Magic Moments

I love those little magic moments that happen when I am rushing around trying to get everything done, mind zooming ahead to the next task, and suddenly --zing! - something catches my eye that stops me in my tracks, makes me exhale with awe or laugh out loud with joy.

Today had many such moments. Just before I was to leave for work, I took the dogs out for one last pee. I was rushing them through their business and a little frustrated with how pokey they were. Oliver, for one, was more interested in something he had found in the grass, and so I went to hurry him along.

Zing! It was a beautiful dew-soaked dragonfly, its gossamer wings so fragile and silver. Oh, Oliver, I don't blame you for stopping to watch it. Thank you, for if you had not been taking your sweet time, I would not have seen such an amazing sight.

And then I looked around me and saw more of them - wings all soaked with dew - on the scarlet leaves of the Virginia creeper, on the bird bath, on the blackberry bushes. Magic - like dozens of Tinkerbells sprinkling fairy dust in my garden.






I was home from work in time to let the piggies out into the pasture. Between work and this weekend's commitments, they haven't had much pasture time lately. The pigs always have access to their pig yard with bushes and bamboo and grasses, but the pasture has so much more for them.

I took the dogs for a run first, and as we came back down the path I heard it. Zing! Little piggy voices squeaking and squealing and oofing and oinking - twelve piggy snouts pressed tight to the gate. Somehow they KNEW, even though most days after work they don't get to go in the pasture, they KNEW that today was the day. And out they came! They pawed and they munched and they smiled and they kneaded and then they munched some more. Their tails were flying and their snouties were wiggling and their bristles were standing up in excitement and happiness. There's few things more fun that watching a herd of happy pigs!

As I sat in the pasture, watching the pigs and singing to them and giving them belly rubs, I glanced over my shoulder to the gate that leads to the main yard where I'd left the dogs and - Zing! - my heart positively leapt at what I saw through the wire. All four dogs, lying on the warm afternoon grass as if they had lived together for their whole lives. How quickly they had become one family!





After dinner, I was sitting at my desk when Oliver and Belle came into the office and started prancing around. Sighing, I decided I better take all the dogs for one last run in the fields even though I had a zillion things to do. We stepped outside and - Zing! - the sky was dotted with pink-capped cloudpuffs, the trees a mere silhouette in the fading light. A beautiful evening that I might have missed, if not for my dogs!



We enjoyed our walk in the pasture, heading back to the house only when the light was almost gone.

As I looked across the road to the fields beyond, I saw the fog settling over the grasses and heard the eerie ki-yi-yiing of the coyotes as they began their evening serenade.



A perfect end to a day of magic moments.