Life on Mud Lane

As I was tucking into bed last night, I first heard the wind and then the rain came.....in sheets. And I hoped that my otherwise fair-weathered flock of sheep would take cover and that the small puddles in the chicken coop would grow no bigger.  The thing about having an epic winter in Vermont, with an epic amount of snow is that you are surely in for an epic Mud Season. Let me tell you folks, there's mud everywhere----not just the obligatory ruts, holes, and dips that your car tires fall into on a dirt road. I'm talking mud that you sink into in the backyard........slippery mud that can be worse than ice causing you to do a header right into a pile of manure. Oh, and there's still a bit of ice around.....just to keep you guessing.

I drove my car through the car wash last week regardless. I just wanted to 'wash the winter away.' I knew, that in a matter of hours, the tires would be caked and the finish would be sporting a layer of brown dirt......I didn't care. It was almost like the first sign of Spring to me---the first car wash of the season!

As I arose this morning, already running late, hubby asked me to check Bentley's ears as he had been shaking his head intermittently all night long. Golden Retrievers, in my experience, struggle with ear fungal infections and Bentley is far from exempt. We have it down to a science---special wash to clean the ear and then drops. He's well-behaved about it, but he certainly doesn't enjoy it.  I gave him a cookie and let him out into the dampness which I'm sure is not helping his ear affliction. No doubt he will, along with is younger brother, bring some backyard mud into the house on his return.  My vacuum cleaner lives in the living room for now.

Before dashing out the door to work, I thought that I'd better peek in on the sheep. Out the back door and into the mud, I hurried down to the barn being careful not to get sucked into the abyss of water, sticks, and natural detritus littering the backyard.  We still have snow cover as we are in the woods and on a hill. I slowed down once I reached the barn because a sheet of ice covers the ground in front of the door and I don't want to end up on the other end of surgery. I stepped into the barn and reached for the light switch feeling triumphant that I had not fallen.  We have a Dutch door that separates the hay/grain/tools from the sheep and we usually keep the top part open.  All I heard was quiet......and then I looked......

No matter how many times I see it----whether humans or animals, new life causes me to stop in awe, take in a breath, and bask in the miracle and the wonder that it is. And it is just that.....

I love Mud Season................Namaste!