From my Kitchen Window

My favourite room in my little house is the kitchen. It is light and bright and has three windows, each with views of nature. As I stood at the kitchen sink washing the breakfast dishes this morning, the activity on the lawn and in the big hazelnut trees heralded the start of a new day – two squirrels, six robins, two Northern flickers (oh, they are so beautiful!), two Stellar Jays, a goldfinch and a purple house finch.

I glanced out the back window toward the pasture and saw Martin, the alpaca, lying by the pasture gate, his head down flat on the soft damp earth, eyes closed in a blissful slumber, so at ease with himself and his surroundings. The leaves are turning, and the reds and yellows and many shades of greens and browns as summer fades to autumn provide a beautiful palette with which to paint my memories.

Minutes later, from the window over the buffet, I watched a beautiful heron swoop gracefully around in a circle before landing on the neighbour’s pond, and just beyond I see a solitary longhaired cat dressed in gorgeous Siamese colours patiently stalking mice in the field.

Today was my birthday – and my favourite gifts of all were ones that cost not a penny: a sweet gentle nudge from my dogs, the funny upraised snoutie of a piggy, the "nnh, nnh, nhh" of a happy alpaca, a smile and hug from a friend, the light tap on the arm from my cat.....and the views from my kitchen window.