Soul searching...

Each of us has stress, and we all have our own unique way to deal with it. Some jog, some blog, some read, ohmmmmm, or shop. What's important is that we find, what it is, that allows us to breathe again, smile, and shake the kinks out.

Most of you know by now that I'm a country road seeker. Senior coffee in hand, the corgi kids and I venture out to the great beyond...that is, beyond the town limits, and head for open country. Give me land, lots of land, and the starry skies above....ahem, 'cuse me, got lost there...I like country drives. We have a route, and the dogs know it well. They recognize it, and know when we near the fields with the painted ponies, woolly white-faced sheep, Rhode island red hens, and the bearded billy goats. These are on all different farms. Here's an example of what we see.

The black spotted woodpeckers peck on soft pine as we gaze across unmarred, diamond studded fields of snow. The corn stalks jut out adding texture to this view. A couple of Holstein calves at the end of a drive are marked surprisingly just like the two corgis inside the car. They raise their heads as the dogs bark a hello from the road. We always stop and put windows down in case the animals want to converse with each other. Normally, whoever is in the field, just looks up and chews, as the corgis dance about in the back seat.

The sheep and old horse, said to be pushing 27 years old, dig through the snow, hoping to get at the grass underneath. For some reason, seeing that, strikes me funny. There's a brown eggs for sale sign tacked to a tree at the end of the drive where the red hens live. They pop in and out of a handy hole on the side of the barn. This is where three goats live as well. One is heavily bearded and he stands in his doorway. A young kid peeks in and out with hang down ears swinging. He's not sure about the yipping corgi, trying to get a better look from the back car window.

We cross a black ribbon of river, edged in snow on both banks, and clunk-clunk through the 1872 covered bridge, badly in need of repair. I always look out the cut outs on the bridge sides to view the river from above. (Why are kisses inside a covered bridge so special? Just unique, I guess.) The current runs swiftly and swirls in spots; the snowy banks show off every curve of the meandering river.

Small town living, in a rural setting, is the perfect place for the likes of me. Nature soothes my soul for some reason, it always has. My brothers and I were lucky to live along a river as kids. We were always fascinated by the wildlife, living along the banks and in the river. (Thinking of the Green Acres theme song right now....)
No city life for me...but I'll visit.

My hope for you all is that you have already found your own spot.
That you have already found what soothes your ragged soul. We don't need it everyday, but we need to know, that when we do....we know where to go!