Aloha! Aloha! Alohaaa!  I know we sounded a bit crazy running around the fields yelling Hello in Hawaiian, but that is the horses name…

She happened to jump the fence in the twenty minutes that her owner left and I went inside to eat breakfast.  She was just waiting for the break.  Of course, I expected to see a tall, white mare just standing freely, grazing in a nearby field, like any normal horse would do if it escaped, but not Aloha.  I took a look around the property, the road and the neighbours fields, before starting to slightly panic.  I figured after half an hour and no horse in sight, it was time to call her owner.  It was nobody’s fault, but here I was expecting to get yelled at by our new boarder and when she showed up for the second time that morning she was so sweet and continued to apologize for “wrecking our weekend.”  It comes with having a farm and I just wanted to make sure Aloha was going to come back alive, uninjured and not cause any car accidents. 

After searching my parents property, ours and nearby open fields where I knew neighbours would not come out with a gun, I then continued to a field down the road where I did not know the owners.  I received a tip from a neighbour that the horse had run across the road and behind a house that was being built.  It was early and due to the fact that the house was being built, there was no door to knock on to ask for permission.  I proceeded to trespass and wander to the back of the property, unseen from the road.  As I scoped out the cow field with my binoculars and lead rope in hand, a young man approached me from behind the half constructed house.  I immediately said “I know I am trespassing.  I am not trying to steal your Galloways, although that is exactly what it looks like.”  I proceeded to explain to him that I was not interested in the Belted Galloways and would never steal that breed of cow.  After I insulted them on their choice of cattle and dug myself into a hole, I then told him that I lost a horse.  It was an interesting conversation nonetheless and he gave me free roaming privileges of the property and forest trails. 
  
After a long day of looking for hoof prints, we were less optimistic and a little more worried. How could a completely domestic horse go so far and why? We walked the marsh, forest, train tracks and roads several kilometres away.  We phoned the police and reported a missing white horse.  I could only laugh when describing the horse, as the police officer was clearly not from the country or had any awareness of farm animals.  We did spend about 5 minutes trying to explain what a halter was and why  horses wore it on their heads.  I thought it was important to say that she was wearing a leather halter with her name “Aloha” on it, but this led to wasted time and further silence and confusion on the other end of the phone.  Day turned to night and our hopes of finding her in the morning were high, as we could only assume she would come back out in the open.  By this point, I had expected to spend my Sunday just like Saturday, roaming Georgina for a horse.  To my surprise, after only two hours of a.m. searching, she was casually standing in an open hayfield where I first looked the day before.  She looked at us as if we were strange and I could only assume she was wondering what the matter was.  She looked completely content eating the greener grass.  She still had her halter intact, no injuries (not even a scratch) and no broken bones from jumping the fence.  Just one missing shoe and an excited prance is what we were greeted with.    

This was a weekend where my parents were at the cottage and Allan was at work, so help was limited and I had double the chores to do.  Often, I love getting up early and making my way to the barn to complete my morning routine, but I must admit there are about 3 mornings a month where I curse repeatedly as I walk out to the barn and this was one of those mornings!  I was over tired from the week and had not eaten.  This number increases in the winter when chores become significantly harder just because of all the snow and low temperatures.  All of this and the fact that I rarely function well without a morning tea, makes the difference in my barn manners! 
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Gladly, a couple weeks later and much more proof of Aloha’s good behaviours, she has definitely redeemed herself.  Something must have scared her and we are all a little crazy sometimes!  That must have been her crazy moment and she just couldn’t tell us what it was.  Although, I sensed some whinnies from the other horses when she came home the next day.  I don’t speak horse, but they were definitely laughing at her, as I am sure they witnessed her leap over the fence the day prior.  Just to be precautious, we felt the need to pasture her in 7 foot tall quarters now…  There is no jumping out of that one and if she does then I am contacting the Canadian Equestrian Team myself!  

