Trying to Trust

When I opened the door to let the dogs out, such warm balmy breezes surrounded me as though we were on the beach! It was amazing! The day began well although we were rudely awakened at 4 a.m. to a big noise! The dogs didn't bark so I wasn't worried. Princess knocked over a large antique pitcher. I got it on Ebay to match my grandmother's dishes...very bad kitty! I couldn't get back to sleep for some time which allowed me to read some blogs and comment.

Jessie was to have a friend over to ride her at 11 a.m. so I went out to unlock the gate and there was that tiny baby fawn in the middle of the meadow again! It wasn't there yesterday all day so I thought the mother somehow regained her senses but I was wrong. I didn't have the camera and it looked up briefly at the noisy Kubota passing by and went back to sleep. On my way towards the house, I was greeted with terror....across from the pond and up the steep hill (pond is a little ways from the First Field where the fawn is) I saw those stray dogs! Thoroughly alarmed, I panicked and shooed the black lab away like a complete idiot. Then the little beagle came running towards me since I have petted it before. The beagle has no collar but the black lab has a nice leather one adorned with a gold heart that I am sure reveals its name and number. I petted the beagle, came to my senses, and called for the black lab to no avail. Coty and Nugget were barking with complete frustration as they could not get close to examine the canine trespasser. Coty would like to attack it. The beagle followed me behind the Kubota (so cute!) towards the house to the edge of the underground fence border. I stopped and hopped out to put the jealous dogs inside hoping the beagle would wait. It didn't. It went back to hunt for the black lab.

What to do? Dogs kill fawns. That is a fact. The good husband told me only a couple of years ago how Black Jack had mauled a fawn and brought it to the yard to eat it. Jessie's friend was on her way, so I quickly grabbed a lead rope and a large stick in case I was to come upon something disastrous. I was ready to lose it. I was very upset. I sped back to the First Field and there was no fawn. The word 'trust' kept popping in my mind. "Just trust that things will be okay". Pretty hard for me to do as I always want to help or avoid something bad. There was no blood and I couldn't hear anything. I prayed the baby was safe and looked around the field towards the creek. Nothing and no signs of the dogs.I had to let it go and get on with Jessie' little friend. A couple of hours passed and after they left I drove back out to lock the gate. No fawn. I decided to stop and walk in the woods to see if I could find any evidence of it or the mother. Nothing again. The woods were nice and cool. Why does the mother deer insist on baking her baby in the brutal sun? I saw a bunch of old leaves that looked like a baby, but no, just leaves. Then I thought, maybe a walk around the Cemetery Paddock might reveal something. I noticed we needed to mow and weed eat again. I saw nothing and turned to go back....

OMG! I passed the tiny thing and was inches from it and didn't see it and didn't hear it!!!! I saw brown next to a post. The baby was napping at the inside edge of the paddock. It looked at me but didn't raise up. I spoke to it of course but kept on walking...Leslie, you mentioned in your comment that you would have petted it had it been you...I had to remain unselfish and not linger or touch. What a gift! I couldn't get good photos as I was scared I might disturb it and I didn't have the long lens, but that is ok. The baby is safe today and I pray it grows up strong and healthy and lives a long life. I am learning to trust...

Midnightmare

Sunday was a great day. I got lots of little things done, things that have been nagging at me, screaming for me to take care of them. Weeding, cleaning, organizing... I was proud of myself for not procrastinating but it was tiresome work and I was ready for a good night sleep. The sleep number bed has treated my back well and it beckoned me around 11:00. The good husband as usual stayed up to watch sports, news or westerns, total man stuff that bores me to no end since my brain is inundated with those moving images on a daily basis.
I blissfully and slowly began to disappear into a different consciousness. Mindless images filled my brain as darkness took over. Muted television noises could no longer be heard and intense relaxation dominated my body. Then a distant ringing began to penetrate. The ringing became more pronounced. The layers of nothingness began to pull back and expose consciousness. I silently admonished the good husband's brother, Simon, notorious for late night calls to chat about a baseball play. Why must he call this late? Through the closed door I heard rumblings of the good husband's deep voice. Short words though steady, not animated chatter over a play. My heart began to pound. The conversation didn't seem long. Was this bad news? Was it my family again? Memories of the dreaded phone call, though during the day, about Dad's death pushed its way into my brain. I will be forever stained with that fear. The heavy footsteps fell, closer and closer. Oh God, he was coming to me. The wooden door was opened and the six electric candles of the old cast brass chandelier blasted me into heart pounding reality.

