Waking to the beauty that surrounds me...

In the morning the absolute first thing I do after swinging out of bed is walk outside with the dogs while they attend to very important canine business. I am generally a bit bleary and foggy as I survey my surroundings. I always take note of the meadow, scanning for deer or other wildlife. I wake a bit more as I attend to my chores. I let the chickens out of the coop and say hello to the lambs. I fill bird feeders with seed and bird baths and water buckets with cool water from the well. Then I water plants and check the progress of the vegetable garden.

I toss out scratch grains for the hens and crows and feed the sheep a little treat. The more I do the more alert I become. I take in the unmatched smell of a Maine morning. I listen for loons on the lake. I admire the way the eastern light illuminates the back yard... and in August I notice that the orb webs are back. They are here this time every year...starting along the fence that divides lawn from meadow. The tall grass is the framework for hundreds upon hundreds of spider webs. Some span 24" or more across. They cover the meadow, as far as my eyes can see. The morning dew outlines each strand of each web in sparkling drops. And though spiders give me a bad case of the heebie jeebies, I cannot help but pause in awe of the art they create fresh each night; awash in a breathtaking marriage of evening dew and morning light. In the morning the first thing I do is go outside to attend to the very important business of waking up to the beauty the surrounds me.