Here was an unexpected sighting at the bird feeder… Harry got this picture of a little varmint. It’s naughty, certainly, but very sweet, and very happy to have figured a way to get to this unimaginable feast, despite a gauntlet of cats. I expect he will become a feast for someone before long, but in the meantime, he is welcome to some seed.
On Tuesday, we bid goodbye to Margot Condie. She had suffered from Alzheimer’s for years, but prior to that sad burden, she was a bright light in the Condie family. I worked for the Condies at their Eidnoc Farm (Condie backwards) for nearly a decade. So many memories resurfaced during the Mass for Margot! When I was at Eidnoc, I worked with three generations, Parker and Margot being members of the middle generation, now in their 80s. Most of the “children” are middle-aged with grown sons and daughters of their own. Their memories of riding with me include adventures that would never happen these days, including swimming horses across the lake…
At the funeral, we ran into Sophie, sister of Dorothy and Laura, who recently visited here. Sophie brought me into the life I now lead. We were classmates, and when I was 10, she invited me to The Farm, fulfilling one of my childhood’s great desires. Three Creek Farm was a magical place, with a huge herd of Connemara ponies. From that fortuitous day to this has been a trail of luck and dreams come true, in no small part thanks to Sophie. After many youthful adventures, our paths diverged, but our affection remains, and it was wonderful to see her. Sophie is a beautiful singer-songwriter. We seldom get into St. Louis in the evenings, but for those of my readers who might, Sophie will be performing on Thursday, May 25 at Blue Strawberry in St. Louis. https://bluestrawberrystl.com/show/detail/1109
Vitality is surging around here. The woods are dense and deep green. Life is speeding along. As the different flowers bloom, they call to mind the people who provided the plants. Every year, I am grateful for many friends with gardens, and their generosity that has provided years of beauty in my life.
The horses are happy with the new turnout regime. Lips are loose while daytime dozing.
Harry is finally back in the saddle. Just in time for flies and ticks!
The birds continue to delight us, and I did finally get a picture of the catbird.
Roscoe and Harry at the end of a long, warm day…
And finally, a night encounter with a pair of turtle in the back pen! It’s dog proof, but not turtle proof. They can come and go at will. These are two different turtles, not the breeding pair. Though I did check gender, and one was female, the other, smaller one was male, so… maybe another chance at baby turtles! To identify and to take a census, going forward, I am going to discreetly tag every turtle and keep a record. I will keep a silver marker with me.
Be safe, be well. Slava Ukraini! Peace.
Hi Anne,
Your pics and descriptions are so wonderful and uplifting!
I loved seeing you and Harry and catching up a bit though it was a bittersweet occasion.
We really do have some fun memories from childhood, even before the farm days like making a lemon pie in your Easy Bake Oven. We forgot to put baking soda or sometime in it. I remember we gave it to your father to eat and unfortunately he couldn’t because the crust was pretty much like plaster! He was sweet about it though and we all laughed!
Sweet memories, yours and Harry’s love story, spring towards summer, beautiful, beautiful, all is beautiful. Harry looks great on Stone.
Wonderful memories of the Condie fam!