My poor husband's sister and brother-in-law were in a serious car accident. It was Sunday night. It was midnight. My husband had to hastily drive an hour away to the ER in another town. Thankfully, another brother lives nearby and both would be there for each other for the trip. I stayed at the farm since they had no clue what they would find, how long they would stay, etc. Now, I must wait and worry about all four of them praying that my husband is safe from harm during his stressful drive. Sleep was no longer an option for a couple of hours until I was given an update. The dogs watched me with worried expressions but soon dozed off bored with the steady drone of television's human voices.

The poor things were on their way home from a fireworks display. They were on a four lane headed south and swerved to miss a large dog causing them to flip the Ford 500 and end in the median. No airbags went off since there was no front impact. Thankfully it was a one car accident. The sister had to be airlifted to the hospital.

ER's do not clean the patient. I guess they just work on the vitals. My husband had to endure the shock of the seeing blood all over his baby sister. She suffered from a 20 centimeter head wound though the cat scan showed no swelling. The brother-in-law suffered from a broken collar bone. She was on oxygen and barely spoke. She thought she was dying.

Today, she remains in the hospital. The plastic surgeon repaired broken capillaries and closed the gash on her skull. The brother-in-law was discharged yesterday. He carries with him extreme guilt. He thinks it was all his fault and that he should have done better.

Needless to say, Monday was difficult to endure. My entire body was heavy with the lack of sleep, worn out from all the adrenaline, and stunned from what had just happened. There was no rest for the weary and the day's activities pushed me all over the place. The excavators finished the middle layer of lime stone sand, a rude and selfish insurance broker stood me up for an entire hour without a phone call after I traveled 40 minutes to meet them (I had to call and ask where he was and wait for one of his flunkies to arrive...) and then they ended up refusing to insure my clients, and finally I had to finish some paperwork and turn in a contract at the office.

I am most thankful to God that our loved ones are still living and will be fine with time. Although they are in pain, their bodies will heal. I am thankful that my husband safely returned to me and that we are in good health. I am thankful that an important step was completed on my arena. I am thankful that I have work even though it can be stressful. I am thankful that death has not come knocking on our door and that the good husband and I along with our animals, extended families and our friends are with us. So, although we experienced a nightmare at midnight, we still have so much to be thankful for and all is well on the farm!

Weary With Worry

Friday night began with an excellent meal shared with two of our dear friends whom we haven't seen in a few months though emails were passed back and forth. The good husband and I enjoy good company, good food and good wine! Who doesn't? I began the meal with my favorite cocktail, a chocolate martini which could easily be gulped quickly as it tastes like chocolate milk! (almost) The dinner was excellent and a good time was had by all. On the way home, we were chatting as usual about nothing and then I shrieked!

Close to our entrance was a doe seemingly dead in the middle of our side of the road. The bad husband refused to stop after we turned in so I could check on her. Through his many protests, he reminded me what Itty Bitty's vet bill was, but that made no sense to me whatsoever. I can't take a deer to the vet! I wanted desperately to see which deer had been hit. If she was suffering then we could end her life for her. Her body looked perfect, no blood, no mangling of parts; she just seemed to be sleeping. Fiery frustration built up inside me. Was I being over dramatic? Was I asking too much just to see her? I sat there worrying if that was one of Brownie's girls while the gate was being unlocked. I made up my mind to go to the house, get the huge flashlight, kick off my heels, throw my barn shoes on and get back out there, with or without him and without changing clothes. The good husband drove me back and pulled into the bottom of the neighbors wide driveway while sputtering threats that I was going to get run over.

I ran to her. She was still. Stupid cars kept interrupting so I had to step back into the weeds to avoid bringing life to his incessant worrying. Finally I was able to check her pulse. I felt under her neck. I felt a quiet but weak beat. Was she alive? I picked up her neck and her head flopped to the left. A small puddle of blood was underneath. I felt of her belly. It looked swollen but there was no kicking or any movement of any kind. I gently pulled her out of the road and positioned her body neatly in the weeds. A kind lady stopped and asked if she could help. I looked up and just mumbled a word or two. She waited a few seconds and then slowly drove away. I kept feeling the doe's body, hoping she was just in shock and would get up. I was in shock. This had just happened. She was still warm and we had been gone for quite awhile and she was not there when we left. It was pitch black out and I couldn't tell who she was, though she wasn't dark like Brownie but she was small. Brownie turns out small deer. I would have to wait all day and hope that Brownie and her crew would show up for corn in the evening.

