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ENJOY

March 18th, 2014

“Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living.”

― Jim Elliot from The Journals of Jim Elliot

I was thinking about this quote as I bundled up on Sunday morning. It was 3 degrees when I went out to feed the chickens and ducks. I love a good brisk morning, the cold air invigorates me and gives me energy. This time of year I have to be careful not to start hoping for spring and wish away the last precious days of winter. I’m trying to soak up the last weeks of winter while they’re here. Tara is great at this, she LOVES winter and the snow. Every evening we take her on a walk through the woods, when we reach the back field she gets all crazy getting rid of the last of her energy. Such sheer joy playing in the snow, she’ll really miss it when it’s gone!
Tara in Snow 1
Tara in Snow 2
Tara in Snow 3
Tara in Snow 4
Tara in Snow 5
Tara in Snow 6
Tara in Snow 7
Tara in Snow 8
Tara in Snow 9
Tara in Snow 10
We need to learn from Tara to embrace what we have for what it is! I’ll be enjoying the dripping maple sap, the slushy snow underfoot, the cold air in my lungs, the comfort of knee high wool socks and shearling lined boots and the joy the dogs have for the snow!

What are you enjoying about this particular moment?

12 Comments to “ENJOY”
  1. daisy on March 18, 2014 at 5:24 am

    Three degrees is considered brisk? Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr….I’d never make it up there.
    We had a real toad-strangler of a rainstorm yesterday and I am so grateful for the gift of rain. Can’t wait to see all of the seeds I planted on the weekend coming up!
    Your pooch looks like joy manifest.

    Reply to daisy's comment

    • amy on March 18, 2014 at 10:34 am

      “toad-strangler” very very funny Daisy! I will have to remember that one:)

      Reply to amy's comment

  2. Ilene on March 18, 2014 at 6:01 am

    Oh, if ever there would be a poster girl for snow, it would be Tara! I laughed right out loud at the picture of her wallowing around in it, and then that goof-ball expression on her face. Great pictures. In the 60’s, we called this “Living In The Moment”.

    Reply to Ilene's comment

  3. Kathi cook on March 18, 2014 at 6:40 am

    I totally agree with you, wishing for warmer weather now is like wishing precious days away. I am enjoying watching the woods transition slowly from deep winter to early spring.

    Reply to Kathi cook's comment

  4. Donna A. on March 18, 2014 at 7:50 am

    She is such a sweetie! I love those leaping shots!
    We can all learn something from the amazingness of our canine companions…

    Reply to Donna A.'s comment

  5. Nebraska Dave on March 18, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Susy, it’s so wonderful to see Tara’s true personality coming out now. Such a broken hurt dog you received all those months ago and now such a joy to watch as she can be who she was meant to be. You have to wonder if dogs have long term memories and some times think about the way it was in her life before Chiots Run. You both are so great to take a chance on a dog that was ready to be euthanized. Fortunate for her you took the chance and the rest is history.

    Sorry, I’ve had enough of Winter. I’ve been sledding, been shoveling, and been slip sliding around in the truck. It started in December with the below zero temperatures and sprinkled them all the way though the first week in March. I’m ready for Spring now and won’t be sad to see the cold turn into nice warm fresh days. Oh, yeah, the tulips are up about an inch so and I’ll be planting cool weather stuff tomorrow. I’m very glad for that.

    Have a great time enjoying the last of Winter days.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  6. DebbieB on March 18, 2014 at 8:34 am

    I love the cold too, though instead of 3 degrees it’s 42 here in this morning and warming into the mid-60’s by this afternoon. I’ll enjoy a walk in the nearby park later this morning. I’m soaking up the last few cool days before summer grabs us by the throat a few weeks from now. Yes, I know the official first day of summer isn’t until June 21st, but our heat starts in April. We don’t get much of a spring here, and our winters are mild, so I revel in every cool day we get. When the heat starts it’ll go straight into the end of October.

    Our last frost is passed, I’ve got some of my seedlings in the ground and others are hardening off on the porch.

    Reply to DebbieB's comment

  7. Carmen on March 18, 2014 at 8:37 am

    I don’t mind the snow, my kids really love it, what I don’t like so much in the winter is the gray days, they tend to give me headaches, much rather have snow but be able to see the sun.

    Reply to Carmen's comment

  8. amy on March 18, 2014 at 10:39 am

    I enjoy/need the much slower pace that winter brings…. I am still trying to cram in as much reading as possible…..My creative projects really pick up during the winter….and indoor improvements take the stage. I enjoy the forced stillness of winter….although I am a slave to the woodstove…..from October until…well….whenever spring decides to make her loverly appearance.

    Reply to amy's comment

  9. Joy Giles on March 18, 2014 at 11:39 am

    This is a pup that is embracing the moment.

    Reply to Joy Giles's comment

  10. Chris on March 18, 2014 at 4:54 pm

    Now that is one happy dog! She is literally jumping for joy and yes, what a difference a happy, loving home can make for a dog! She still looks really thin though…is that just her breed characteristic or does she need some extra treats! :) Just kidding…people say that to us about our boys…they’re just beanpoles!

    Reply to Chris's comment

  11. whit on March 19, 2014 at 10:23 am

    Good morning, your photos of Tara are so beautiful. That’s one lucky dog right there. I have to agree with NB Dave that I am ready for Summer full boar! Sure, we are seeing buds opening on the trees here, our Asian pear is blossoming, daffodil are spritely nodding in the garden beds, but we had over 10 inches of rain in the first week of the month alone, and now it rains steady every other day. The chickens are sick of the mud, we all are done with small lakes outside our doors. And the intense, increased activity of predictors has claimed my favorite drake. I am ready for the season that is abundant in sunshine and bounty, a not so much in torrential downpours. :)

    Reply to whit's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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