temperatures, my thoughts turn to the hunting season in 3 months. Lon was thrilled to see 3 does eating in our upper pasture area just this week. An encouraging sign for him and a boost to get his deer stands in place soon. There is so much to do around here but with a day like today, I feel that maybe this should be a play day for us. Especially since he has to work the next two days before being off again.

living life as it comes,

Deborah