Saturday morning was busy as we had a commitment but I elected to squeeze in a call to the precious people who sold us some acreage last year that connected to the farm. They are old and sick and live in Tennessee. He had colon cancer and she has Padgett's disease. I haven't talked with them for a long while, and left a message last week. No more procrastinating. It was a sad conversation as I learned that Bill now has thyroid cancer and her pain is worsening. Poor things. My eyes were already swollen from the night before and the tears that flowed with Ann wouldn't matter. I now have two more lovely people to add to my prayer list. I don't know why I am so fond of them, but there is something about those two that causes me to truly care for them.

The evening finally came after a day of shopping for flowers, working in the yard, changing the barn window box flowers, weeding, and mulching. I am still not done! Alas, the deer began to show but I only saw little Cocoa and Nub near the barn. Uh oh, that was not good; they never feed by themselves. I gave them corn. I brought the horses in and kept watch for other deer and finally six showed. BB was not there but while that was not good, all the girls were fine! Yippee! Brownie seemed tired and rested while chewing her cud. BB finally showed up and I saw three Longtails skip down the hill wanting to sample that good corn! Mama Longtail is huge and her twin boy has antlers already splitting on each side. While I still wonder who that doe was and hope that her death was swift, I am thankful that my Brownie's Brood remains fine and all is well on the farm!

Several Sunday Surprises

Sundays are supposed to be days of rest. Today began a bit chilly unlike the scorchers we had earlier in the week. I turned the horses out, completed the barn chores, and brought the Sunday paper in so the good husband could enjoy his morning ritual. The rain brought out several beautiful floral surprises! A lone pink iris that has not bloomed since we owned the farm has opened up. The yellow irises now dominate Hazel's bulb garden and my peonies have blossomed. So pretty!

I intended on blogging but then the dogs began to bark. The barks were urgent 'Mom, there are humans close to the house!' type of barks. Strong and consistant. I let Coty out immediately, slipped on my shoes, got the camera, put the long lens in place and walked briskly in the back yard, up the hill and hid in the woods. Probably someone hunting turkeys although the turkeys have left long ago due to those two dogs that run the deer. My good canines continued to bark but with less frequency. They stayed still and I stayed still. I heard nothing. No twigs snapping, no voices. The birds did not sing up the hill though they were chirping below me. All was quiet for several minutes. The brush was thick, the thorns stood ready to stab me with their painful points and poison ivy was everywhere. I prayed no ticks would find a home on my body. The dogs began to bark again and then I heard the voices. I simply yelled firmly (with no menace) to get out of my woods and that they were trespassing. Twice. The voices sounded young. I couldn't head straight up to where they were in the clothes that I had on without tearing my skin so I took the 'secret path' up this incline I call Cardiac Hill. It is brutal. Huge massive rocks support the hill and on top it goes straight down on the right side. I heard an adult male giving kids directions as to where to go. I saw them and tried to capture them with the long lens but missed as I neglected to turn on the 'sports' mode. I chastised myself as I was nearing the top for not being in better shape. In plain view an adult man and a teenage boy were carrying neatly coiled heavy ropes on their shoulders. I was behind them only within a few feet. They were oblivious of me. I simply watched and listened for about three minutes. They were planning to repel down those cliffs. The three youngsters were below. The girl wore a red jacket. When they began slipping the ropes off, I quietly said 'whoa, don't do that'. They turned and were surprised I was so close. I explained that I owned the land and did not want anyone on it, especially near those cliffs where someone could get hurt. The man insisted he did not see my signs. I noticed the boy had a knife. As usual millions of thoughts ran through my mind, but I refused to listen to them, remained calm and engaged the man in a conversation about his black dually deisel Dodge. I complimented 'Brittany' for reaching the top first and joked with the thin kid who stopped to rest. That spurred the heavier kid to come in second place. I showed them a better way to get out of the woods so they would not get scratched and off they went, hopefully never to return again.

I chose a different way down the hill and alarmed a deer despite my verbal assurances that it was I. She continued to snort which caused me to 'wonder had they come back'? The dogs would tell me. My question is, if they were repelling, then why were they over near the house? Why did they stop talking when the dogs were barking? Hmmmm. We all met at the rocks close to the same time. The steepness and heavy brush slowed me down which was proof that they were not near the rocks. The dogs were pointed in a different direction. Sundays are supposed to be for relaxing but I am very thankful that all was well and ended well. Now, I can pick some blooms, make an arrangement and still have time to get on that treadmill and workout!

