Thanksgiving Eve

 It’s Thanksgiving Eve, and I’m feeling even more like an orphan than I did last year. Grief takes time, and the holidays are hard without the people who always made it special when we were young.

Still, I am thankful that I have a nice place to live. The hens and I were all thankful for a lovely day today.

Hens enjoying the sunshine

I’m thankful that the scaly leg mites seem to be under control. Do I see new healthy scales growing back, or am I imagining it?

This Dominique's legs have fresh yellow scales between patches of old scales

Blackbeard's feet before treatment (10/27)

And today--her scales are dark green

At least Blackbeard’s feathers look better.

Neck feathers are fully filled in now

I walked back to the creek this morning. It is lower than I have ever seen it. There were lots of deer tracks in the mud.

The creek is very low, edged with ice, and the mud is pocked with deer tracks

Hopefully we will have a wet and/or snowy winter to fill the creek up again.

Looking downstream where normally submerged branches and trash are exposed

Terry has lots of Michigan holly in one of his deer-fenced nurseries. He has started harvesting it for winter decorations.

Michigan holly berries

In other signs of the changing seasons, he rearranged the equipment in the tractor shed. He pulled the tractor out so he could move the snowblower out from behind it. The lawn mower and the Gator go to the back, and the snowblower stays by the door, ready for the big snows that will fill the creek.

The snowblower comes out of the back of the tractor shed

I’m thankful for these guys. Obviously, Banjo is feeling very comfortable in his new home.

Terry and Banjo

Bingo is still a little shy, but will at times nestle between my knees, just out of reach. On a really good day, I can pet his head.

Bingo between my knees

I’m thankful for the friends who are coming to share dinner with us this weekend, all the other people I love near and far, and the memories of those who are no longer with us.

I encourage you to remember the immortal words of M.F.K. Fisher—“With good friends around us and good food before us, when shall we live if not now?”