Misty Morning
A routine can be so grounding. If you're thinking of problems you don't know how to solve, a routine keeps you moving. It offers a security of some sort in times of uncertainty. The first thing I do every morning after praying and reading my Bible is go for a walk with Niles Winston, our big boy Newfoundland.
The Homestead Handmaiden and Niles Winston walking to the creek
He is always delightedly grateful for my offer to take him with me. When he sees me approaching with the leash he does a couple quick turns and prances like a puppy and often grabs his Kong in his mouth, but then thinks better of it and drops it right before we leave.
This morning we walked along beside Wolf Creek which now runs tamely within its banks, having had no big rains to swell its volume. The air was cool and the sky overcast. We watched a heron and a hawk glide above the creek canyon through the mist that hovered over the water. The creek was on our right and browsing cattle on our left. Niles and a young fuzzy calf nosed each other through a broken down fence until the calf decided he really should run for his life and scampered away toward Mom. We heard crows and buzzards calling in a way that sounded like a Homeowners' Association meeting, which it was. The birds were up high on tree branches but, Niles (who is not a great jumper) made several gallant leaping efforts - just in case he could get up there to them. He tried a couple of big woofs to get a rise but to no avail. We soon saw what they were talking about. There was a carcass beside the creek. Maybe a small deer. The meat was fresh but we could see a small rib cage. I would guess it was taken by a coyote and the birds were getting leftovers.
The walks are a routine but they are never the same. They enliven the body and the soul.