Do I Have Rabies?

I often wonder how often history repeats itself and perhaps in the large scheme of things when looking back at the centuries of humanity that we could find several examples. But I am looking through a much smaller lens when I ponder this question. Does it repeat itself in our families?

Decades ago, maybe almost a 100 years ago, I had a great aunt who died of rabies. What a horrific way to go. I cannot imagine her misery. Unbeknownst to her, her pet dog whom she had for years contracted rabies, though her dog showed no signs of the disease in the beginning. Rabies is sneaky! It takes up to 10 days for the affected animal to show outward reactions. The dog must have licked her hang nail as she had no other open cuts on her body. She contracted the disease, the dog died and then she died. Anna was Great Grammie Fred's sister and they lived in Massachusetts. She was older than Grammie and this happened before Grammie Fred's husband died which was 1934. It was Great Grammie Fred who nursed Anna through her pain having to wear gloves and masks, while tending to her dear sister. There was nothing the medical community could do once she had the disease and there is nothing the medical community can do NOW once rabies has reached a certain stage IF no RIG (antibodies) has been injected within the 10 days of the rabid bite.

My Great Grandmother Gena (Anna's sister) and my Grandmother Gertrude

Last Monday night a week ago I was bitten by a stray cat. I was feeding her leftover grilled chicken saved from my restaurant meal. We saw her as we drove into the farm entrance. She was huddled at the side of our lane. She is tiny. She is a black calico like Callie. I made the good husband immediately stop so I could give her the chicken. Sorry doggies! I crouched down and tore off pieces, watching her gobble and stupidly held out a piece and she bit my finger. It was not a hard bite. She may have thought my finger was actual chicken! It didn't bleed much, though I squeezed immediately. It didn't really hurt. I cleaned it out, and drizzled a lot of different essential oils which are miracle workers but I will blog about them later. Never did it swell, never did it throb with pain, it healed very quickly. Go oils! Cat bites can be nasty as their mouths are supposedly extremely germy unlike dog mouths. (left: skinny Callie when she first arrived)

I called the neighbor across the road to see if he knew this cat and he did....that was a stroke of luck. Although she was not his, she did trust him once and had some kittens in his barn. I never saw her over there. He did not see her regularly and said she had been roaming around for up to 5 years! He does own a gorgeous white cat whom she is probably friends with... The good husband and I never saw her before...but she looks a lot like a tiny Callie...I gave the neighbor a cat carrier and he promised to try to catch her. Remember, she is half wild and they do not pet her.

What to do? Wait, and wait, and research, and read, and wait....no cat for 7 whole days! They did see her the next morning but I had not given them the carrier yet...I decided to get the shots. I had to with only 3 days left. I did not want history to repeat itself although our county has not seen rabies for some time according to the Health Dept. but is the system reliable? Is a farmer going to report that he just shot a rabid animal? Maybe not, especially around here. Either way, it doesn't matter, rabies is active in other counties throughout our state. It can always travel and start back up, and... Rabies can lie dormant in your body for 2 years! There was no way I could put myself through the misery of worrying and wondering. My vet warned the shots are painful and are injected into the deltoid and the butt....no more stomach shots as in the old days...Ok, fine, all women can handle pain (especially horse girls, and men are whusses anyways - did I spell that correctly?), so I called the Health Department and to make a long story short, I was on the phone for up to 4 hours trying to sort this out! Our county does not give the shots. I would have to go to the ER which is in another county. Fine, but I am not going to wait for hours just to get a shot...so I called the three local hospitals...Before I go further, in order to be protected, you have to get the bite site injected with the immediate antibodies called RIG. You also must begin the series of the vaccine. Two shots the first day( they actually call that Day Zero), another shot the 3rd day, another shot the 7th day, another shot the 14th day and the final shot the 21st day....remember that! But it is critical to administer both shots the first day. One hospital only had the RIG on hand and said that the vaccine is on backorder and has been for months! WHAT???? Another hospital only had the vaccine on hand. And the last hospital had nothing but worked really hard trying to help me and called the same county health dept. (that I do not live in) for help...blah blah blah...it was awful. I even tried to get my family doc to give me the shot...No, they do not do that, nor does their ER! I called again and he finally agreed to order it through that same county that I do not live in...I guess that was ok for me to get the shot through the family doc just not directly through that county! Wow!