In my eyes, there is no better way to spend Thanksgiving than on the farm.  Albeit, my family is gone to the cottage and I am left to do chores at both farms.  I am content staying home and mucking stalls because it means I get to just be home (which doesn’t happen very often).  My dogs are extremely happy!

The imagery of harvest frames my front entrance.  Gourds and pumpkins, apples and leaves sit appropriately around the porch surrounding the door, as a welcome to fall and a welcome to visitors during this beautiful season.  I decorate for each season, but fall is definitely my favourite of all and it is rewarding knowing I grew my own autumn porch display items.   

Each day I try to consciously think of what I am thankful for, usually while driving to work or cleaning the stalls.  If I don’t then I sometimes forget what is important to me.   When it comes down to it, all the things I am most thankful for relate to my life in the country and experiences I have only been able to have because of my lifestyle here…

-Clean fresh air and wide open spaces to realize the grandest gardening ambitions

-Raising meat and vegetables and having a chicken coop in the backyard that I can collect fresh eggs from each day

-Owning big dogs and letting them run free

-Having a horse and stable of my own

-Drinking tea on the porch

-Picking apples from nearby orchards

-Long walks on a quiet country lane

-Being able to wear an old wardrobe that dates back to the 1980s (the animals don’t care and no one can see me)

-Surprise visitors (this is also one of the things I dislike about country living, as they often catch me when I am wearing that wardrobe I mention above and when the house hasn’t been vacuumed in two weeks)

-Blaring my favourite country tunes on the kitchen radio, knowing my neighbours are too far away to care

-Cutting down a Christmas tree from the back forest

-Eating locally because so many residents grow something!

-Bonfires, even when no one can come except the nearby critters

-Witnessing and assisting in the birth of lambs, kids and calves annually

-Photographing the natural beauty around me

-Handwritten letters in the mail

-Standing in a rainstorm on a humid day

-Picnics (they are few and far between, but are long remembered when they actually happen)

-Lilacs and sunflowers

-Cars and trucks that never stay clean so I never need to wash them!

-The sound of rustling leaves, the sight of old barns and century farmhouses, and the feel of a warm breeze in the fall and a cool breeze in the summer

-My tree swing

-Going to the manure pile for garden fertilizer and dirt (this is something I definitely take advantage of and need to remind myself that some people have to pay several dollars per bag)

-Well water

-A good job, food in the fridge and wood for the long winters

-Watching the enjoyment of the chickens and pigs, as they eat the rusty lettuce and split tomatoes from the garden.  It is fascinating!

-My down to earth, country lovin’ girlfriends

Mostly, I am thankful to have all my senses and limbs intact, so I can enjoy all those mentioned above.

I was able to enjoy many of these country blessings this Thanksgiving long weekend.  I picked apples from the Johnson’s Farm, pulled bounty from the vegetable garden and cooked carrots, cabbage and squash, watched and photographed the leaves falling and the horses cantering, ventured with the dogs in my clothes from the 1980s, blared country tunes and spent a whole day with my girlfriends. 

Gladly, the girls were not too busy to visit for brunch, where we had coffee, tea and all the regular breakfast fixings’.  A nice warm autumn ray of sunshine came through the sliding door as we chit chatted with chick flicks playing in the background.  We invited a new friend to this brunch (Bailey) and she tasted very good in our coffee!   

A decade ago, I remember us girls attempting to create a fabulous turkey dinner while our families abandoned us for more exciting Thanksgiving adventures.  Most of us home from university, slaved away all day to be able to enjoy a meal together on the Sunday evening.  We stuffed our faces, followed by little movement on the couches as we lie horizontal trying to drink wine and eat more pie.  I remember that night as the most full I have ever felt and the girls piling on top of me.  (See picture of us in 2007!)  Only now, we are all a few pounds heavier then we were back then and a few babies join us…  Piling on top of each other is not as appealing as it used to be, but with a little more Bailey’s...it may happen in the future!   
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It is easy to take advantage of all these privileges and Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to remind myself of all I have to be thankful for. 

            "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
                                                                                                        ~L.M. Montgomery