Magical

Twenty-one years later (how time flies) and this place can still take my breath away.  After the rain and heavy cloud cover had cleared, the moon shone last night like a glowing pearl, so bright it dimmed the stars.  If you want to see stars, wait until the dark of the moon when the stars sparkle and shimmer like diamonds.  I've posted more photos of sunrise and sunset than is reasonable.  I can't help myself.

It's not just the sky that gets to me.  Give me a glimpse of an antlered stag or a doe with her fawn and I'm struck dumb.  Even a predator fascinates me, although I'll yell and stomp to send them on their way.  The ever-changing bird life is a better indicator of the seasons than the calendar.  The trees, omigosh the trees.  Who knew there were so many shades of green.  The maintenance crew of turkey vultures left behind during the winter migration is evidently a group of immature birds.  Their heads are dark and won't turn red until they grow up.  I'm kind of glad they aren't the true black vultures, who aren't patient enough to wait for road kill but will go out and do their own dirty work.  There was almost a collision yesterday with a small group of turkeys who wanted to cross the driveway as I was going past.  They really wanted to go first, but decided that discretion was the better part of valor and waited.

It's not just the wildlife, the domestic critters provide their own entertainment.  Even the dud chickens tickle me.  Stanley would very much like to intimidate, but he just doesn't have the moxie.  The best he can do is a halfhearted sneak attack from the rear, but doesn't try to quiet his footsteps.and if I turn around, he pretends he was just going for a tasty snack in my direction.  Um-hmm.  As frustrating as the goats can be, I've never fallen out of love with them since Lucy and Ruth arrived in 1998.  Missy might not qualify as domesticated, but seeing her little face of a morning and hearing her purr of thanks delights me.  She earns her keep.  There is a squirrel tail on my front step right now that she brought up and left for me.  Lucky me.

I don't need a wizard's wand to make magic...this place makes its own magic every day.