Everything in life goes up and down, even and odd, good and bad, happy and sad, etc. Yesterday, I was in mental pain and today I would be in physical pain. I kept thinking of Anna...

Anna with husband Frank and son Milo

Then God stepped in, and for those who don't believe as strongly, think of the odds! The good neighbor called in the evening and managed to get the cat in the carrier (with only a scratch)!!!! Yippeee!!! Now what to do with her? I don't want her around my babies, the vets' offices were closed. It was late evening. I took her to the ER and thankfully they agreed to board her overnight. They never have done that before... thank you ER!! I was not going to chance another bite so I shelled out $38 this morning; she was very well behaved and did not bite the tech and I took her to my vet to wait out the rest of the quarantine period. I will know Friday morning. We all are 99% sure she is fine but you never know and I certainly do not want history to repeat itself! Thank You God! I know your hand was in this whole ordeal! But I still must wait and see....do I have rabies?

Farm Cat Cricket Scare

Yesterday began with no heat in my office so working in a winter coat was not fun but it was necessary to prepare for some late afternoon appointments that were back to back. Cricket and Callie popped outside during morning feeding but decided it was too cold and rested in warm beds until after noon. I let them out while cleaning the stalls. Mistake. This is why... Cricket has developed a habit that if he is let out in the morning, he will come back in the afternoon wanting a late lunch. Fine. But, if you let him out again, he will not come back at dark. Thinking noon was fine probably would have worked but I was too busy in the office and not around the barn when he showed back up. My good husband dutifully got another igniter for the furnace and was overseeing the installation.

I got home around 7 pm, brought the horses in to clean stalls prepared with fresh timothy and water. No Cricket. Daddy Cat was constantly demanding for food. Callie was in the tack room beginning to get worried. My loud calls for Cricket only silenced the owls' mating calls and alarmed the deer in the yard who decided to stop eating and stare. I watched them closely as their ears reveal even the slightest of movements and point in that direction. Nothing. I was getting nervous but decided to satisfy my hunger pangs. The huge '3 million candle' spot light was getting dim. It had been on for 40 minutes of searching.

I am reading "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. Incredible reading. "You see and judge the present through the eyes of the past and get a totally distorted view of it. It is not uncommon for the voice to become a person's own worst enemy".

With this knowledge, I tried not to worry, tried not to think of Choo Choo's disappearance, tried not to envision anything negative. I tried to give attention to my thoughts as an observer as advised in the book. I began another search at 9 pm. Loud calls, then immediate hush in hopes to hear small steps that would rustle dried leaves, or a tiny meow. Coty and Nugget were out. Human's senses are so dull compared to animals. Coty let out an alarming bark. I spotted two small eyes way up on the steep hill. I was hopeful, but only for a second. The grayish brown fluffy coat with it's cute brush revealed a little yearling fox. I went up the lane, stopping at the cemetery, more calling. I spotted a possum walking briskly away from me. Still trying to be in the moment and not in my mind. The mind is beginning to take over while I continue up the long lane. I couldn't understand why he wouldn't come. I know he was hungry. It was cold out. Is that big owl around? I spotted the trees, maybe I could see it... yeah, right. I went out to the big field, down both sides. Deer were bedded down and didn't run. Still nothing! I didn't cross the field and spot toward the river, certainly he could hear my big mouth! Back to the barn. It was 10:30 by now and the horses needed to be hayed and grained and watered again. Just as I was finishing, I thought I heard Coty bark again. This time he was looking towards the big field, so I knew it wasn't the fox. Sure enough, here comes this incredibly long and lean black and white cat with its 15 inch tail standing straight up! Cricket! I scooped him up, thanked Coty and Nugget, and in the tack room we went. Callie and I watched him while he ate. Poor Callie, hungry herself, wouldn't interrupt so I put a handful on another plate for her. It was satisfying to just stare at their precious heads while they gobbled food. Cricket had to go in Grammie's "Love Jail" but didn't seem to mind and gave me this irresistible look as if to say "I was fine, you should have known that!" Upon release, he gave me his usual tail rub as I sat in the chair contemplating that last four hours.

Defying Death

Snowy and cold again so I thought I would tell you about a harrowing experience I had one November early afternoon last year. I was cleaning stalls, the farrier was to arrive within minutes and horses were grazing in the field with the barn cats happily exploring...typical day. Not! Coty began barking non-stop with Nugget and Little Bear barking as well. I looked up and saw nothing and thought it was just a deer or a squirrel. It didn't stop. Frustrated with interupting my work, I briskly walked up the barn drive to the edge of the yard, looked where he was looking, and saw a brown head bobbing in the little ground well fed by a spring half way up the hill!

