We arrived on Sunday afternoon to an incredible scene out of a Thomas Kinkade painting. The only thing missing was snow-capped mountains. The lake, the pond with fountains, the barn, the alpacas (aka The Girls), the dogs (rescues), the multiple pastures stretching out, the lovely home, the pool and whirlpool with a waterfall running over a rock backsplash, the trees, the dock and the solitude all worked together to make a slice of paradise we are honored to visit.
One Morning
The mist on the lake
The pair of geese floating serenely. OK, 1 was serene, the other was squawking and honking like a reality star with the cameras rolling
The delicate pink buds on the trees surrounding the lake
The fat bees buzzing from bud to bud
The bright red cardinal cheeping on the apple tree outside my window while I write this
The splash of a fish
The song of a variety of birds beyond the geese and cardinal
The bark of a dog
The rumbling roar of a truck
When I opened the curtains on this scene this morning, I was amazed. It looked like a print of an Irish castle I gave my Mom a few years ago. The only things missing were the castle and the decrepit rowboat sitting on the shore of the lake. One of the most beautiful peaceful scenes I have been a part of for a long time.
I watched the pair of geese, so like couples I know, one arguing and yelling, while the other calmly goes about his business. Another pair flew over and honked a good morning to the first pair. It got me to wondering. In the fall you can see hundreds of geese flying in their V formations. Rarely do I see them actually going South, but I’m sure they know where to go since they are always back in the spring, with little goslings pattering behind them.
Walking down the drive here towards the barn, I looked up and saw 8 alpacas strangely still, staring at me. Spooked, I turned around and went to the dock. I will meet “The Girls” with Nancy later, not by myself. I sat on the dock and watched the clouds in the smooth as glass water, then back in the sky.
Another Day Another Dawn
This is so incredibly beautiful! We went from grey silence to a lone bird calling. The metallic sounding bird song. As the sky lightened, more birds joined in. The pair of geese that argued so loudly yesterday swam serenely through the lake, all forgiven. They honked in greeting, or warning, to another pair flying overhead. The nearby trees herald another gust of wind as the sky brightens slowly, adding pale golds and soft blues to the palette. As dawn moves towards morning the solid flat grey of the rainclouds becomes a tableau of different clouds at different heights, edged with the brightly contrasting white of day. The lake looks like hammered metal with dips and divots, peaks and valleys yet smooth and reflective still. When the breeze picks up from that direction the trees are silent but you can watch the ripples on the lake coming towards you, losing the reflections of the island in the lake and the trees around it. Only the basic grey of the clouds above appears in matte upon the surface. It is chilly and damp and I decide to return to the coach to write. Good call, as it begins to rain again. The definition of the clouds fades back to the solid flat grey of rain. Dawn has been put on hold, although morning continues to expand in a slow absence of darkness without any other indication that it has arrived. The colors have halted their dance as the rain increases. And the birds have all fallen silent, with the exception of the one lone metallic warbler still calling for a mate.
Leaving Memphis
I finally met The Girls! They are the sweetest, most docile alpacas. They only spit if you offer your hand to show you have no food for them. Then they chuff grass at you. Not me. I was scared to offer my hand with food. When I did, they daintily picked the food off my palm with nary a tooth to touch. And they do have teeth.
This has been the most peaceful week of my life. We left the farm twice, to go to Graceland and to have dinner one night. The story of Graceland will be next!
