With love and proper care she rebounded beautifully and thrived on my little farm for nearly five years.  However, in these past couple of months she took a turn for the worst.  More and more I noticed that she was spitting partially chewed hay.  After the equine dentist came he confirmed she could no longer chew hay well enough to swallow.  Her teeth were worn down too far.  I began to feed her softened mash, which she ate contentedly, but she still wanted her hay.  It was frustrating for her to be hungry, to have the food in her mouth, but in the end to have to spit it out for fear of choking.

In my heart I knew the right thing to do was help her gracefully move on from this life on earth.  Her work was over and her body was tired.  She became beautiful over the years.  Her coat shone and you could see her spirit in her loving, kind eyes.  Her final years were good and it gladdens my heart to know that I was able to give them to her.  I can’t say enough wonderful things about Autumn, so I’ll let the following pictures do the talking.  Oh, one more thing.  All this time I thought Autumn was 20-something.  Turns out she was between 30-35.  Wow!  That made yesterday a whole lot easier for me.  In fact, it made me smile.

Winter of 2008.  She loved closing her eyes towards the sun during the winter.

This was her 2nd winter with us.

The dogs loved to come out when she was fed so they could eat the scraps.  This is Sonny waiting patiently.

Spring of 2008.  I love to photograph horses eyes.  They are so soulful, and as you can see, her spirit is fully back.

Every day I walked her up the road to a friends house so she could graze on the grass.  It was her favorite thing to do.

What a happy girl.

Dandelions were her most favorite thing to eat.  She couldn’t get enough!

May 2008 in our pasture.

This is a rare moment.  She hardly ever laid down to nap.

Autumn always insisted that the grass was always greener on the other side of the fence!

June 2008.  Now tell me, does this look like a 30-something year old horse!?

To keep her within the boundaries of my front yard, I just put rope up between trees and fence lines.  Such a good horse!

And then along came Muffin in October of 2008.  This was his 2nd day and she was still unsure of him, but much more accepting than day one.  By day 3 she was his “mommy.”

Once she realized the goats were no longer afraid of him she calmed down.

After the initiation, they became inseparable.

She was never alone and seemed to enjoy her status as Queen.

She grew a thick, beautiful coat and even the frigid cold of January didn’t bother her.

This is one of my favorites of her.  I love the colors and frozen lashes.

Basking in the January sun.

Of course there were times when Autumn had to scold Muffin, but she did so with her gentle authority.

And he would reply with “I’m a baby, don’t hurt me.”  And Autumn never, ever did him any harm.

After a good roll in the snow before breakfast, Autumn would occasionally become frisky.  I love their expressions!

Priceless!!

With Muffin around, you could say she was always entertained!

Feel the love

Another frisky moment in the freshly fallen snow.

And there always seemed to be a conversation afterward, in which Muffin realized she was bigger than him!

Heavily snow-laden maple branches = winter treats!

You can’t beat that late day February sunlight.

She even had to tolerate her little stallion, but as you can see, she wasn’t worried!

Summer 2009

Autumn’s last snow storm.

She loved to stand in her stall and look out.

Her final days of eating her mash.  The chickens picked at the bits she dropped.

Her closed stall door signifies where Muffin had to wait while she ate her portions of food.

This was the last picture I took of her, standing in the morning light, eating her breakfast, the beautiful glow of life in her eyes, where once she held a vacant stare, one I thought could never be penetrated.  But her brief time with me showed me that love is all you need.  I will always cherish my time with her and I will miss her sweet nicker whenever I came into her space.  She had a kind, big heart and I will be continually blessed because of her.  Her spirit runs free now, no longer chained to the failings of her earthly body.

I will always love you, Autumn.

So, what did I do this weekend? I cleaned out my garden on Saturday and on Sunday I visited my friend’s farm, hanging out for over an hour talking and taking pictures. The following images are all about joy and the carefree bliss that is so evident in children and animals.

Life, as we know it, comes to a halt when the power is out. The silent aftermath can either become a time to complain about not having the creature comforts we are used to having or we can make use of less distractions and notice the beauty around us.

In all honesty, I did a little of both but I especially loved having my camera out to photograph the simplicity of nature as it lay dormant. Spring is so near right now, a bit too soon, though. How this year will unfold as the climate shifts remains a mystery.

By your own soul, learn to live.  And if men thwart you take no heed. If men hate you have no care. Sing your song, dream your dream, hope your hope and pray your prayer. - Parkenham Beatty

Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.  ~Robert Fulghum

I love all the seasons as each one offers its own beauty. Color is everywhere, even in the dull gray of winter.

There is something so endearing about horses in their winter coats.

There is a certain glow in the early morning during the winter months. It makes everything warm and magical.

Even though this isn’t focused, I still love the action and the light.

And I love the colors during a snow storm found happily playing in the pasture. They are, of course, in the form of four-legged furry creatures!

especially if you’re going too fast.

So, just “Slow down, you movin’ too fast
You gotta make the MORNING last

Just kickin’ down the cobblestones
Lookin’ for fun and
Feelin’ groovy.”

When we choose to be parents, we accept another human being as part of ourselves, and a large part of our emotional selves will stay with that person as long as we live. From that time on, there will be another person on this earth whose orbit around us will affect us as surely as the moon affects the tides, and affect us in some ways more deeply than anyone else can. Our children are extensions of ourselves.
– Fred Rogers

About a week and a half ago I was at a friends house. When I arrived it was still pretty cold, but it slowly warmed. She has two beautiful children, a huge herd of goats, horses and three Bernese Mountain dogs. Speaking of dogs, if you should ever want the most gentlest of giants, the Bernese Mountain dogs are amazing. Below you will see some images of their interactions with the kids.

I’ve been trying a new approach with my photo editing. I’m learning the art of combining textures with vintage actions. I’m loving how the pictures take on a completely different meaning. Or maybe what’s really happening is the true meaning is shining through. What do you think?

Have you ever seen so much joy!!

Kea in “the zone.”

Soldier is such a flashy boy.  Year-and-a-half old, sweet as can be.  His mother is Kea (Halflinger) and his father is a Gypsy Vanner.

When you have brought up kids, there are memories you store directly in your tear ducts.  ~Robert Brault

I’m pleased with the following images.