I ran, and of course it felt like slow motion going up this hill! A young deer was drowning in the chilling water and its head was going under! Oh God it was Nub, Brownie's boy! I dropped to my knees and immediately got my hands under his 'arms' and tried lifting him out. He frantically tried to escape my foreign touch and even swam under the ground which I had no idea it was that wide since it had stones surrounding the edge making it look 4 ft square. I kept trying to lift him out. Too heavy. He was about 75 pounds then. I could get him about 1/2 way out but then he would slip back since his front hooves found no traction on the slippery stones. His loud calls of distress will be forever engrained in my memory. During this process I was screaming for help, screaming his name, screaming for God, and just frantic. Why isn't my farrier here yet? Why can't my good husband hear? Was I going to have to watch him drown? Was I going to get kicked into oblivion from a frightened and wild deer? Half my body was over the well; was I going to accidently fall in? I was given the gift of a wonderful thought...get those rocks out of the way so the dirt surrounds the edge, maybe that will help him with traction. So I quickly dug the rocks out, some splattered in the well, probably adding to Nub's fear. Then I tried again. I got him 1/2 way out. Same thing. Instead of continuing to pull, I told him to rest. So we did... for about 3 seconds. Both of us didn't move with my arms around him. Then I heaved, and his hooves found blessed traction and he got out. He ran to cover, unscathed, with no skin scrapes, and no limping. He stopped, shook his thick coat then trotted off. He was fine but I wasn't.

I could barely move. I was sobbing and shaking mostly from the adrenaline and some from the ice cold water. I walked back to the porch, stopping to give thanks to my wonderful dogs with weak pats. I noticed I was covered in mud, thoroughly soaked and had a hole in my pants resulting from bruising my knee. Funny, I felt none of that earlier. Needless to say, I was physcially and emotionally useless for the remainder of the day. Nub and Cocoa are the first fawns I have ever gotten close to and since Brownie is my favorite; my affections for these two babies run deep. We have since covered the well with a metal sheet since one of Big Girl's fawns drowned earlier in the summer and I was not around to help.

I often wonder where Brownie was, did she see this? Did she know? Did she hear his screams? Probably. Nub fed that evening as usual and all was well on the farm.

Scary Sky!

I was quietly sitting in the living room working online when suddenly my good husband bursts into the house and rebukes me for not getting the horses in! Huh? Non-horse husband caring about horses? Why? Then he told me that in 15 minutes we are to receive 60-65 mph winds and that the weather experts warn that tornadoes could occur! I heeded his warnings even though the sky hadn't darkened yet . Running top speed down the lane, passing the pond and scattering the snorting deer in all directions; I quickly got the horses. I put them up, closed the 4x8 heavy dutch outside stall doors, closed the end doors, secured the wind latches, and placed large cement blocks in front in case the latches gave out. I put Cricket in the huge pen leaving Daddy Cat and Callie loose in the tack room as they don't fight as much. I told them all I loved them dearly memorizing their beautiful faces and praying that nothing would hurt them or our farm. Fear began to creep its way into my thoughts. I looked to the sky. The wind was slowly giving me warning but I still had time to quickly feed corn to the deer. Just as I finished, the wind and the rain bore down with no compassion. The deer and I fled to safety.

We were blessed! Once the darkness gave way I went outside to see that our home, barn, and fencing were not affected although we had several trees down. One in particular fell on the Cemetary paddock blocking the lane, however the sturdy oak plank stayed strong! A small group of thin tall pines were uprooted in the backyard and another fluffy green cedar fell on Black Jack's grave. As I was checking it all out, a strange yellow light emerged, bathing the farm with an eerie cast. The sky looked haunted! The puffy clouds were dark grey mixed with a strange yellow. I had never seen this shade of light before! The sun peaked out and an electric blue sky introduced itself so I grabbed the camera. The deer were quietly surrounding the cedar and I worried. Was one of them trapped? They didn't run as we all surveyed the tree and I peered under thick branches to be sure nobody was underneath. The Longtails surprised me by not running nervously away. They just stood there. I finished feeding corn as several more came out. Later that night more winds threatened our safety but thankfully we were spared. The morning news reported several uprooted trees, some on unlucky homes, power outages, and one roof was blown completed off in KY. I pray for those who suffered and I thank God all is well on the farm! (This happened Thursday however the blog would not let me back date!)