November 21, 2012

Ready for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and even though I grew up not celebrating it, I much enjoy and honor this holiday because I have so much to be thankful for. It is good to stop and reflect.

We do not do the usual food thing, although I do cook special stuff because it is a special day. This year we are having maple sugar scones for breakfast, a pumpkin-quinoa soufflé for dinner with roasted brussels sprouts, homemade dinner rolls, a green salad and apple-blackberry crisp for dessert. The day will be a relaxed one, just us and the animals.

So where did the summer go? We seem to be so busy that it feels like time is slipping through our fingers. We ride our bicycles three times a week, and love it. Remaining days are spent with projects around the ranch. Lately we have remodeled horse stalls, planted the winter garden and cleaned out the summer one, and started an indoor painting project.

This morning we raised a platform on the highest point on the property in hopes of attracting a nesting hawk pair. After watching a couple of Red Tails raising 3 hawklets this spring via a nestcam on Cornell University's campus, we wondered if we could be home to such an event. It is possible that a great horned owl will evict them if hawks do build a nest, but time will tell. The owls will be welcome too.




We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, and hope that you have reason to be as thankful as we are.