Thanksgiving in Vermont

Thanksgiving was lovely again this year. I spent it with Deb and Ed and Hannah up in Vermont again. It's so beautiful up there. It was cold and snowy, but the area is just gorgeous, and I think, somehow, it's supposed to snow in Vermont. This was the view outside the dining room on Thanksgiving day. We had a visit from a young buck, barely visible through the constant, gentle snowfall.

Deb and Ed have a beautiful home there. It's cozy and warm. When we were home, I spent most of the time sitting in front of the fire, knitting the shawl I was making for my sister for Christmas, and chatting with Hannah.

Hannah carves. She's an amazingly talented wood carver. She made me two incredible little bird carvings. I didn't see Kaitlynn this year because she was out in Montana, training for cross country skiing. Both of my god daughters are amazing people, with so much talent and drive they humble me.





Here's the indigo bunting Hannah made for me, which I've put in a knothole in my maple tree. Nobody passes it without jumping, and thinking it's real.












The other carving Hannah did was a Pine Grossbeak. It's mounted on a piece of driftwood, and it now sits on the mantle in my bedroom.

Friday morning, Deb told me about a friend of hers, who is a barn manager, and who is dedicated to the preservation of the Colonial Spanish pony. She asked me if I would like to go visit. Well, of course I wanted to go meet Stephanie and her horses! One of the horses there was Oscar.Oscar was one of several horses who played Hidalgo in the movie, Hidalgo.I loved this horse. What a wonderful character!

It was cold, and I didn't realize that Hannah had put on a jacket that was far too light for the weather, nor that neither she nor Deb are particularly interested in or comfortable with horses. I, on the other hand, was in heaven. It was cold and there were constant snow showers, but bless them, they indulged my happiness and stayed there as long as I wanted to. Stephanie took me around and introduced me to all of the horses. They were magnificent. You can read about Stephanie and her work at the Red Road Farm website, and more about Stephanie and her work with the Colonial Spanish horse preservation project.

I loved the horses, and I really enjoyed talking with Stephanie about her work. People with a passion for something are always interesting to me. When their passion is animals, of course, I'm genuinely fascinated. And speaking of passion: this was the best kiss I've had in a very, very long time.