I woke up to sunshine after a million years (ok, maybe, three days) of gray and clouds. A perfect day to get all the grass mowed in an eight-hour time frame. I love to mow grass. That has to be the first thought in anyone's mind when they see how much grass I mow each week. Start with a rough surface, and end with a smooth one. Kind of like sanding, but I hate sanding. I'll stick with mowing. After I get done mowing it is a wonderful feeling to step back and see how nice things look. And especially if I get the push mower out and detail mow around the spruce trees and buildings. When I'm really feeling ambitious, and when it needs it, I'll get the weed wacker out and do that for a couple hours.
After mowing I did step back to enjoy the fruits of my labor, and found myself wandering over to sit down by the chicken house where the kittens were playing. Mama cat, Miss Kitty, loves attention.  So, while she relished having her ears rubbed, my attention was drawn to the birdhouse on the corner post of the goat yard just 25 feet away. There the swallows were taking turns feeding the babies inside, even though the "babies" looked as big as the adults and just as capable. Swallows are fun to watch. They are like chickens. I could sit and watch them for hours, which I will probably do when I'm a lot older, and I find my semi-permanent spot in my favorite rocking chair.
The early evening sun was perfect for sitting and watching the goings-on all around. The kittens crawled out from under the chicken house to check out why their mom was purring so loud. The goats bleated every now and then between mouthfuls of grass when they looked at me as if to say "got food?". You could tell the chickens were about ready to call it a day, because as the day gets longer the chickens get slower. They don't run, they waddle and hang low from heavy crops of all-day foraging. Glory was in her pasture enjoying her evening graze. Her reddish coat shining in the sun.
I know what it is like to enjoy a country setting  with a variety of animals and birds to keep my attention. I don't do it often enough, but when guests stay here at Nestle Inn and I see them sitting on the deck relaxing and watching the sights, I feel what they feel.